This large-size, case-bound, luxury photograph album is presented by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and IRCICA as a tribute to the city of Istanbul and a contribution to the world’s knowledge about it. The album was compiled by IRCICA from its archive of copies of the Yıldız Photograph Albums from the period of Sultan Abdülhamid II (end of the 19th-early 20th centuries). Abundant research-based explanatory texts were added to the photographs which altogether provide an urban history of the city under all its aspects. The detailed index adds to its value as a reference for researchers. The album contains a total of 1042 photographs arranged under the following chapters: 1. Mosques; 2. Fountains, cisterns, aqueducts; 3. Hospitals and health institutions; 4. Grand Bazaar; 5. Police stations; 6. Barracks; 7. Bridges; 8. Kiosks and mansions; 9. Towers- clock towers; 10. Ceremonies; 11. Museums; 12. Ministries and official buildings; 13. Schools; 14. The army, the navy and the fire service; 15. Industrial and infrastructural establishments; 16. Palaces and qasrs; 17. Embassies; 18. Districts; 19. Social life; 20. Walls and fortresses; 21. Tombs and cemeteries; 22. Visits of foreign statesmen; 23. Sea mansions, sea-side residences. Among them are photographs of 33 mosques; 44 fountains and aqueducts, 19 industrial plants and infrastructures; 14 hospitals and health institutions; 15 schools; 24 police stations; 9 military barracks; numerous houses and buildings many of them non-extant; districts, streets and gardens; views of social life and official functions. The foreword of Mr. Şekib Avdagiç, President of the Executive Board, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, underlines the significance of the publication in reflecting the importance given by the Ottoman State to the development of the city. The preface of Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General, IRCICA, contains gives information on the introduction of photography to the Ottoman State, the early photography studios and photographers in Istanbul, the Yıldız Photograph Albums and their formation during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II, and IRCICA’s various publications based on this collection.
