International Campaign for Istanbul Topkapi and - unesdoc

TOPHAPI
GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
The Topkapi Palace is situated on the
versity in order to m o v e his Edirne
ali and w h e n in 1853 the Sultan's pri-
most beautiful site in ¡stanbul, on the
Palace to Istanbul. However this set-
vate residence w a s m o v e d to Dolma-
historic peninsula where the sea of
ting w a s not very practical since it lay
bahçe Palace on the Bosphorus, the
Marmara, Bosphorus and the Golden
in the centre of the city and, in addi-
magnificent and powerful times of the
Palace c a m e to an end.
Horn meet. It is a complex of buil-
tion, the natural beauties of the S a -
dings built in the Turkish architectu-
raypoint attracted the Sultan; conse-
ral style the most magnificent treasu-
quently, in 1 4 7 2 , the construction of
res of the
a n e w palace w a s begun there and
ment of the Empire for 4 0 0 years and
this w a s later called the Topkapi Pa-
also the residence of the Sultans. It
Ottoman
Empire
are
displayed.
The Palace w a s the center of govern-
lace. This area which w a s an olive
lies in a very large garden of flowers,
T h e Palace rests on a gently sloping
grove in Byzantine times w a s surro-
fruits and vegetables, all of which are
hill and is surrounded by Byzantine
unded by land walls which were the
surrounded by walls. In the outer gar-
sea walls and Ottoman land walls.
continuation of the Byzantine sea
dens, on the seaside, there were
T h e area covered is 7 0 0 , 0 0 square
walls. With the construction of these
m a n y pavilions s o m e of which still
metres. Apart from its natural and ge-
n e w walls, this 7 0 0 , 0 0 0 square met-
exist; various ceremonies, entertain-
ographic beauties, this area repre-
re area w a s separated off from the
ments, sports and races were viewed
sents also the architectural and artis-
city. T h e Palace then b e c a m e the
from these pavilions. T h e garden sur-
tic center of settlements since the
centre of government of the Ottoman
rounding the Palace abounded in
prehistoric period.
Empire and continued to be so for
brightly coloured and fragrant flo-
4 0 0 years, developing rapidly during
wers from every part of the country.
the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
The
Sultan M e h m e t built a palace in the
However, in the 18th century w h e n
courtyards.
grounds of the present Istanbul Uni-
the state office w a s moved to Bab-i
After the capture of Istanbul, Fatih
Palace
consisted
General view of the Topkapi Palace.
of
four
PALACE
The government agencies were housed in the first courtyard. The c o m m o n m a n could enter this courtyard
in order to conduct his legal affairs.
The service buildingsCe.g. kitchens,
pantries, hospitals) of the Palace w e re also found in this courtyard.
"Kubbealti" was the building from
which the Ottoman Empire w a s governed and thus resembles today's
parliament; this building is situated in
the second courtyard. The traditional
ceremonies of accession to the throne and festivals took place in this courtyard. The three other structures in
this courtyard were the kitchens for
providing food for the Palace people
and visitors to the ceremonies, the
private stables of the Sultan and the
Zülüflü Baltacilar corps.
The third courtyard w a s bounded by
the "Arzodasi", the room where state affairs were discussed with the
Sultan, a large m o s q u e , pavilions for
the Sultan and by dormitories for the
artists and servants.
The H a r e m complex is separated
from the second and third courtyards
and from the outer gardens by high
walls. It w a s initially planned as a
complex of four buildings, one opening into the other. However, over a
period of four centuries it has been
built with the structures side by side,
one within the other and one i m m e diately following the other. All of these buildings, famous for their internal decorations, are the most characteristic architectural m o n u m e n t s of
their period; the internal decorations
consist of tiles, engravings, w o o d e n
panels decorated with gilt, ovens,
niches, carved marble and ornamental fountains.
COURTYARD 1
'"IT
-#«-
Site Plan of the Topkapi Palace.
