A Fear of Electricity – With Exceptions
The Sultan had a deep superstition about electricity that affected how modern technology was used throughout the Ottoman Empire. He generally refused to allow electric lights, telephones, or electric streetcars anywhere in Turkey. This ban on electrical devices seemed to come from his fear that electricity might somehow be used against him or pose a threat to his safety.
However, like many aspects of the Sultan’s personality, his attitudes toward electricity were completely inconsistent. While he banned most electrical devices, he made important exceptions when the technology served his own purposes. This contradiction showed how his paranoia worked – he was willing to use modern technology when it helped him maintain control, but he feared it when others might benefit from it Sightseeing Ephesus.
The most obvious example of this inconsistency was the telegraph system. Despite his general fear of electricity, the Ottoman government operated telegraph lines to every important city and town in the empire. These telegraph lines were essential for communication across the vast Ottoman territories, allowing messages to travel quickly over long distances.
The Sultan’s Private Communication Network
The Sultan had his own private telegraph instrument and operator in his personal office. This setup allowed him to receive messages in his own secret code from detectives and other trusted officials throughout the empire. He could communicate directly with people in whom he had special confidence or to whom he had given important secret missions.
This private telegraph system served a darker purpose in the Sultan’s paranoid rule. He used it to maintain a secret communication network that was completely separate from the normal government channels. This meant he could receive private reports and send secret orders without his own ministers knowing about them.
The system created a shadow government where the Sultan’s personal agents could bypass the official chain of command. Military commanders in distant provinces could report directly to the Sultan without their immediate superiors knowing. Government officials could send private reports about their colleagues and superiors without anyone being aware of these communications The Sultan’s Paranoia.
Spying on His Own Government
This secret communication system meant that the Sultan’s top officials never knew what was really happening in their own departments. The general of the army and the minister of war had no idea what private messages were passing between local commanders and their sovereign. The minister of the interior could never be sure what secret reports his subordinates were sending to the Sultan about his own performance.
This arrangement deliberately promoted the mutual distrust that already existed between the Sultan and his ministers. Instead of trying to build trust and cooperation in his government, the Sultan actively encouraged suspicion and backstabbing. Officials knew they might be secretly reported on by their own subordinates, which created an atmosphere of fear and paranoia throughout the government.
The Sultan believed this system protected him from conspiracies, but it actually made his government less effective. Ministers and officials spent more time worrying about secret reports than focusing on their actual duties. The lack of trust made it difficult to coordinate policies or work together on important projects.
Limited Electric Power in Constantinople
Despite the general ban on electricity, there were a few exceptions in Constantinople itself. Three electric light plants operated in the city, but only in very specific, limited locations. One was at a major hotel, another at the palace of the mother of the Khedive of Egypt on the Bosphorus, and the third at the palace of Hassan Pasha, who served as the minister of marine.
These exceptions were carefully controlled and probably existed because they served important diplomatic or military purposes. The hotel with electric lights likely hosted foreign visitors who expected modern amenities. The Egyptian royal palace had electric lights because Egypt, while part of the Ottoman Empire, had more independence in adopting modern technology. Hassan Pasha’s palace had electricity because of his important role in the Ottoman navy.
There were also two private telephone systems in the city, but these were very limited in scope. One connected the headquarters of the Imperial Ottoman Bank with its branches throughout Constantinople. This system was probably allowed because the bank handled important financial transactions for the government. The other telephone system connected the signal station where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea with the headquarters of the Maritime Association in Constantinople, serving navigation and shipping purposes.
Palace Lighting and Safety Concerns
The Sultan’s paranoia about explosives extended beyond electricity to other modern conveniences. He refused to allow gas, petroleum, or other potentially explosive materials to be used anywhere inside his palace. This ban came from his fear that these substances might be used in assassination attempts or accidents that could harm him.
Ironically, the park surrounding the palace was brilliantly illuminated with gas lighting. This contradiction showed again how the Sultan’s fears were not always logical – he was willing to have gas lights near his palace but not inside it. Perhaps he believed that outdoor gas lights were safer or that any explosion outside would be less likely to harm him personally.
Inside the palace, all rooms and apartments were lit with traditional candles. Despite this old-fashioned lighting method, the palace was decorated with beautiful crystal chandeliers that would have been perfect for electric lighting. The contrast between the elegant chandeliers and the simple candles probably created a strange atmosphere that mixed luxury with primitive technology.
Transportation and Social Customs
The Sultan’s fear of electricity also affected public transportation in Constantinople. Several streetcar lines operated throughout the city, but they were all pulled by horses instead of powered by electricity. The companies that ran these streetcars had repeatedly asked for permission to convert to electric power, which would have been faster, cleaner, and more efficient. However, the Sultan always refused these requests.
This refusal to modernize transportation kept Constantinople behind other major cities of the time. Electric streetcars were becoming common in cities around the world, but the Ottoman capital remained stuck with slower, less reliable horse-drawn vehicles.
One interesting detail about public transportation in the Ottoman Empire was the accommodation for women. In streetcars, ferryboats, and other public vehicles, there was always a small compartment that was curtained off specifically for ladies to use. This arrangement reflected the Islamic cultural values of the time, which emphasized modesty and separation of men and women in public spaces.
The Cost of Fear
The Sultan’s inconsistent and fearful approach to modern technology had serious consequences for the Ottoman Empire. While he was willing to use some electrical devices for his own purposes, his general ban on modern technology kept the empire from developing and modernizing. This technological backwardness made it harder for the Ottoman Empire to compete with European powers that were rapidly adopting new inventions and improvements.
The Sultan’s paranoia created a government that was both technologically backward and internally divided. His secret communication systems undermined trust among his officials, while his fear of modern conveniences kept his people from benefiting from technological progress. This combination of fear and inconsistency weakened the empire at a time when it needed strong, unified leadership to face growing challenges from other world powers.
