Istanbul skyline row erupts over new build near iconic mosque
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
The soaring minarets of the 16th-century Suleymaniye mosque paint the postcard image of Istanbul, but that is now blighted by rickety wooden scaffolding at a nearby construction site, sparking fury on social media.The latest row over Istanbul's skyline has seen opponents of the new building attack botched restoration work and calls for historical edifices to be protected."The disrespect, there is no recognition of any proportion or any limit," Esin Koymen, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, told AFP."There's this talk that the new buildings betray Istanbul's silhouette but it's quite upsetting to see the continuing recklessness on a landmark historical compound," she said. The mosque was built from 1550-57 by the celebrated Ottoman architect Sinan and dominates the peninsula that also houses the Grand Bazaar.A UNESCO World Heritage site, the mosque which has survived fires and an earthquake, represents the golden age of the Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent.With its minarets and giant dome, the complex offers an unparallelled view of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. It is not the first time Istanbul's skyline has been threatened by concrete and high-rise towers. Three huge skyscrapers in the Zeytinburnu neighbourhood triggered public uproar but they remain standing despite a court verdict and the urging in 2013 of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, for the owners to reduce their height.The latest controversy turned political after the Istanbul municipality, run by the opposition CHP, sealed the under-construction multi-storey building last week, citing the city's zoning plan."We will not be involved in any action that goes against Suleymaniye's soul," the foundation's acting chairman Nurettin Alan told journalists in the mosque's courtyard last week. "Suleymaniye is our soul, we'll protect it."He said only 50 out of 525 historical mansions are left at the Suleymaniye compound, according to the municipality, and assured them they would work to restore the vanishing historical fabric. "We will save Suleymaniye. Excuse us, but it is not as easy as knocking it down. ""If you preserve Byzantine (heritage) you're labelled the opposition... this polarisation does not recognise universal preservation principles."Polat suggested culture and politics should be kept separate "because political actors have a time-span of 10-20 years but Suleymaniye has been there for 500 years".