Car Love, in which Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem described his love for cars in the Ottoman Empire, also reflected the people’s passion for pleasure vehicles. Even if it was a phaeton, these vehicles, which were the pleasure vehicle of the people, drove through the districts of Göksu, Küçüksu and Fenerbahçe. to the first zâtu’l-hareke until they entered the Ottoman borders.

The people of Istanbul, who called the car zâtü’l-hareke, saw the first car and the calendars read 1895. Some, gazing in amazement at this wheel-driven vehicle; so do I the invention of the infidel or devil car He couldn’t resist saying it.

Zâtü’l-harekeyi, meaning “self-acting”, was the sultan of Period II. Abdulhamid did not use it.

II. In the period between the Second Constitutional Monarchy and the First World War (1908-1918), the number of cars entering the country was limited.. Taking Istanbul as a base, we can say that ministers, pashas, ​​embassies and wealthy people have cars.

In the period we are talking about, there were 100-150 cars of different brands. This; from Germany Daimler, Mercedes, Benz, Puch; from France De Dion Bouton, Delahey, Deloney-Belleville, Delage, Panhard le Vaseur, Hotchkiss, Renault; from Italy fiat, from England Rolls Royce and Rapier It was his truck.

For the first time, two Lando-type Hotchkis and Mercedes cars were delivered to the Ottoman Empire during World War II. It was taken to Abdulhamit.

It is said that according to some writers, Sultan Abdülhamit did not get into these cars because of his fear. In a study on Abdülhamit, the word “the driver” was used when referring to the drivers of the sultans.II. No records have been found of the driver(s) who drove Abdülhamit’s cars.” The phrase shows that the sultan bought a car in the palace and kept the cars.

However II. Abdülhamit and those around him were not in favor of such inventions. The zaptiye oversight of the period instilled in the sultan that such innovations could be dangerous if the rebels used them. The sultan must have respected these ideas, because he went to his greetings every Friday, not by car, but by his phaeton.

When exactly the car was first used in the Ottoman Empire is still a matter of debate.

Sources tell us that the oldest source of car imports It shows that an extradition decision has been made by the Rusumat department regarding 1 zâtü’l-hareke. According to the decision, the car, which was brought from France to Istanbul in a disassembled state, ran on kerosene.

Your car is horrible Making noise, It also caused the roads to be blocked because it frightened the horses that already provided transportation in the city. For this reason the car has been returned.

An Iraqi date king was also the owner of the first car. This king, named Züheyirzade, was one of the new high society of Fenerbahçe.

Open top and red car Zuhayirzade(aka Zehirzâde) daughters enjoyed the car. Refik Halit Karay describes this event as follows:

“We are in Istanbul. We saw the first car in 1895 in Fenerbahçe. A family named Zehirzâde lived in a place between Ihlamur and Fenerbahçe. The young daughters of this wealthy Iraqi who one day visited Fenerbahçe (before the constitutional monarchy) came to this marketplace on one of those horseless carriages.

The company that sold the car trained its first civilian driver by providing driver training to Züheyirzade’s groom. The novice groom, who was a driver on the Ottoman borders, will be the subject of ridicule from those who take driving training abroad because of his driving style and he will be part of Turkish literature. “novice driver” he was going to give his name.

But why did Sultan Abdulhamid ban the car?

In the 1900s, the sultan disliked the cars sporadically seen on the streets of Istanbul. Abdülhamit is not a young and inexperienced prince; He was a self-taught artist who traveled abroad and closely followed technological developments. When the sultan ascended the throne, a catalog of these vehicles, which were of interest to Yıldız Palace, was even sent. Until the event that caused Abdülhamit’s worry happened!

On the throne of Sultan Abdulhamit The 1993 war started with the coup attempt of Ali Suavi and the plots of Mithat Pasha against him. The state was in a state of disarray. These events played a big part in his always being cautious during his reign. But the assassination attempt on him was the reason for these radical decisions.

On Friday, July 21, 1905, Abdülhamit was killed when he went to Yıldız Mosque.

After Friday prayers, the sultan had a short conversation with Şeyhülislam Cemaleddin Efendi before going to his vehicle. As he was about to go to his car when his conversation was over, there was an explosion that echoed in every corner of Istanbul. Cause explosion The carriage used by Abdülhamit was a time bomb placed by the Armenian komitaci.

Sultan Abdulhamit, unlike usual, thanks to his distraction during the conversation. escaped being the target of a bomb with a destructive force of about a hundred kilograms. However, the effects of this event on him far outweighed those of the bomb.

After this assassination attempt, Sultan Abdülhamit imposed measures on the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city and banned the use of cars.

3. The bridal chariot of Fatma Sultan, Ahmet’s daughter. (From the Topkapi Palace Museum)

II. Declaration of the constitutional monarchy in 1908 Another issue offering freedom was zâtü’l-hareke. These cars, which mainly attracted the attention of non-Muslims and wealthy people in Istanbul, are now also owned by Turks.

from Abdulhamid vehicles that are rarely reused despite the banWith the establishment of liberty, he was now completely free.

In fact, cars were not a necessity on the streets of Istanbul.

The first traffic lights after 1950 If we consider that it is a luxury, then driving in Istanbul symbolized a luxury for people. Moreover, the streets of Istanbul were not considered suitable for zâtü’l-hareke.

Not only in the Ottoman period; When the Republic was founded, owning a car was considered a luxury. The use of public transport by İsmet İnönü’s wife was also reflected in the press. This situation would continue into the 1960s.

A few cars appearing on the street in an old photograph or a film, With the car history of Turkey can give us relevant hints. On the one hand, a sultan who, because of his great fear, delayed the car’s entry into the country; On the other hand, the neighborhoods of Istanbul, which are not suitable for cars on cobbled streets, give us an image that explains why zatü’l-hareke entered the country late.