Savaş ve Mütareke Yıllarında İstanbul’dan Yapılan Altın Kaçakçılığı
Gold Smuggling from Istanbul during the War and Armistice Years

Summary/Abstract: The gold reserves of the countries are an important resource for difficult times. Because gold is always a valuable trading tool in international trade. This is also the case in wartime. The Ottoman State banned the export of this commodity on October 22, 1914 in order to preserve the gold stock in the country during the First World War. However, due to the exchange rate difference, gold smuggling became a profitable business for those engaged in this business. Since it was more difficult to control this profiteering during the war, gold smuggling from Istanbul reached great proportions. Foreigners smuggled large amounts of gold from this city during the Armistice period when Istanbul was under the control of the Entente Powers. The smuggling through foreign banks and post offices caused great damage to the Ottoman economy. Between 1914 and 1922, seventy-five percent of the gold stock in the country decreased. Gold smuggling had a significant impact on this decrease.

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