Ameli Elektrik Exhibition

Published by Istanbul Electricity and Tramway Companies between 1925 and 1935, Ameli Elektrik was Türkiye’s first magazine distributed via postal service, reaching subscribers along with their electricity bills.

By 1932, the magazine had 42,500 subscribers and played a key role in promoting electricity and encouraging its use among the general public. The magazine’s advertisements, product features, and serialized articles vividly illustrated how the increasing use of electricity transformed modern home life, gender roles within households, and consumer society. It was also a crucial medium for adapting technological developments to daily life and reflected the visual aesthetic of its time through its design, illustrations, and covers—strongly influenced by Art Deco, Bauhaus, and Constructivist styles of the 1920s and 1930s.

Out of 67 total issues, the first 29 have been transcribed from Ottoman Turkish and restored visually to produce facsimile editions. Restoration and transcription of the bilingual (French-Turkish) issues are ongoing and included in the exhibition as part of the project.

The Ameli Elektrik restoration project is conducted in collaboration with “Silahtarağa Oral History” and “Istanbul Maps” projects, supported by the Paribu-Silahtarağa Archive partnership.