Istanbul Special Issue
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WORLD HERITAGE İSTANBUL SPECIAL ISSUE 2016 WORLD HERITAGE İSTANBUL SPECIAL ISSUE 2016 İstanbul, the only city where continents meet and of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, we the Orient synthesize a unique culture with the proceeded to establish an ‘İstanbul Coordination Occident, is a city that lives with its historical, Committee’ to start the work of preparation for the cultural, and natural beauties … almost an important meeting and to do all the ground work outdoor museum, hosting thousands of historical for the Youth Forum to be held before it. That work assets inherited from its 8500 year history. As proceeded with the participation of academics, the Metropolitan Municipality, all our efforts are responsibles and all relevant parties, to contribute focused, throughout our tenure, on maintaining to the efforts of the municipality agencies, while the this extraordinary spread of assets left by different international wing of our municipality got in touch cultures and transfer them to the next generations to and worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adorn their city of seven hills. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, UNESCO- Turkey’s National Committee and the Governor’s To protect our cultural heritage, we established Office, to bring us to this point in time and feel the in 2006 an ‘Site Management Directorate’ in pride and joy of hosting this reunion. line with the UNESCO criteria and prepared our management plans for the historical regions At the same time, we included in our agenda a of the city. We organized functions in Paris to publication, to share information on the cultural celebrate UNESCO’s 70th year, parallel to the 30th heritage of İstanbul, to be kept as a durable source of reference and thus, the idea of ‘WHC Special anniversary of İstanbul’s listing as ‘World Heritage Issue – İstanbul’ was born. It was prepared with the Area’. During our contacts in France, we also invited contributions of academics who are experts in their the 2016 World Heritage Committee Session to hold fields. In the belief that it will be of help to bring their meeting in İstanbul. forth the cultural heritage of İstanbul, I would like to Following the acceptance of our invitation and take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues for Turkey being given the pro-tempore Presidency their valuable inputs. Kadir Topbaş, PhD. Metropolitan Mayor of Istanbul FOREWORD geography and its architecture, it has developed its rich exterior and interior Settled on the two sides of the diversifications, creating a common Bosphorus sometime between the usage for shared services, a serenity sunrise and sunset of the Old World, which is accepted as a rarity in urban Istanbul stands as an entrust of living. past cultures and civilizations and an original focus of future hopes The sustained care and sensitivity in the and progress, to deserve its special cultural areas was carried into the city’s position among the assets of the World life, to lead to a supreme cultural level Heritage. It has developed from a core where awareness and harmony was of pedestrian town, a pattern hiding its prevalent at the individual and social original surprises, even its dead-end levels. The assets that reflect the cultural that Istanbul is dedicated to achieve. streets, right next to the elements of an heritage, together with the spaces and During the establishment of imperial capital, replaced what is lost urban elements, simply determine, the ‘Directorate of Istanbul Site to time, with new spacial openings, and explain and support that cultural value. Management’, as well as in following the thus diversified its cultural assets until Increasing the abilities of awareness, work done by UNESCO, the support they reached our time. protection and appropriation are only given and sensitivity shown by the possible through the existence of those Its functional monuments, complexes Metropolitan Municipality have been qualities which are shared even at the and other assets crowning its seven exemplary. It certainly is a first and very personal level. hills, have embroidered the plastic special privilege that the 40th Session of its pattern, and as the sea hugs the The identity of ‘World Heritage Area’, of the World Heritage Committee is land, its skyline seemingly different a dimension of the protection and invited to Istanbul. from one hour to the next, the shine of maintenance tradition, stresses the the landscape, bestows on it a unique responsibilities and underlines the The ‘Directorate of Istanbul Site poetic inspiration. importance of the need to succeed. In Management’ has felt a responsibility to prepare a Special Issue in honour Its local character and its tangible that framework, it is unavoidable that of the WHC-2016, and pioneered this cultural assets have always been the protection efforts for the historical, project in the hope that it can perhaps most advanced at every age, but in archeological, and urban areas come to become a tradition to continue. This addition to that, its social life and the forefront. To organize for a target