Istanbul heritage at risk, says report

Parade in Sulukule

A report prepared by inspectors from UNESCO that is being debated currently by the body’s world cultural heritage committee states the government’s policies are putting Istanbul’s rich heritage at risk and the city is in danger of being removed from the list of heritage sites.

Istanbul heritage at risk, says report a report has been submitted to UNESCO’s world cultural heritage committee that puts Istanbul in a very bad light when it comes to preserving its heritage and threatens the city’s status as a world heritage site.

The report especially criticized the gentrification project in the ancient Roma neighborhood of Sulukule and the constructions of the Four Seasons Hotel and the metro near the Golden Horn. The Turkish government was heavily criticized at the ongoing general meeting of the world cultural heritage committee of UNESCO in Seville, Spain. During discussions for a draft for the World Cultural Heritage report it was mentioned that Sulukule, the lack of efforts to preserve wooden buildings from the Ottoman era, the construction of an additional area for the Four Seasons Hotel in Sultanahmet, the metro bridge construction near the Golden Horn and the traffic master plan for Istanbul are threatening the cultural heritage of the city. It is also stated that inspection reports presented to the government have been disregarded.

If the report, featuring the observations of the UNESCO commission that visited Istanbul in April, is accepted at the end of the meeting on June 30, the risk of Istanbul being removed from the World Cultural Heritage list is high. According to Viki Çiprut, one of the spokespersons of the Sulukule platform, the best-case scenario is the committee giving the government one year to take required measures.

The report of the commission especially indicates that law number 5366 in Turkey, which pertains to the renovation of historical sites, does not support preservation activities but clears the path for demolitions and the destruction of historic values. The report suggests the law be amended.

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The report indicates Sulukule has proved how destructive law number 5366 can be. In its observations on Sulukule, the committee said, "Alongside the demolitions of registered buildings as a result of the gentrification program practiced by local administrators, the local communities have been disbanded and the physical and nonphysical values of the area have been destroyed in an unacceptable manner." It was also mentioned that now the area is being zoned for housing and therefore cannot be considered a preservation plan at all.

The commission stated its worries on urban transformation projects that are for rebuilding rather than preserving. The suggestions made to the government in 2006 and 2008 were repeated and the committee strongly urges the preservation of standing historical buildings. The report states that the implementation of law number 5366 is a potential threat to the existence and unity of Istanbul’s important areas on the world heritage list.

Continued at: Hurriyet Daily News