After
: E L D E M , S. Hakki, A K O Z A N , F. Topkapi Sarayi, Kultur ve Turizm Bakanhgi,
Eski Eserler ve Mùzeler Genel Müdúríüou publications, istanbul, 1982.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Courtyard 1
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T h e entrance to the first court-
red since they are very eroded
Square' . T h e most
yard w a s through a gateway cal-
and s o m e have left no trace at all.
building of this courtyard w a s the
led Bab-i H u m a y u n . It w a s built
These are: the Enderun hospital,
"Kubbealti"
in the style of a victory arch in
the Maliye Nezareti, the Masraf
tructed during the time of Grand
Vizier Damat Ibrahim Pasa. T h e
which w a s cons-
1 4 7 2 . The upper pavilion storey
Nezareti, the bakery, w o o d sto-
6f the gateway which w a s used
rehouse,
as a treasury w a s burned d o w n
makers, the department of Seh-
in 1866.
remini, the s u m m e r house of the
uncils of the state were held in
head of the paper department.
this building, as were public re-
the corps
of mat
3 0 0 metre road connecting the
Courtyard 2
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first courtyard to the second. Af-
T h e gate of the second courtyard is called Bab-i Selam and to-
ter its restoration it will b e c o m e
tored during the 1940's and the
original decorations were redone
as part of this restoration.
day it is the entrance to the m u -
the Centre of Restoration and
Conservation of the General Directorate of Antiquities and M u s e u m s of the Ministry of Culture
s e u m . It w a s built in the time of
The Hazine Building which w a s
Fatih and w a s later repaired in
built by Fatih Sultan
the 16th century by Kanuni Sul-
stands next to the Kubbealti. It is
tan Süleyman.
n o w used as an exhibition hall
and Tourism,
Mehmet
displaying the armoury collec•
There existed m a n y other struc-
political, administrative, financial, military and religious law co-
ceptions. T h e building w a s res-
T h e Darphane (mint), is next to
the Hagia Eirene at the end of a
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important
The second courtyard w a s cal-
tion.
led "Divan Square" or "Justice
tures but these cannot be resto-
General view.
PALACE
T h e long and narrow courtyard
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T h e Zülüflü
Baltacilar corps
ram ceremonies and the cere-
connected to the second court
which is entered by a small door
m o n y of the handing over the flag
by three doors is the courtyard
stands on the left of the K u b b e -
of the Prophet to the Grand Vizi-
of the kitchens. T h e s e buildings
alti. It w a s built in the time of Fa-
er before a w a r .
were begun by Fatih Sultan M e h -
tih and then rebuilt by M u r a d III
met and acquired their present
(1516). This complex consists of
T h e Enderun school which w a s
plan in the time of Mimar Sinan.
a small m o s q u e , a fountain, a
built during the time of Abdülme-
Oriental china collections, kitc-
bath, r o o m s for the A g h a and
cid and the apartment of B a b ü ' s -
hen utensils, Istanbul-made por-
dormitories surrounding a small
Sa-ade A g h a lie on the left side
celain and glass objects, a col-
courtyard.
of this door.
lection of late European furniture, European crystal and porcelain wares and Turkish and E u ropean silver wares are displayed in this section.
Courtyard 3
•
T h e third courtyard which is
known as the "Enderun Square"
T h e private stables of the Sultan,
w a s given its persent day shape
built by M a h m u t I (1733), run
in the 18th century. M a n y cere-
along a large courtyard sloping
monies took place at this gate;
downwards
these included the accession to
from the second
embroidery.
is entered through the door called " B a b ü - S a ' a d e " . This door
courtyard.
T h e Akagalar dormitory is n o w
used as the section for Turkish
the throne of a n e w Sultan, Bay-
T h e Arz room lies opposite the
entrance to the third courtyard.
This room w a s built during the tim e of Fatih and then rebuilt in
1 8 5 6 after a fire. T h e Sultan received in this room visits of high
state
officials
Courtyard 3.
a n d foreign
courtyard. It is famous for its well
envoys.
dings. These pavilions are:
preserved iznik tiles and gilded
T h e 15th century Fatih pavilion
d o m e decorations.
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w a s later used as the treasury of
the
Enderun.
