The Ottoman Project Should Be Made To Van Like Marmaray

The Ottoman Project Should Be Made To Van Like Marmaray: In the study conducted by Yüzüncü Yıl University, it was determined that the 'Electric Tramway Project' was prepared 107 years ago in Van, where 2 thousand 500 people can be transported per day, but it could not be carried out due to wars Assoc. Dr. Kardaş: 'Running a tram in Van and the creation of an infrastructure are unique to the Ottoman period. Therefore, building a tram in Van is an Ottoman project. '' I hope our government will put this project into action. Just like the Marmaray project prepared during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit. If this project is implemented, another Ottoman project will be implemented in Van. '

In order to solve the transportation problem of the city during the Ottoman period in Van, it was determined that the 'Electric Tram Project', where 2 thousand 500 people can be transported, was prepared.

Researching Van's position in the Ottoman period, Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Faculty of Letters Department of History, Assist. Assoc. Dr. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Abdulaziz Kardaş explained that he reached some interesting documents while he was researching the history of the city in archives, the most important of which was that the Ottoman Empire was about the Electric Tram Project 107 years ago to solve the city's transportation problem.

Kardaş stated that the solution of the transportation problem, which has been spoken in the city in recent years, with the tram was a topic that was discussed and prepared for a project 107 years ago, and said, 'Running a tram and creating an infrastructure in Van is unique to the Ottoman period. Therefore, building a tram in Van and solving this transportation problem is an Ottoman project. said.

Kardaş stated that after the second constitutional period, the Ottoman government sent an engineer to Van in 1908 and had infrastructure research done to solve the transportation problem.

The sketch prepared by the engineer sent to 'Van' has reached the map. A map with a copy in the Ottoman and Republic archives. The map we have is a map of 1909. On the map, the tram line is planned to be established on a line starting from Iskele Street to the government mansion in the old city of Van. The current city population density coincides with the project made 107 years ago. '

Kardas emphasized that the tramway line going from the government mansion of the old Van city behind Van Castle to the north is going to go to the foothills of Mount Erek and continued as follows:

It is decided to build a tram in an area that exceeds the current Bostaniçi District. The planned tram has a large capacity. Around 2 people a day go to the site of the vineyards and gardens from the old city of Van and work there, and from there they return to their homes in the evening. At that time, there was a vehicle shortage in Van. People were going either on foot or in ox carriages. The Ottoman government steps in on these problems and decides to build a tram in this way. The number of people the tram can carry on that day is calculated to be over 500. At the same time, 2 money is planned to be collected from each passenger as a transportation fee. When this tram line was put into operation, Van's transportation problem would have been solved by 500 percent. '

• 'It was requested to establish a power plant'

Kardaş pointed out that in the project prepared by the Ottoman engineer, it was planned to operate the tram with electricity and to use the two streams in the north and south of Van to provide electricity.

The government, which wants to take advantage of the Engil river between Bendimahi, which is 75 kilometers away from Van, in Erciş district, and between Gevaş and Edremit, which is 24 kilometers away, wants to establish a power plant here. With the energy to be obtained from this power plant, it is doing the project for both the running of the tram it will build and the illumination of the city and streets. The project, which was prepared by the Ministry of Trade and Public Works of the period and sent to Istanbul, is being put into process, but the situation of the Ottoman Empire and the start of the Balkan Wars, immediately after the start of the First World War, the rebellion of the Armenians in Van in the war and finally the Ottoman Empire. State's defeat from the war caused this project not to be realized. Today, there are opportunities to implement this Ottoman project. I know that both the governorship, university, municipality and also the Ministry of Transport are working on this project. I hope our government will put this project into action. Just like the Marmaray project prepared during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit. If this project is implemented today, another Ottoman project will be implemented in Van. '

Stating that if the project, which is of great importance for engineers and city planners, is implemented, the university's 25 thousand students and city residents will be able to travel cheaper, high quality and safe, Kardaş said that the project that the Ottoman State thought for Van with a population of 107 thousand He said that with the realization of the city with a population of over 70 million, the transportation problem could be eliminated.

Referring to the fact that the line in the project can still be used today and can be further developed by supporting it from two separate regions, Kardas made the following evaluations:

'A hundred-year dream may come true. It has turned into a project beyond a dream. So it was only a matter of time before it happened. At that time, the Ottoman government implemented such a project for Van with a population of 70 thousand, but today such a project is of great and vital importance for Van, which is close to 750 thousand to 1 million people, because the transportation problem is solved both cheaply and safely. The fact that a big city like Van is deprived of such a means of transportation is a great loss for our state and our province. If the Ottoman State stepped in in 70 and carried out this project in a city with a total population of 1909 thousand, I think it would be a huge deficiency for our government and state in 21, in the 2016st century, to not implement such a project. I think it would be a great happiness for the project drawn by the Ottoman Empire 107 years ago to come to life today. It is also important in terms of having the Ottoman legacy. '