TURKEY TO PROTECT ARCHITECT SINAN’S WORKS IN 40 COUNTRIES
Hurriyet
March 8 2010
Turkey
The Turkish Presidency and the Culture Ministry have begun an
international project to preserve buildings constructed by the master
Ottoman architect Sinan, with plans for the restoration of his works
in 40 countries where the Ottoman Empire once ruled. Some experts,
however, worry the project is neglecting the works of other important
architects
Although Turkey has launched a new project to preserve and restore the
works of master Ottoman architect Sinan in 40 different countries,
some experts have criticized the project, saying other historical
legacies are being neglected.
The project, which will be carried out in 40 countries in which the
Ottomans once had a presence, is being headed by Hagia Sophia Museum
Chairman and Ottoman specialist Dr. Haluk Dursun with support from
the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
At the same time, officials announced the formation of an Architect
Sinan Foundation under the auspices of the Presidency.
Dursun said Syria and Greece had also given support to Turkey for the
project in an interview with the Hurriyet Daily News and Economic
Review. Sinan’s best-preserved works are in Syria, Yemen and the
Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, according to Dursun.
Noting that the idea for the project emerged a few years ago,
the researcher said he and a team of experts visited the different
countries to assess the works of the master architect.
Extensive restoration work for Sinan’s buildings that are in severe
disrepair will begin as soon as official permission is granted by
the relevant authorities.
‘Only mosques are being protected’
Sinan was born in the Agırnas village of the central Anatolian
province of Kayseri. The future chief architect of the Ottoman Empire
created his first works by making formations out of "kevenk" stones,
a type of soft volcanic rock found in Kayseri, when he was a child.
Sinan, who is said to be the child of an Armenian or Greek family from
Kayseri, was drafted into the Janissaries, an Ottoman infantry corps.
The sons of Christian families living within the empire were often
taken from their families, converted to Islam and educated in the
guild of the Janissaries.
Dursun said there has been much discussion of Sinan’s ethnicity,
but that these debates largely served no purpose. "There is nothing
more natural than different ethnicities in an empire. Discussions on
ethnicity are meaningless. Sinan is a value to this land."
Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture member Afife
Batur, however, criticized Dursun’s sole focus on Sinan. "Yes, Sinan
is a significant name in terms of the history of architecture. It
cannot be denied. But why are Sinan’s works taken under protection
but not the works of the other architects before and after Sinan?"
Demanding an extension of the preservation project, Batur said:
"I would prefer that such a comprehensive project implemented under
the auspices of the Presidency included the whole of the history of
our architecture. But I should ask why all of Sinan’s works within
the borders of Turkey, except mosques, are devastated. Is there a
project for them?"
Istanbul University member and Byzantine Art history expert Associate
Professor Asnu Bilban Yalcın said she did not agree with Batur’s
views, adding that Turkey had done its best to preserve the works of
other architects for future generations.
She said UNESCO and European Union initiatives had made an important
contribution to Turkey’s protection of its historical artifacts.
‘Worst damage done to ourselves’
Dursun said the protection of a historic structure was generally
related to whether it had a continuing function in the present day.
"If the structure is a mosque, it means this structure is still alive.
This is what function means." Other Sinan works, such as caravanserais,
have meanwhile been reborn as cultural centers.
Noting that Sinan’s buildings had been placed into religious and
secular categories, Dursun said the architect’s buildings had been
neglected in Muslim countries, including Turkey. "The main reason
for this is to deny and ignore the Ottomans and their heritage. Not
only Arabic countries, but also we have also done the worst amount
of damage to ourselves by ignoring the Ottomans."
The researcher, whose own work has actually focused primarily on
Sinan’s non-religious buildings, including Turkish baths, khans and
caravanserais, said the project would take many years to complete.