This
building,
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T h e third courtyard holds four
which has four large halls, a bal-
dormitories for recruits to the Ja-
cony, a very large porch and a
nissary corps. S o m e of these yo-
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uths later b e c a m e Grand Vizier
section of the m u s e u m .
or took up important positions in
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the state after the completion of
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the
15th century
"Hirka-i
Saadet" department.
and Seferli dormitories.
re are 1 3 , 5 3 8 miniatures and
1 8 , 0 0 0 volumes of handwritten
books in this library.
T h e 18th century A h m e t III lib-
Sofa pavilion built by M e h m e t IV.
Mecidiye pavilion built by Sultan
Abdülmecid.
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Sofa m o s q u e built by M a h m u d II.
the H a s O d a , Treasury, Pantry
The 15th century Agalar m o s q u e
is the library of the Palace. T h e -
Sünnet room built by Sultan ¡brahim in 1 6 4 1 .
their education. Apart from these, this courtyard also contains
Bafjdat pavilion built by Murat IV
in 1 6 3 9 .
basement, is n o w the treasury
Relics are kept and displayed in
Revan pavilion built by Murat IV
in 1 6 3 5 .
Harem
The construction of the harem c o m p -
Courtyard 4
lex w a s begun in the 16th century
This w a s the private garden of the
and by the 17th century it occupied
Sultan in which there are m a n y pavi-
a very large area. The harem buil-
lions. All of these pavilions, which are
dings lie on the slope between the
famous for their internal decoration,
Gülhane Park and the second court-
are open for visiting as Palace buil-
yard. The buildings have three, four,
rary stands in the middle of the
Harem, Grand Festival Hall.
PALACE
built in 1 8 2 6 w a s the state press
and is n o w used as a press by
the Ministry of Education.
or five storeys. T h e harem complex
has 4 0 0 r o o m s in total.
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T h e Sepetçiler pavilion - the restoration of this pavilion which
was
T h e Outer Gardens
Out of the m a n y pavilions situated in
the outer gardens, only four survive.
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T h e Cinili pavilion-this pavilion
w a s built in 1 4 7 2 by Fatih Sultan
M e h m e t . Both the inside and the
outside of the building are decorated with tiles. In earlier days on
the side of the pavilion facing the
first courtyard, there w a s the
garden of the A g h a and tha pavilion of M e h m e d III. Entertainments and sporting events were
viewed from this pavilion.
T h e ¡ncili pavilion - the first floor
of the Incili pavilion is in very good condition but the upper floor
has collapsed.
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built in 1 6 4 3 is almost
complete.
T h e M a y pavilion - a private collection is being displayed in this
pavilion which w a s built in 1 8 2 0 .
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The Yah pavilion built in 1 5 9 2 .
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T h e 16th century ¡shakiye pavilion.
T h e four very large storehouses
facing the S e a of M a r m a r a and
built by Sultan Aziz are n o w used
as a provisions depot by the Ministry of Defence.
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T h e 18th century Sevkiye pavilion.
T h e medical school which lies
between the Gülhane Park and
the Sepetçiler pavilion is also
used by the Ministry of Defence.
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T h e Gülhane pavilion built in
The Gülhane hospital is still used
as a hospital.
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T h e Matba-i amire which w a s
T h e Topkapi Sahil Sarayi built
in 1 7 0 9 and burned in 1 8 6 3 .
1826.
It is impossible to rebuild these buildings but it would be worthwhile to
find their exact locations and give som e indication showing the functions
of the pavilions and the historical
events which took place inside them.
Dome.
CONDITION OF THE PALACE
For m a n y reasons, the Topkapi Palace desolate during the 19th century; w h e n the Sultan m o v e d to Dolmabahçe in 1853, only a very few guards were left behind to care for Topkapi; then in 1863 there w a s a very
destructive fire which swept the coast at Topkapi; in 1 8 7 1 , m a n y pavilions were demolished for the construction of the new railway, and finally
in 1894 there w a s an earthquake. After the declaration of the n e w Turkish
Republic, it w a s decided to re-open
the Palace as a m u s e u m but only the
second, third and fourth courtyards
(70,000 square metres in total) w e re placed under the control of the Directorate of Antiquities and M u s e u m s . The remaining 6 3 0 , 0 0 0 square metres were left in charge of other
foundations.
