This chapter looks at the arrival of electric light in Istanbul and how it reshaped the city’s architecture, public spaces, and daily life during the early Turkish Republic. Moving beyond its practical role, electric lighting quickly became a marker of progress, woven into building design, urban planning, literature, and even advertising campaigns — especially those driven by SATIE. The text explores how light redefined the way Istanbulites experienced their streets and nights, turning darkness into a new kind of civic stage. It also looks at how evolving lighting techniques began to shape both monumental public buildings and private homes, embedding the ideals of modernity into the fabric of the city.

*the publication is in Turkish.