The historiography of modern architecture and planning in Turkey is usually based upon the accomplishments since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and the reforms introduced after 1923. It would be fair to say that the concept of city planning only came to the foreground and attracted public attention after the foundation of the Republic, in particular with the planning of Ankara, the new capital of the country after Istanbul. Regardless of how significant the planning of Ankara may have been in the history of modern planning in Turkey, this thesis argues that in order to understand the emergence of modern urban planning and its relation to architecture, one should be aware of the series of events that provided the necessary grounds for planning to be able to manifest itself as a distinct field of knowledge.