Review Of Ordering The Streets And Shaping The Water Front

O ne of the most significant events of the late Ottoman era was the decla-ration of Tanzimat Fermanı (Imperial Edict of Reorganization) onNovember 3, 1839. With this declaration, the Ottoman State aimed at the refor-mation of its various institutions by modernizing them in order to meet thedemands of changing global politics. It is not a coincidence then that Sibel Zandi-Sayek begins her exploration of the late Ottoman Izmir with the year 1840. TheOttoman military, governmental, and social structures transformed rather rapidly after this declaration as an execution of state policy. Cities such as Constantinopleand Smyrna, which have been culturally and socially diverse due to their proximity to the sea-trade routes, particularly emerge as being

As the city grows and develops,the need for better infrastructure, amenities, security, and the like emerges.The twochapters, “Ordering the Streets” and “Shaping the Waterfront,” provide the reader with an enlightening account on the various elements of the physical transformationof the city from the lighting of the streets to the management of the sewagesystems. The strength of Zandi-Sayek’s research reveals itself in these chapters asthe meticulously given specifics and the relevant discussions create a wholesomeportrait supported by maps, photos, and documents.The supporting visual materialis particularly helpful as it concretizes the analyses undertaken. Moreover, the visualmaterial rather appealingly makes the comparison of nineteenth century Smyrna with contemporary İzmir easy and interesting.Cosmopolitanism, though considered undesirable from certain viewpoints, is anaspect of imperial ports that highlight a valuable vibrancy.As the author herself sug-gests in her “Epilogue,” looking at Smyrna as a cosmopolitan port in economic andsocial ascendance not only enables a clear understanding of the city’s place in theEmpire but also through contextualization and comparison creates a better under-standing of the global process of modernization with its ebbs and flows.