REFLECTIONS OF 19TH CENTURY OTTOMAN ISTANBUL'S SOCIAL STRUCTURE: CONSUMPTION OF SPACES IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Authors: Ulukaya Gülşen , Sağır Keskin Gülçin 
Published: July 2024

The daily life is an phenomenon through which individuals make sense of their lives and reveal their impact on society. This study examines the evolving dynamics of daily life from the early hours of the morning to the end of the day in 19th century Ottoman Istanbul, focusing on the society's attachment to spaces. In this context, the study is designed as an effort to understand the meaning of daily life by considering individuals' routine habits and interactions through spatial relationships and to explore how seemingly ordinary details contribute to individuals' experiences and social bonds. In the Ottoman city, spaces such as markets and bazaars, mosques and masjids, coffeehouses, and entertainment venues including taverns, theaters, and promenade areas emerge as the places where time is most spent in daily life, where people engage in sharing and solidarity. In daily life, concrete examples of social, religious, economic, and cultural activities are realized through these spaces. Even seemingly ordinary routine habits in these spaces reveal themselves as indispensable activities. Because every individual has a certain routine of daily life, and the ordinary flow of this routine is generally shared among people. Therefore, traces of certain patterns of life can be seen in daily life.
In Ottoman cities, daily life takes shape in neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are formed around an area with the establishment of a mosque or masjid as an extension of Islamic tradition. In the classical period of the Ottoman Empire, neighborhoods were initially created to preserve religious integrity. However, after the 19th century, this structure disappeared due to various reasons. Another place where daily life is lived most intensively is the markets and bazaars. These markets, also considered the heart of the city, were established in a place easily accessible to everyone. In these areas where people from nearby and distant surroundings meet, people have been in intense interaction. While those in need would obtain their necessities here, surplus products would also be sold here. Besides being used for worship in daily life, mosques have also served as gathering places for the people. Especially, any news or announcement that the state wanted to communicate to the public was conveyed to the people through the imam here. In this regard, mosques were used as a communication channel between rulers and the ruled. Apart from these spaces, entertainment venues such as coffeehouses, taverns, theaters, and promenade areas, where people gathered and spent time together, are also prominent.
By approaching the spaces of daily life from a historical perspective, this study will help us understand how daily life was shaped in Ottoman society. The results of the study will reveal significant differences in practices and understandings of daily life parallel to changes in societal life. These changes will demonstrate that daily life is an evolving phenomenon and an important factor shaping individuals' lives.