of cultural accumulation makes it rich sustaining the cultural heritage, to draw publication that you are holding in in its intangible cultural heritage as up protection and restoration plans your hands, has been prepared with the well. It has been a World City at all and to secure the support of relevant efforts of academics, colleagues, and the times, indeed, its multicultural peace agencies, to ensure international ‘Communications Advisory Agencies’ and sustained diversity has become interaction, to give support to the of the Metropolitan Municipality and a definition of the Istanbulites. On scholarly research on cultural assets, to will live on as a gift and a reminder of the common denominator of its follow up the process, are prerequisites the privilege we are grateful for. Halil Onur, PhD. Director of Istanbul Site Management Prof. Dr. Zekiye YENEN Prof. Dr. Fatma ÜNSAL Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Architecture Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University SPECIAL ISSUE ON İSTANBUL Department of Urban and Regional Planning Department of Urban and Regional Planning [email protected] [email protected] In honor of the 40th Session of the members of Istanbul Site Management • The ‘historical and cultural’ urban cultural, as well as ordinary life pictures. • Sharing information on glass-working international levels regarding the quality World Heritage Committee taking place Directorate, Halil Onur and Muzaffer landscape, bringing together the in ancient Istanbul, an art the of translation. Therefore, the editors have in Istanbul, the July issue of the WHR Şahin, editors Zekiye Yenen and Fatma originalities bestowed upon the city by As the sustainability of the cultural existence of which was not known been mandated to ensure quality in both heritage policies could only be possible 2016 has been devoted to Turkey. As the Ünsal, Publishing Board technical its geography, crowned with its unique until the above digs started languages. The articles contain figures monumental assets and surprising through sharing all available information Special Issue of Turkey covers the assets member Fatma Sema Yücel Sekban, and pictures chosen from the engravings in our country that are on the World living areas with the generations that represent our • How Art Nouveau, a western and communications member Sümeyra and old photographs, suitable to their Heritage List, as well as those that are Yılmaz. future, cooperation with the publishers of movement that impacted the physical now candidates for getting listed therein, • The multi-level inheritance and the the periodical Arkitera was established, environment, was re-interpreted in content, and many more… Istanbul could only be represented in a With the guiding contribution that endless re-development which led to organizing a competition for Istanbul in a unique way During the preparation of the Issue, the limited number of pages. The Istanbul emerged from these search conferences, the youth, on the theme “Istanbul and her • The harmonious varieties of different Cultural Heritage”. It was requested that • Different but special ordinary life snaps editors have found great support and Coordination Board, established for the the reason of existence of the Special rituals, the cultural diversity organizational work of the upcoming Issue was determined to be ‘dedicating the participants submit articles, videos, showing the various cultures that co- assurance in Istanbul Site Management Istanbul meeting of WHC 2016, thus a special publication to this city which • Space of cultural transitions and interviews, graphics, info-graphics, existed in different districts of the city Directorate, who adopted this project decided to compensate for this deficiency has been uniquely special throughout original locations of the movements photos, or cartoons, to win publishing as an opportunity to enhance their space in the Special Issue. • A flash-back on protection policies by preparing and publishing a SPECIAL the history’, based on the fact that which have spread to larger concerning the historical city during corporate identity, displaying an ISSUE ON ISTANBUL. Istanbul has been known as the “Gate of geographies In the above mentioned framework, the the early Republican Period accommodating attitude. Additionally, Happiness / Dersaadet” for Europe, Asia, Special Issue 2016 includes the original the dedicated work of the young and As soon as the target was thus defined and Africa through ages. • Paradigm-shifting design and • Identity of the World Heritage Area and manufacturing traditions articles on: dynamic staff of the Directorate who at the meeting of the Board on October the phenomenon of Protection 28th, 2015, preparations were launched The publication was based on the generated excellent compilation of • Identity and Protection of the World • Administration of the city and its spatial through a series of search conferences approach of elaborating the tangible and • Contributions of the Winners of articles in a very limited time is highly Heritage Area reflection with the members of the Advisory intangible cultural heritage together, Cultural Heritage Competition appreciated.