Rami Barracks ( tr, Rami Kışlası, ota, Asâkir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye Kışlası) were an Ottoman and later Turkish Army

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

located in the

Eyüp Eyüp () or Eyüpsultan is a district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to the shore of the Black Sea. Eyüp is also the name of a prominent neighborhood and former village in the district, lo ...

district on the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an part of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Turkey. They were built in the 1770s in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

era. Currently, it is under restoration for use as a library.

History

Ottoman era

The barracks were built during the reign of

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Mustafa III Mustafa III (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sālis''; 28 January 1717 – 21 January 1774) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703–30), and his consort Mihrişah Kadın. He was succeeded by his ...

between 1757 and 1774. It was later renovated and extended by

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

(reigned 1808–1839) in 1828 and 1829. It is located in Rami neighborhood of

district, the then outskirts of Istanbul, the capital city of the

. Historically, the site was known as the Artillery Barracks ( tr, Topçu Kışlası) at Rami Ranch ( tr, Rami Çiftliği). The barracks were an important military facility built for the soldiers of the newly established ''

Nizam-ı Cedid The Nizam-i Cedid ( ota, نظام جديد, Niẓām-ı Cedīd, lit=new order) was a series of reforms carried out by Ottoman Sultan Selim III during the late 18th and the early 19th centuries in a drive to catch up militarily and politically wi ...

'' (literally "New Order") in frame of the

Ottoman military reform efforts Ottoman military reforms began in the late 18th century. Reforms of Selim III When Selim III came to the throne in 1789, an ambitious effort of military reform was launched, geared towards securing the Ottoman Empire. The sultan and those wh ...

. It was called in ota, Asâkir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye Kışlası. In 1836–1837, it was renamed to ota, Fünun-ı Harbiye-i Mansure after the engineer students moved in to the War School ( ota, Mekteb-i Harbiye) situated in the barracks. It became the military headquarters of Sultan

Abdulmejid I Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the ...

(r.1839–1861) during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

(1853–1856). The barracks took their final form during the reign of Sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

(r. 1876–1909). During the

occupation of Istanbul The occupation of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul'un İşgali; 12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, which ended O ...

(1918–1923) by the

Allies of World War I The Allies of World War I, Entente Powers, or Allied Powers were a coalition of countries led by France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Em ...

, the barracks served as quarter for the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n detachments of the French forces.

Republican era

After 1923 in the Republican era, the barracks were in use by the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...

until the 1960s. After the Turkish Army evacuated the building in the 1960s, it remained for some time unoccupied. The city council of Eyüp allocated the facility to dry food wholesalers. On 14 October 1972, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism registered the barracks as a

cultural property Cultural property does not have a universal definition, but it is commonly considered to be tangible (physical, material) items that are part of the cultural heritage of a group or society, as opposed to less tangible cultural expressions. They in ...

. The facility was handed over by

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...

to the Metropolitan Mınicipality of Istanbul for use as a recreational area. In 1986, the facility was temporarily allocated to the food wholesalers by the then

Mayor of Istanbul This is a list of mayors of Istanbul, Turkey. This covers the Ottoman Empire to the modern day; the name of the city in English is Constantinople during the Ottoman period and in the Republican era until 1930. Ottoman Empire During 1453–18 ...

Bedrettin Dalan (in office 1984–1989). The food stores located on the shore of

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...

in Unkapanı and

Eminönü Eminönü is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is connected to Karaköy (historic G ...

causing traffic jam, pollution and noise were relocated to the Rami Barracks. Since then, the building has been partly used by food wholesalers as a market hall. There are about 1,500 food stores inside the barracks building.

Architecture

The building occupies an area of , of which are covered. The total useful area of the site is . The barracks are constructed around a rectangular shaped courtyard measuring , and features eight wings and five blocks. It was built of stone masonry and was renovated many times.

Redevelopment

The Directorate of Surveying and Monuments of the city decided in 2010 to renovate the partly demolished and inauthentically modified building. A tender for this purpose was issued on 4 August 2014. Currently, the building is undergoing a complete restoration to conform with its original historical and cultural structure. When the redevelopment project is completed, it will house the country's biggest library. It is projected that the library will start with about 7 million books, printed and digital documents. The library will feature sections for children and collectors, as well as reading rooms. In addition, the building will be a center for cultural, social and artistic activities. It will include a city museum as well. Moreover, it will host about 120 commercial businesses, such as bookstores, souvenir shops, banks, cafes, restaurants, cinemas etc. A parking lot capable of holding 1,200 vehicles is planned. The cost of the redevelopment project amounts to 200 million (US$43.3 million). In January 13, 2023, re-opened as library.

References

{{commons category, Rami Barracks Military installations established in 1774 Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Buildings and structures in Istanbul Barracks in Turkey Military history of Istanbul Crimean War Military in Istanbul Redevelopment projects in Istanbul Eyüp Ottoman architecture in Istanbul