Author(s)

S. G. Kucuk

Abstract

The slaughtering process had been a serious issue throughout the centuries in Istanbul due to the lack of proper facilities for handling livestock. While streets may be alternative locations for this process, it was not favourable because of the unhygienic conditions of such venues. Tophane slaughterhouses are one of the places which were built between narrow streets by the Bosporus to meet this need. The location of the Tophane slaughterhouses can be seen on the map drawn in 1905 by the French cartographer, Charles Edouard Goad. Interestingly, the stages of the meat slaughtering process can be reasonably mapped out from the names of the streets, city-wall gates and ports around the Tophane neighbourhood. With the construction of a new facility known as Sütlüce Slaughterhouse by the Golden Horn in 1923, all slaughterhouses were gathered into one central building. Being the first contemporary slaughterhouse in Turkey, The Sütlüce Slaughterhouse became a symbol of modernization. In this study, industrialization efforts of Istanbul in the 20^th century will be presented by analysing the evolution of meat industry.

Keywords

Tophane, Sütlüce, Karaagac, slaughterhouse, industrial heritage, meat butchering process