Ancient Byzantine wall damaged to make hotel

The walls of an ancient Byzantine palace in the protected area of Sultanahmet have been damaged and demolished to construct a hotel, eliciting anger from a number of academics. 

The walls of an ancient Byzantine palace in the protected area of Sultanahmet have been demolished to construct a hotel [Credit: Hurriyet]

“The buildings [in question] in Sultanahmet, were not only damaged but also demolished. Among those buildings, the Byzantine walls were also damaged even though experts from the Istanbul Archaeology Museum conducted research and wrote a report on the incident. However, the construction continued, and a company built a five-story hotel building [on the site],” 51 history, art and architecture scholars from Boğaziçi, Istanbul, Uludağ, Kapadokya, Marmara, Istanbul Technical universities said in a joint statement to protest the destruction after daily Radikal broke news of the initial damage. 

The scholars said they were observing the incident with concern. 

The first-degree protected area in Sultanahmet contains many archaeological and ancient sites. The law in question did not permit the demolition of the walls. The hotel, meanwhile, is now five stories high. 

A similar situation occurred during the construction of the Eresin Hotel, although the edifice has now become a semi-museum to keep ancient artifacts. 

The situation concerning the Byzantine palace was noted Dec. 15, 2011, by officials and was reported to Fatih Municipality. According to a written statement from the foundation to protect historical artifacts, the construction should have been stopped immediately. 

Archaeology Foundation President Necmi Karul said the demolition of the palace for a hotel was vandalism. “How can they do it in the old quarter of Istanbul? There is a law, but it is only on the paper. No one is checking what is going on.” 

The damage report reached the fourth Protection Committee on Jan. 18, 2012. Fatih Municipality, however, was reportedly very late in reporting the demolition. 

“Even though the municipality decided to demolish the five-story building, this decision will not bring the Byzantium walls back,” said the scholars’ statement. “It is a must to solve the problems in the beginning, rather than taking care of things after the damage has been done.” Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman remains are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 22, 2012]