The forces of destruction continued
during the 1950's; in 1 9 5 5 , most of
the walls and pavilions were demolished during the course of the construction of the coast road; then in
1980, m a n y historical m o n u m e n t s
were destroyed by the construction
of the n e w Asia-Europe water pipe line. Even at the present time, m a n y
buildings which have no relation to
the aims of this projet are still being
built in this area.
Because of conservation problems,
it is not possible to display all of them
but a minimum of 3 0 , 0 0 0 should be
exhibited to demonstrate to the scientific and artistic world the richness
and completeness of the collectipn.
T h e only solution to this problem is
to transfer control of the structures
of the first courtyard and the outer
gardens to the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism thus to Topkapi Palace.
These buildings would serve as n e w
exhibition halls, free from moisture,
dust and excessive light.
It would be possible to construct on
the large area of the outer gardens
a modern and n e w depot for the
works of art of Topkapi Palace, a depot which would be secure even in
the event of nuclear war.
It is essential to transfer the library
to a building which has a depot, a
conservation laboratory, a microfilm
centre and reading rooms and which
is free from moisture, dust, heat and
excess light.
Conservation workshops should be
set in the outer gardens of the Palace for treatment of the following:
a.
The problems outlined above are the
general ones affecting the completeness of the Topkapi Palace complex;
in addition, the Palace and m u s e u m
which are crowded together in three
courtyards have space problems
which cannot be resolved in this restricted area. S o m e of the buildings
which are of great historical importance are being used as offices; attempts are m a d e to keep the m a n y
precious objects of measures are not
sufficient.
The M u s e u m occupies a very small
area (70,000 m 2 ) , as a result of which
100,000 objects and 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 archival documents are kept in depots.
b.
hand-painted manuscripts, books, archives and miniatures,
metalwork,
c.
d.
e.
material and embroideries,
porcelain and glass,
jewellery.
Since, however, the realisation of this
project will take s o m e time, the first
urgent measure should be to solve
the dust, light and moisture problems
of existing depots.
T h e M u s e u m is currently being visited by 15,000 people a day and in the
near future this is likely to increase
to 2 0 , 0 0 0 - 2 5 , 0 0 0 . It is therefore
necessary to establish proper facilities for tourists.
RESTORATION OF THE PALACE
Previous to 1 9 8 0 , the financing earmarked for Topkapi Palace w a s only sufficient for urgent repairs but because of the
universal importance of this site further
allowances (a very large s u m w h p n c o m pared with allowances given to other projects) have been assigned by the G e n e ral Directorate of Antiquities and M u s e u m s of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism since 1 9 8 0 for restorat^n ourposes.
Urgent repairs and restoration were realized as a result of this additional money
and greater safety precautions were introduced; these measures represented
the best that could be done. A total of 1
million U S Dollars is spent for restoration work upto n o w .
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Restoration of the Ottoman land
walls, pavilions and s u m m e r houses
should be undertaken.
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T h e outer gardens, the private
garden recreation area of the Palace should be reorganised by the
construction of tourist buildings
such as hotels and restaurants.
Topkapi Palace Structures
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The buildlings of the Palace, and
especially the Harem, are decorated
with the most beautiful materials
from different centuries and different
countries of the Ottoman Empire.
The furnishings cannot be separated
from their architectural context.
Thus, the restoration should be put
out to tender in an attempt to find sources of those materials which are
no longer found or produced in Turkey, for example, ivory, ebony, teak
wood, gold, silver, goid and siiver leaf, Egyptian mats and Bursa silks for
cushions.
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After the furnishing and restoration of the buildings, workshops for
immediate repairs and other requirements should be established and training facilities provided for young
craftsmen learning their trade from
master craftsmen; these latter are
very few in number. These workshops should be:
In order to set out re-organization plan for
Topkapi Palace, the problems of the various Palace structures, moveable and
i m m o v e a b l e , should b e examined
separately.
Surroundings
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T h e historic peninsula of Istanbul; the monumental structures, buildings which represent civil architecture of the past, new buildings, roads, squares and gardens of the Saraypoint - Topkapi Palace, St. Sophia, Sultan Ahmet Square - should
be considered as city planning problems and dealt with by m e a n s of a
new discipline.
