In the Shadow of World War I: Trade in Istanbul Asmaaltı

Abstract

In the late Ottoman era, Asmaaltı—often referred to as “Istanbul’s pantry” and located next to Balıkpazarı, Tahtakale, and the Egyptian Bazaar—emerged as a vital node within the trade axis connecting the Golden Horn to major commercial centers such as the Grand Bazaar and Galata. This article examines the micro-scale, yet historically significant urban space within the broader context of World War I and the Ottoman Empire’s wartime economic policies. As the war progressed, intensifying economic pressures—exacerbated by the blockade of the İzmir port—amplified Asmaaltı’s strategic role. In response to deteriorating conditions, merchants shifted operations to Asmaaltı and adopted survival strategies such as stockpiling and hoarding. At the same time, the Ottoman state sought to stabilize the domestic economy through interventions such as price controls, anti-hoarding regulations, and export restrictions. These state measures, combined with merchant responses and the effects of the blockade, contributed to a significant restructuring of existing trade networks. Within this framework, the article interprets the era’s widespread speculative practices not as mere opportunism but as expressions of deeper structural transformations within the wartime economy. Ultimately, by focusing on that Asmaaltı played a role in sustaining Istanbul’s economic vitality, the article offers new insights into the transformation of urban commerce during this critical period.

This article has been reviewed by at least two reviewers using a double blind peer review model. A similarity check was performed to confirm that it was free of plagiarism.

Conceiving the Study : Author-1 (%50) - Author-2 (%50)
Data Collection : Author-1 (%50) - Author-2 (%50)
Data Analysis : Author-1 (%50) - Author-2 (%50)
Writing up : Author-1 (%50) - Author-2 (%50)
Submission and Revision : Author-1 (%50) - Author-2 (%50)

The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest .

This article was produced as part of the research project entitled “An Analysis of the Socio-Economic, Demographic, and Spatial Transformation of Tahtakale in Modernizing Istanbul, 1876–1918,” funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) under the 1001 program (Project No. 122K994).

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.

belleten@ttk.gov.tr

No artificial intelligence-based tools or applications were used in the preparation of this study. The entire content of the manuscript was produced by the authors in accordance with scientific research methods and academic ethical principles.

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC).

The authors wish to thank TÜBİTAK for its support, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback, and the Belleten team at the Turkish Historical Society (Türk Tarih Kurumu)—including the Editorial Board and the journal staff—for making the publication of this article possible.