Özet:

The developments in Europe led to some economic, social, cultural, political and spatial changes and transformations in the Ottoman Empire as well in the 19th century. Especially the Industrial Revolution and the capitalism that emerged as a result of this pushed Europe to search for new markets in order to meet its raw material needs cheaply on the one hand, and to consume the goods it produced on the other. One of the most important places where the effects of this whole process can be seen has been the port cities. Port cities have undergone some social, economic and spatial transformations under the influence of economic activities, especially trade, and the demographic structure has also taken its share from these transformations. In the Ottoman Empire, port cities evolved from being agricultural centered to commercial structuring in the 19th century. In this study, port cities, where commercial organizations were experienced in the 19th century, were discussed in the example of Alexandroupoli. While Alexandroupoli was a district of Edirne province, It was organized as a sanjak during the reign of Abdülhamid II. Alexandroupoli came to the fore as the Enez harbor remained inside due to the materials carried by the Meriç River. Increasing commercial density and demands not only increased the population of Alexandroupoli, but also contributed to the spatial transformation of the city. Therefore, it is possible to see port cities becoming centers of attraction instead of cities on trade routes in the Ottoman provinces in the 19th century.

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