Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
) is a historical complex that is located on
Ataköy, Bakırköy
Ataköy is a quarter of Bakırköy district in Istanbul Province, Turkey. It was developed as one of the first examples of satellite-city projects in Turkey.
Ataköy is located in Bakırköy district on the European side of Istanbul. It is adja ...
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. It is administratively under
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (, İBB) is the government agency in charge of the municipal affairs of the Istanbul Province. It is one of the 30 metropolitan municipalities in Turkey.
History
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ...
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
had built some gunpowder mills in there. The first gunpowder mill in the Ottoman capital served in what was once
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople (; ; ) was a Roman circus, circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square ().
The word ...
until 1490. Then, due to safety it was decided to move the new gunpowder mill outside Constantinople, and it was built in
Kağıthane
Kağıthane (, also ''Kâğıthane''), formerly Sadâbad () and Glykà Nerà (Greek: Γλυκά Νερά, , 'sweet waters') is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 455,943 (2022). ...
, and operated until the end of
Ibrahim I Ibrahim I may refer to:
*Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab (756–812), first emir of the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya
* Ibrahim I ibn Marzuban I ( 957–979), King of Dvin and Azerbaijan
*İbrahim I of Karaman ( 1318–1343), bey of Karaman Beylik
*Ibrahim I of Sh ...
's reign. Another gunpowder mill was built in Şehremini, inside Constantinople but it and the surrounding area were destroyed by the explosion of stored gunpowder. Thus, it was for certain determined to build a gunpowder mill outside Constantinople, and select the garden of İskender Çelebi what is now in Bakırköy. In Makriköy (Bakırköy)
İskender Çelebi
İskender Çelebi (; died March 1535) was a long-serving '' defterdar'' (finance secretary) of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Possibly the most notable events which befell him took place during the war of 1532–3 ...
, a 16th-century defterdar in Ottoman Empire, had created a vast garden. Why the gunpowder mill was constructed in the garden what is Ataköy now are that there was a stream near the garden for gunpowder production, and that the garden of İskender Çelebi was safe due to its location outside Constantinople. In 1700 the Ottomans completed to build the new gunpowder mill in Makriköy that was funded by
Muqata'ah
Under the Ottoman Empire, ''Muqata'ah'' or ''Mukata'a'' were '' hass-ı hümayun'', parcels of land owned by the Ottoman crown. These were distributed through the ''iltizam'' auction system; rights to collect revenue from the land were sold to t ...
revenue in
Gümüşhane
Gümüşhane () is a city in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Gümüşhane Province and Gümüşhane District.Imperial Treasury. The operations of this complex were disrupted so many times by some fires. After a fire danger it survived in October 1791, it was completely built of stone as a precautionary measure. In 1793
Selim III
Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...
ordered the Ministry of Gunpowder Mill to be founded in order to make new arrangements for the gunpowder production.
Throughout 18th century this gunpowder mill produced approximately 85-160 tonnes of gunpowder per year, but the quality of the gunpowder produced was always a matter of debate.
In 19th century this gunpowder mill was equipped with new machines in order to improve the gunpowder production. In
Tanzimat
The (, , lit. 'Reorganization') was a period of liberal reforms in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Edict of Gülhane of 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. Driven by reformist statesmen such as Mustafa Reşid Pash ...
this complex was affiliated to
Ministry of War (Ottoman Empire)
The Ministry of War (; , often shortened to Harbiye) was responsible for war affairs in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman land forces were subordinate to this ministry. Within the ministry there were offices for procurement, combat arms, peacetime ...
, and given under command of Tophane Commandership.
In the
Mahmud II
Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...
's reign, Dad Arakel, an Armenian-Ottoman officer, was appointed to the complex as a director, and then his sons, Ohannes and Bogos that were called Dadyan, continued managing the gunpowder mill. It was recorded that after appointment of Armenian officers in Makriköy the Armenian population reached up to 100 houses. Ani İpekkaya, a Turkish-Armenian actress, stated that children and women in the neighborhood went to Ayazma (
Holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
) in the gunpowder mill's estate to drink holy waters and go for a picnic.
The complex continued their operations until the end of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, and was transferred to military factories and
Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation
The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation ( or MKE for short), established in 1950, is a reorganization of government-controlled group of factories in Turkey that supplied the Turkish Armed Forces with military products.
History
Its root ...
Emlak Kredi Bank
Emlak Kredi Bank () was a former Turkish public bank specialized in real estate that operated from 1946 until the government liquidated the bank in 2001.
History
It was founded on 1 September 1946 with a founding capital of 110,000,000 TRY. A ...
, and in 1957 at some parts of the estate of the gunpowder mill, Ataköy sites were begun to be constructed. In 1977 Ataköy Touristical Facilities managed this area a while, then at north part of its estate, historical buildings were restored, and transformed to Yunus Emre Cultural Centre in 1993 by Bakırköy Municipality.
Developments
In 2018 TOKİ transferred the land of 60,000 m2 that, was remained from the gunpowder mill, to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and it was turned into a city park, that is called Baruthane Millet Bahçesi.
In 2024 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality also renovated other historical buildings of it, and functionalized these buildings as museum, theatre hall, and library. The library includes 8,000 books, has a seating capacity of 110 people.
Gallery
File:The tower of Atakoy Gunpowder.jpg, The historical tower near the Marmara sea
File:The courtyard of Atakoy Gunpowder.jpg, The courtyard of Atakoy Gunpowder
File:Atakoy Gunpowder in the new park.jpg, Restored Atakoy Gunpowder complex in the new park