Adana-Mersin Railway Station Buildings: A Cross-Section of the Nineteenth Century Ottoman Architecture

Abstract

Proclamation of the Tanzimat marks a turning point, an important step in the efforts of the Ottoman Empire directed at Westernization. In order to integrate with the West, efforts were exerted in all fields, focusing on the introduction of new institutions and legal arrangements. Railroad transportation is one of the fields where remarkable developments can be observed. This article focuses on the history of 67 km long Adana-Mersin railway, which is one of the first railway projects of the Ottoman Empire and the architecture of the station buildings along this line. Six station buildings, including Adana and Mersin, existed along the Adana-Mersin railway, which was constructed by an English company in 1886 for commercial purposes. The Istanbul-Baghdad railway coming from Konya and the Adana-Mersin railway were connected at Yenice station in 1911. Yenice, Zeytinli, and Adana station buildings, which were now a part of the İstanbul-Baghdad railway, were reconstructed in a new architectural style displaying their new status. All of these three buildings were designed in the I. National Architectural Style. The station of Adana which is the commercial and administrative center of the region looks like a campus with lodgements and various buildings used for health, security, social, and repair-maintenance services in addition to the station building. The station building, which reflects all the architectural and ornamental characteristics of the I. National Architectural Style, was described and evaluated in detail.