The traffic and parking problems
of the large area should be solved
and car park in the gardens of the
buildings and in the first courtyard
of Topkapi Palace should be moved
elsewhere.
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wood-work shops
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furniture, mother-of-pearl
workshops
metalwork shops
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electrical workshops
plumbing workshops
The area of the Palace facing the
Golden Horn and Gülhane Park is
n o w under the control of Istanbul
Municipality. This garden should
form part of the project. However,
the zoos, flower beds and garden
borders which are in European style
should be replaced by a garden designed in the Ottoman style and this
should be opened to the public.
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lead workshops
engraving, paint workshops
upholstery workshops
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tile workshops
The Byzantine sea walls and buildings should be excavated and
restored.
T h e foregoing is a brief s u m m a r y of the
present situation with regard to Topkapi
Palace and the M u s e u m . In addition to financial assistance, this project also requires international technology, expertise, trained staff and equipment. W e believe that through cooperation between the
Turkish Government and U N E S C O , this
project could be realised.
PALACE
GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
The Yildiz Palace is the example of
led "Kasr-i Dilküsa" w a s built for his
traditional Islamic palace architectu-
mother Bezmialem Valide Sultan. The
re after Edirne and Topkapi Palaces.
lands around the pavilion were pur-
It w a s constructed in the centre of a
chased and the garden w a s enlar-
very large garden (500,000 square
ged; and it w a s thus that the place
metres) of flowers, plants and trees
called the "Yildiz Palace" w a s be-
brought from every part of the world.
gun.
The Palace consists of separate bui-
(1876-1909), the Dolmabahçe Pala-
In the days af Abdulhamid II
dings surrounding courtyards and is
ce w a s abandoned and for a period
situated on the top of a very steep hill
of 3 3 years the Ottoman Empire w a s
overlooking the Bosphorus.
governed from the Yildiz Palace. In
this period a high wall w a s built to
Site Plan of Yildiz Palace
After: Ülker Cebekan.
1.
5.
7.
8.
11.
13.
21.
22.
33.
36.
Great Mabeyn Pavilion
Çit Pavilion
Hünkar Pavilion
Palace Theater
The Building of Musahip Efendiler
The Building of Kizlar Agasi
Small Mabeyn Pavilion
Harem Entrance
Coach House
Armoury
The
land of the Yildiz Palace w a s
sorround the palace. N e w buildings
used as a hunting ground in the time
were constructed in the inner and ou-
of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in the
ter gardens.
16th century. Then, on the s a m e
land, a kasr (summer palace) and a
In 1 9 2 2 , Vahdettin abandoned the
fountain were built for the mother of
country and thereafter Yildiz Palace
Selim III (1789-1807). In 1834-1835,
lay empty for a period. During the Re-
a pavilion for M a h m u d II w a s built. All
public it w a s used as a W a r A c a d e m y
these buildings were demolished du-
and then in 1977 it w a s given into the
ring the time of Sultan Abdülmecit
charge of the Ministry of Culture and
(1839-1861 ) and a n e w pavilion cal-
Tourism.
Hasbahçe.
YILDIZ
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION AND PRESENT CONDITION
The buildings lie at the centre of a lar-
African Islamic traditions were
row courtyard. In these buildings the
ge outer garden and they surround
both used in the adornment of
Sultan lived and received visitors.
three inner gardens.
the inner part of the pavilion.
Courtyard 1
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All the state offices had been situated in the Sur-u Sultani of the Topkapi Palace, but in the 18th century
most of the state offices were m o v e d
to Bab-i Ali. Because of this change
This is a single storey building
ding of the Palace. T h e Sultan
consisting of different r o o m s on
worked here and also received
a certain axis. T h e Sultan used
visits from the Palace staff such
to receive the visits of foreign
as the Grand Vizier. It ¡s a two
statesman in the Hünkar room
storey, elaborately decorated building and requires good restora-
is to the right of the
tion in addition to the recovering
entrance.
centre, the first courtyard of Yildiz
from other palaces of the original
Palace is different to the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace and resemb-
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This is a long single storey buil-
Topkapi. That is to say there w a s a
space for the carrying out of functi-
ding
ons as directed by the Sultan.
worked.
