Yedikule Prison Project by the German Architect August Carl Friedrich Jasmund

Abstract

It is known that foreign architects and engineers joined up with local architects that formed the major group employed in the Ottoman building sector. One of these foreigners was the German architect August Carl Friedrich Jasmund. To date, a prison project designed by Jasmund in Yedikule, but not implemented, was mentioned among his projects, but without any reference. In this study, Jasmund’s only prison design, the source and the accuracy of which have not been confirmed so far, and its emergence process have been elucidated through the Ottoman Archive documents. Although not being implemented, this prison project, known to be the only one designed by Jasmund, has a special importance in terms of its impact on the architectural design of Ottoman prisons. Though they had different shapes, units and capacities, it is possible to say that these prison designs were influenced by Jasmund’s project. Despite the fact that the project was never implemented as revealed in the correspondence, it is seen as one of the indicators of modernization within its period.