The invention of the first motorised transport at the start of the 19th century brought about a revolution for wheeled vehicles as dramatic as the discovery of the wheel itself. Just as today’s cars hold up a mirror to social life today, so the carts and carriages drawn by animals reflected the needs and life styles of their times.

The discovery of the wheel and domestication of horses came together to create the horse-drawn cart, which facilitated transport for the Sumerians and spread far into Central Asia. Ancient Chinese documents report the use of carts among the Turks; for war, carrying burdens, funeral processions and ceremonial purposes. For many centuries these uses altered little. Carriages served sometimes as symbols of power and sovereignty, and sometimes were a part of entertainment and elegant living in wheeled civilisations.

Up to the 20th century there were innumerable varieties of carts and wagons, carriages and coaches, with different numbers of wheels, functions, design and structure. Many types were used in Istanbul and other Ottoman cities, and played a leading role in the life of the time. In his book on the animal-drawn vehicles of old Istanbul, Çelik Gülersoy describes the ornately decorated koçu, which was drawn by two oxen and used by women of the palace, the katip odası with its rococo decoration and gracefully curtained windows, the talika - also known as a çek-çek or tente - which was a simple rustic affair used by families when going on country excursions, the dignified and formal landon, the black, discreet coupé - imported from Europe - which during the reign of Abdülhamid II (1876-1909) was the only carriage women were only allowed to ride in, the simple cart for carrying goods known as sandık arabası, and the paraşol, a light half-open carriage used in summer. Similar to this last was the phaeton.

With its small front wheels and large back wheels, the phaeton was covered with painted decoration. If the passengers wanted to watch the scenery it would proceed at a leisurely pace, but if they were in a hurry to meet someone or get somewhere, then it could rattle along at great speed. A step between the mud guards of the wheels assisted passengers to climb inside. There were two seats, facing to front and back respectively, each with room for two people. In rainy weather a hood was opened up over the passengers, and there was an oil cloth to cover their legs and protect them from getting wet. Lanterns were fixed to either side of the driver’s seat to light the way after dark.

The phaeton made a late appearance in Istanbul, becoming a fashionable form of city transport only in the second half of the 19th century. According to the historian Reşat Ekrem Koçu, ‘the phaeton appeared first in Turkey as a carriage used by grand families and the palace during the reign of Abdülmecid (1839-1861). During the reign of his son Abdülaziz (1861-1876) these vehicles began to be used as hire cabs. These were of two types, those which were taken out looking for public hire every day, and luxury phaetons which were kept in coach houses and only hired by people whose fortunes were not large enough to enable them to keep their own carriage but were too proud to be seen in a hired cab. Passengers would board these with all the airs and graces of a genuine carriage owner.

The early phaetons were also used as official carriages in Istanbul and other cities from the reign of Abdülaziz onwards. The sultans, vezirs and governors began to attend public ceremonies in their private phaetons instead of on horseback as in former years. Naturally that of the sultan was the most magnificent. It was pulled by four horses and known as the sultanate carriage (saltanat arabası).

Phaetons were used not only in the city but on journeys to nearby towns and cities. They exerted a considerable influence on the culture and art of the time, and are frequently mentioned in literature, where we find evocative descriptions of them by writers and poets.

The carriage makers of Istanbul were concentrated in the district of Vefa, and there were stables for the public phaetons in Taşlıtarla and Ayvansaray.

Phaetons gradually diminished in number as public motorised transport and private car ownership increased during this century, and today survive only on the Princes Islands off Istanbul where motorised vehicles are forbidden, and in some seaside resorts and excursion places for taking rides rather than as a practical form of transport.

Source: Skylife 12/99
* By Arif Can Güngör
* Arif Can Güngör is a journalist.