Demolition in İstanbul’s iconic Galata Tower in the name of restoration

* Photo: Twitter

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Taken over by the Directorate General of Foundations from the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) in 2019 and handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, İstanbul's iconic Galata Tower in Beyoğlu has been damaged during "restoration" works.

İMM's Head of Cultural Assets Department Mahir Polat has shared a video which features how the interior walls of the historical building are demolished by a hammer drill. The video shared by Polat shows how the walls are broken down in an uncontrolled manner.

İstanbul’un en önemli tarihi eserlerinden Galata Kulesi içerisinde yapılan akıl almaz uygulamaları acilen yetkili kurumların dikkatine sunuyorum.

Suç niteliğinde uygulamaların derhal durdurulması ve tespiti için İBB Kültür Varlıkları Dairesi birimleri olay yerine nakledilmiştir. pic.twitter.com/VVQ2n9MJR2

— Mahir Polat (@mhrpolat) August 12, 2020

Speaking to bianet about the issue, Polat has said that the demolition takes place in the interior wall where the Ottoman signature (Tughra) is located. Indicating that they do not have information about whether the demolition is part of a separate restoration project or not, he has said:

"We have informed the Regional Preservation Board about the incident. However, the Board has indicated that they cannot address the issue unless a written application is made. It is unbelievable.

"There is a demolition and we share it in a video. It is an emergency situation, it needs to be intervened. But they do not show interest."

Polat has also noted that while they sent İMM Preservation Implementation and Inspection Directorate teams to the area, the municipal teams were not allowed to enter the site. Polat has said that they want to file a criminal complaint against the responsible parties and added:

"The relevant institutions are the Directorate General of Foundations and Ministry of Culture and Tourism. They have the authority to stop the demolition. But they do not give us information. We do not know whether the demolition is ongoing inside the tower or not.

"It is not restoration. Even if it is restoration and approved, it is still demolition. No institution can demolish a historic building, a wall with hammer drills like this. Besides, no such tools are used in restoration."

Ongun: We file a criminal complaint

İMM Spokesperson Murat Ongun has also made a statement about the issue on Twitter. He has announced that, as the İMM, they will file criminal complaints against all responsible parties one by one.

What happened?

While İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality was administered by a trustee after the local elections on March 31, 2019, Galata Tower was handed over to the Directorate General of Foundations and registered under the name of Kule-i Zemin Foundation on May 13, 2019.

Filing a land registration case against the Directorate General of Foundations, the İMM had an interim injunction imposed on the tower so that it would not be handed over to third parties. In spite of this injunction, the Sub-Governor's Office of Beyoğlu started evacuating the tower on April 6 upon the request of the Directorate General of Foundations.

Shortly afterwards, Galata Tower has been handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Restoration works have started in the tower after that.

Making a statement about the restoration in June, Minister of Culture and Tourism Nuri Ersoy said that the tender process for the restoration of the tower ended and the restoration works started, adding that Galata Tower would be opened to visitors on September 15, 2020.

Built in 528 AD, Galata Tower has been in the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List since 2013. (HA/SD)