Kabataş Commerce Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

1853 (first structure) / 1907 (current structure)

Location:

Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Sultan Abdulhamid II (current structure)

Architect:

Unknown

Changes After Construction:
  • In some sources, the patron and architect of the first wooden building, dated to 1853, are unknown.
  • The earliest official record is the title deed issued in 1873 in the name of Esma Sultan, the then newborn daughter of Sultan Abdülaziz.
  • Between 1894 and 1906, it housed the educational institution named Mekteb-i Aşiret-i Hümayun, founded by Abdulhamid II.
  • Following the demolition of the wooden building for an unknown reason and the construction of the present building, it has continued to be used for educational purposes since 1908.
  • The building, which underwent a comprehensive restoration process between 2017 and 2018, took its present form.
Prominent Features:
  • It housed institutions such as Kabataş Mekteb-i İdadisi, Mekteb-i Sultani, Kabataş Boys’ High School, and İnönü Girls’ High School, which are among the important schools of our recent history.
  • Mekteb-i Aşiret-i Hümayun, which for a period carried out educational activities in this building, was established to educate the children of the leading tribal leaders of the Ottoman Empire and to ensure their loyalty to the state.
  • The present building, now used by Kabataş Trade Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, bears traces of the historic Esma Sultan Mansion in line with the architectural tendencies of the period.