Established in 1911 with the most advanced technological infrastructure of its time with the support of international capital and having operated until 1983, the Silahtarağa Power Plant met the entire electricity demand of Istanbul for more than 40 years and later continued to bring light to Istanbul along with Çatalca Factory from 1952 until 1983, when it was shut down. During the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Türkiye, the plant had an important role in the history of the city, not only with the technological dimension of electricity distribution, but also with the transformation of daily life practices and social life through electricity.
Silahtarağa, after first providing uninterrupted electricity to the palace and its surroundings, official buildings, and tram lines, expanded the distribution of electricity in Istanbul from Galata, Golden Horn, Karaköy, Beşiktaş, Fatih, Sirkeci, and Sultanahmet districts, where trade and international capital were active, to the Bakırköy and Sarıyer ridges. Articulated with the economic development and “modern” society ideals of the Republican Türkiye, electricity became one of the main tools of social (re)construction for the acceleration of capital flow and transformation. Therefore, Silahtarağa Power Plant was much more than just an energy production facility; it was also a driving force of social change.
Silahtarağa Power Plant was managed by both international and domestic companies and employed hundreds of people from different segments of society during its more than 70 years of operation. During this time period, it accumulated an extensive collection of documents of various kind. This collection is being studied and preserved within Silahtarağa Archive with its history that can make countless contributions to the history and historiography of businesses, institutions, cities, urbanization, social life, infrastructure, labour, and technology.