Abstract:

Since 1855, the establishment of telegraph technology between the important centers and the provision of speed and convenience for communication was one of the most important investment policies that the Ottoman State implemented. In 1859, it is seen that local and international telegraph lines, especially in Rumelian territories, were started to be built and operated by various companies in the framework of contracts with the state or foreign states themselves. After the Ottoman State's connection with the European centers, the idea of the UK to build a telegraph line from Europe to India, and for this, a cable installation project from Çanakkale to Alexandria was also on the agenda. This project increased the strategic importance of the Ottoman State lines, and the neighbor to Ottoman State started to offer proposals to connect with the Ottoman telegraph lines. Greece was one of the states that wanted to join the international telegraph communication by linking its lines to Çanakkale-Alexandria line. In 1859, with the proposal presented to the Ottoman State, Greece, which had established a submarine line between Piraeus Port and Chios Island and tried to be involved in the international network, reached its target upon the completion of this project. In the study, the details of the proposal for the Piraeus-Chios Island submarine telegraph line project, which was made by Greece to Ottoman State are narrated, the politics of both states in this direction and the significance of the project are examined. Illuminating this issue is important for the strategic importance of 19th century international telegraph communication and Ottoman telegraph lines.

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