A Mine Site Whose Operation Was Stopped Due to War Technique at the End of the 19 th Century: Sarıyer Copper Mine

XIX. Yüzyılın Sonunda Savaş Tekniği Bakımından İşletilmesi Durdurulan Bir Maden Sahası: Sarıyer Bakır Madeni

Abstract

This article discusses the military-strategic significance of the Bosphorus during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II and, in this context, the impact of the copper mine in Sarıyer on Ottoman defense policies. It examines the importance that the Ottoman Empire gave to the protection of defensive structures around the Bosphorus and the implementation of military strategies, particularly in the face of the Russian threat from the Black Sea, increasing political activity in the Balkans, and diplomatic problems with European states. British representatives’ demands for the expansion and operation of the copper mine area in Sarıyer conflicted with the military interests of the Ottoman Empire, and these demands became an international diplomatic issue. The study analyzes the Ottoman Empire’s determination to protect its strategic priorities and the policies it followed against external pressures. It explains how the copper mine in Sarıyer, located in close proximity to defensive structures such as castles and bastions on the Bosphorus, affected military mobility and the protection of water resources. It is indicated that the Ottoman Empire resisted British demands to prevent the possible harms of the expansion of the mining area on military strategies and stopped this enterprise at the expense of paying compensation. The article follows a document-based method in analyzing historical events. In this context, first of all, documents and documents from the official archives of the Republic of Turkey, particularly the Ottoman archives, were examined. Reports published by the Mineral Research and Exploration Directorate, which is a state institution, were taken as primary sources. Moreover, works written during the Ottoman Empire period and current research studies were utilized in the close reading, analysis, and synthesis of existing materials. In this context, historical events were discussed with their military, diplomatic, and strategic aspects, and the effects of Ottoman defense policies in the international context were evaluated.