The Great M a b e y n Pavilion :
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furniture.
Offices of the A i d e - d e - C a m p of
the Sultan :
les more the second courtyard of
*
where
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of the Yildiz Palace. It has been
restored m a n y times since its
construction. Abdülhamid used
T h e Armoury :
In this building there is displayed
Palace and is built in the ecclec-
the w e a p o n s collections of the
tic style. It has two storeys and
Empire.
the building as a residence until
n e w apartments were built for
him. It has been built in the
Baghdad style and displays 19th
w a s used as an office by the
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These are the service buildings
that the Sultan received visitors
of the palace.
on official occasions and entertained foreign statesmen. Turkish decorative styles and north
century characteristics. The ce-
Coach-House :
hold. It w a s also in this pavilion
T h e Hünkar Pavilion :
This is the first s u m m e r pavilion
palace officials
This is the largest pavilion of the
marshalls of the Sultan's house-
Small M a b e y n Pavilion :
This is the most important buil-
which
in the location of the administration
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Çit Kasri :
iling ornaments and w o o d deco
rations
are of the highest
interest.
Courtyard 2
This courtyard consists of a n u m b e r
of buildings built around a long nar-
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Theatre :
T h e theatre which w a s destined
Great M a b e y n Pavilion.
PALACE
to hold 2 0 0 people w a s built on
den and provide the best examples of
The Malta Pavilion :
the classical theatre plan. There
19th century civil architecture. T h e cei-
This is a two storey building buii
is a d o m e at the centre of the ce-
lings of all the rooms are decorated with
in the time of Abdülaziz. There is a
illing a n d the inside of this d o m e
paintings by famous artists and all ha-
marble fountain in the hall of ':>•;
is decorated with golden stars
ve been inspired by nature.
building with rest rooms on both si-
against a blue background, rep-
des. There is a large hall, a library
resenting the sky. T h e walls are
Hasbahce
inscribed. Foreign guests of the
Sultan)
(private garden
of
the
Sultan w e r e entertained in this
theatre by the actors of the P a lace a n d the French and Italian
operettas which w e r e invited to
The 3 0 d ö n ü m s (about 1/4 acre) of the
outer garden of the Palace were enclosed with high walls and were separated from a small w o o d in the time of Ab-
Istanbul by the Sultan.
dülhamid II. A 3 5 0 metre long pool,
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T h e Building of Musahip Efendiler :
This building w a s assigned to the
trusted advisors of the Sultan.
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T h e Building of Kizlaragasi (Chief
black
eunuch
of
the
Imperial
harem) :
s u m m e r houses, pavilions and an arts
building with a 6 0 metre long façade
were situated in this inner garden.
and bedrooms on the second Hoor.
The Çadir Pavilion :
This pavilion w a s also built sn >:&
time of Abdülaziz.
The Hamidiye M o s q u e :
This w a s built in the neogothic c• V ?
in 1890. T h e Sultan's private o e v
is on the left hand side of the o n e
minaret m o s q u e . There is a doc 1 tower on the right side of rp33Ci>-
Outer Gardens
e's courtyard dating to 1 9 0 5 .
This is a large area of the Palace with
pools, greenhouses and pavilions.
This important 19th century buil-
The other buildings of this o o u n
consist of the s u m m e r house, p a t -
T h e Sale Pavilion :
ries and the office of the A g h a to-
rings and paintings from nature on
This w a s built as a residence for fo-
gether with the
the walls and ceilings.
reign statesmen during the 19th
example of military architecture, the
century. It is the best preserved bu-
Orhaniye, Ertugrul and Balmurncu
ilding of the Palace and has its ori-
barracks.
ding noteworthy with its wall cove-
Harem
T h e harem buildings which are clustered in groups are all situated in the gar-
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ginal furniture and its
internal
decoration.
