historic site

Azatlı Baruthanesi

Province

İstanbul

District / Neighborhood

Başakşehir

Venue type

historic site

Description

Built on the recommendation of Gunpowder Works Superintendent Mehmet Şerif Efendi, north of Küçükçekmece and 4 km from the lake, the gunpowder works is known as "Azatlı Baruthanesi." The facility, completed in a few months, is known to have been established in 1795-1796. In 1804, a weir was built north of Şamlar Village, and water was conveyed from there to the gunpowder works through a canal. The works underwent several repairs and expansions. Equipment from Selanik Baruthanesi, closed in 1835, was also transferred here. Azatlı Baruthanesi continued operating until the Ottoman–Russian War of 1877-78 and was destroyed by the Russians during the war. Today, a large pool and the ruins of a hangar-like structure remain around it. The gunpowder works…