The Cavalry Barracks on the Bosphorus

Description

Featured in the 1836 collaborative work of Thomas Allom and Robert Walsh, this steel engraving depicts the Cavalry Barracks on the shores of the Bosphorus, a symbol of 19th-century Ottoman military reforms. While centering on the barracks structure reflecting the era's modern architectural understanding with its Neoclassical towers and symmetrical facade, the artwork illustrates civilians resting at the pier, caiques, and the vibrant coastal life of the Bosphorus in the foreground. This visual objectively documents the Ottoman Empire's restructuring process in the military field and how the state's modern institutions integrated with the urban fabric along the waterfront.