A d a Pavilion.
most
beau tifo ¡
YILDIZ PALACE
EXISTING PROBLEMS AND
RESTORATION OF THE PALACE
*
Although the Palace is conside-
is attempting under its preservation
red to be a Cultural, Art and To-
p r o g r a m m e to maintain the cultural
res built in a traditional style and
urism Centre for the future, the
and architectural heritage of a n u m -
the lack of original equipment.
whole Palace complex is not yet
ber of civilizations. The Yildiz Palace
o w n e d by the Ministry of Cultu-
w a s incorporated into this program-
re and Tourism.
m e and a total of 2 million U S Dollars
T h e lack of craftsman speciali-
•
zed in the restoration of structu-
•
A s there is a limited budget for
the repair of m a n y and different
buildings and as there are no
special restoration teams for the
continuing repair and care of the
Palaces, the restoration work takes a long time and during this
The
buildings of the Yildiz Palace
complex, which for 3 3 years w a s the
centre of government of the Ottoman
Empire, are very special examples of
the decorative arts and architecture
of the last century.
time weather conditions have
harmful effects on the buildings.
T h e Ministry of Culture and Tourism
is spent for the restoration of the Palace since 1 9 7 8 .
However, the restoration of all the buildings and gardens can only be realized with financial and technical help
of the Turkish
G o v e r n m e n t and
Unesco.
Entrance to the Yildiz Palace.
UNESCO/INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE
SAFEGUARD OF THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS
and SITES of ISTANBUL and GÖREME
There are few cities in the world
which have such numbers of m o n u ments which reflect the heritage and
culture of so m a n y different civilizations. It is, therefore, a highly responsible and visible task which confronts
the authorities concerned, in carrying
out a program dedicated to preserve
so m a n y m o n u m e n t s of outstanding
historical and aesthetic value. Given
the large number of m o n u m e n t s in Istanbul, not to speak of those found
elsewhere in the country, the projects for the preservation of the sites
and m o n u m e n t s in Cappadocia are,
in one respect, simpler than the projects planned for Istanbul. At present
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
T h e General Directorate of Antiquities and M u s e u m s is in charge of the
projects in the G ö r e m e and Zelve
Valleys.
O n the other hand, three different administrative organisations are involved in the projects for Istanbul :
1.
2.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism :
Yildiz Palace, Topkapi Palace
and Valens Aqueduct.
3.
Süleymdniye Complex and Zeyrek
Mosque
(Pantocrator
Church)
Municipality of Istanbul :
•
construction of buildings for touristic amenities in an area below
the palace buildings;
•
installation of central heating, air
conditioning;
a n d security
systems against fire or theft within the 7 0 , 0 0 0 m 2 area of the
m u s e u m : establishment of storage areas and workshops for the
conservation
of
museum
objects;
•
restoration of the palace buildings in the m u s e u m area, including the H a r e m .
Historic quarters of Süleymaniye
and Zeyrek, Land Walls and Golden Horn.
A m e a n s of ensuring cooperation and
coordination will be developed by the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism as
the coordinator of the Campaign.
According to the "Draft Plan of
Action" of the Campaign, the following items should be done at Topkapi Palace :
*
•
restoration of the Byzantine sea
walls and the Ottoman walls surrounding the palace;
relocation of railroad tracks and
the removal of extraneous buildings not associated with its history; restoration of existing palace buildings; archaeological excavation for the kiosks and pavilions which were recorded in history; and restoration of the
gardens;
The total budget required for these
operations is estimated to be $25 million of which the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism is budgeting $ 8 5 0 , 0 0 0
per year over o ten year period
A m o u n t required
$25,000,000
Government's contribution 8 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0
Balance required $ 1 6 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0
The cost estimated for the restoration of the Yildiz Palace is as follows :
A m o u n t required
$12,500,000
Government's contribution $2,142,000
Balance required
$10,357,145
General Directorate of Vakiflar :
The work to save Cappadocia has begun, though so much remains to be done. Further contributions to our attempts
are essential in order to overcome all difficulties and rapidly and efficiently find working solutions to the danger
threatening the area.
Financial contributions can be made to the Cui nnt Account N° 24 of the Barbaros Branch of the Emlak and Kredi
Bank and to UNESCO
Account no 949-1-191558 Chase Manhattan Bank N. A. International Money Division 1 jVew
Ynrk Plnsn. 5th flnnr Mew York. N.Y. 10015 USA