The renovated Beyazıt Square hosted the 'From Antiquity to the Present 3 Istanbul 1 Historical Peninsula Exhibition' opened in the heart of Istanbul. IMM President who opened the exhibition Ekrem İmamoğluInviting Istanbulites to the exhibition where they can see and be informed about the projects of IMM to be completed, “Come, see, share your thoughts and suggestions with us. Experience this new state of the historical peninsula, to its fullest. Come and be a carrier of the unique message that the beautiful story conveyed from the past to the future by the historical peninsula has given to all humanity.” The exhibition, which includes a total of 60 projects, will be open to all Istanbulites throughout October.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu, opened the “3 Istanbul 1 Historical Peninsula Exhibition From Antiquity to the Present” in Beyazıt Square, which was recently renovated. In his speech, İmamoğlu stated that Istanbul is geographically a blessing from God and said, “This is the focus of a large part of my memories of Istanbul, which goes back to about 40 years. Although this is not my campus, the university I study at is the historical peninsula, where I focus on traveling and learning, from Istanbul University to business life. When I look back at 40 years, it is an area that has been so influential in all of our lives, it's a pity that neglect, delays, carelessness, irreversible mistakes made, the problems caused by some delayed works... We have a lot of things to do and we have a lot of things to act quickly,' we decided. All of our moves made in these booths you see - but finished but ongoing but planned - open to ideas, this platform is ready to bring us together with extraordinary beauties in the very near time period of the historical peninsula, in the process targeting even 2030.”
ANNOUNCED 2 KEY GOALS
Sharing information about the "global city" process of Istanbul, which includes the Roman and Ottoman empires, İmamoğlu said, “I would like to share with you that we have two main goals when considering Istanbul and its heart, the historical peninsula, in terms of the future. Our first goal; To protect and improve this historical and cultural heritage that has cost the world and served as the capital of 3 empires. Because if we don't protect it now, tomorrow may be too late, considering what we have sadly lost so far. Our second goal; to both learn and learn great lessons from the historical peninsula in terms of city, culture and history relations. Places like the peninsula, where history is almost distilled, constitute a unique laboratory for guiding with their experience and knowledge, as well as a negotiation space and a democratic platform. We know that understanding this kind of accumulation and the ground it provides requires a long and broad perspective," he said.
“CAN WE LIVE TOGETHER IN THIS WORLD OF CONTRADITIONS?”
Expressing that Istanbul is struggling with problems such as rent pressure and uncontrolled accumulation of refugees, İmamoğlu emphasized that the historical peninsula was also affected by this negative process. “Contrary to expectations, globalization processes have also increased friction, conflict and tensions at both geopolitical and social levels,” said İmamoğlu. If there is a place on earth where this question can be answered in a meaningful way, the historical peninsula is the main place that will show it with deep traces. The peninsula, as a place where different cultures, ethnic and religious groups, political systems and administrative understandings are distilled in three globalization periods, is the most correct place to answer the question 'Can we live together? Anyone who looks at the history of the peninsula and today will give the same answer. Of course we can live together. This will be the best and most beautiful for us. This is exactly why we have focused on the peninsula from the day we took office, with a historical heritage point of view, which carefully considers the balance of conservation and use.”
“BEYAZIT SQUARE WILL BRING OUT AS A MEETING AND NEGOTIATION SQUARE”
"There is a story behind all these projects," said İmamoğlu, adding, "We are also managing the responsibility of carrying to the future a great story that comes from the history of this region on the historical peninsula and its accumulation spanning three global periods. In addition to its unique historical and touristic values, the historical peninsula will now stand out as a meeting and negotiation square that strongly answers the question "Can we live together", not only for Istanbul and Turkey, but also for the whole world. Sharing the information, “I would like to announce that we have started a study to turn our city hall in Saraçhane into an international center and to use it as a meeting, a memory, a library, and also a convention center”, İmamoğlu said, “In other words, this home, this place, which actually belongs to the people, By sharing this place with the whole world, we want it to be the center of transferring the form of these universal feelings that come from the depths of history to the whole world in a distilled form. It is time to crown this accumulation, on the one hand, and to present it more effectively to the service of humanity on a local and global level, on the other hand," he said.
“WE WANT TO MAKE THE YOUTH USING THE AREA FEELABLE”
Emphasizing that the projects they carry out in the historical peninsula will be predominantly conservation-oriented, İmamoğlu said, “In this framework, we will carry the buildings and areas that we see as heritage, to the future together, by staying true to their essence. A remarkable part of our projects will be in the field of transportation. Here, we are implementing a serious regulation process especially in square, avenue and street layout. And we will make an important decision. I would like to point out here how valuable it would be to reduce carbon emissions in such an area, and that it would not only reduce the damage in the most important sense but also add great quality to this historical area. We are recovering, restoring, constructing and at the same time making use of the idle areas and structures in accordance with the spirit of the region. We want to make the young people who use the space tangible. We also implement Youth Center projects for young people. We attach special importance to the square and public spaces, just like the meticulous work we show in Beyazıt Square, where we are now. With our projects, we eliminate many unacceptable situations, but not public spaces.”
INVITATIONS TO THE EXHIBITION OF ISTANBUL
Expressing that with the exhibition they opened in the area, they explained what they are doing in the heart of Istanbul, what they will do, how they do it and what they aim for, İmamoğlu made the following call to Istanbulites:
“I definitely want all their families, children and young people to come here and see these projects, especially on Sundays, with a quieter traffic in this region. Come, see, share your thoughts and suggestions with us. Experience this new state of the historical peninsula, to its fullest. Come and be a carrier of the unique message that the beautiful story conveyed by the historical peninsula from the past to the future has given to all humanity. We can show in the best way from Istanbul, the historical peninsula, that we can be together and live together by preserving our differences, and that we can build a life in which we can present peace and tranquility as a nation, in our own cities, in our country, and to the whole world as an example. It is not 'we can live', let's not forget that we must live. We should live together by protecting our differences. This is what leads us to peace and happiness, to being human. I would like to express that Istanbul, which has a high level of spirituality, historical experience and history in a way that is unprecedented in the world, can serve all these feelings and is a guarantee.”
A total of 3 projects are included in the “1 Istanbul 60 Historical Peninsula – IMM Historical Peninsula Projects Exhibition from Antiquity to the Present”. The exhibition aims to carry heritage buildings and areas to the future, and to re-function the idle works. Projects prepared within the framework of the Istanbul Vision 2050 Strategy Plan; It consists of 4 categories: Transportation-Infrastructure, Urban Design-Recreation, Culture-Social-Sports Facility and Cultural Properties. In the exhibition, there are conservation applications and projects prepared by IMM Heritage to preserve the cultural heritage and historical identity of the Historic Peninsula and transfer it to the future. In addition, the details of the transportation projects developed to create lively squares and streets that are largely free from vehicle traffic, accessible and walkable, were also included in the exhibition. Many projects that have been realized or are planned to be realized, such as sports facilities for young people, social/cultural center projects, and the re-functioning of buildings that do not match the identity of the Historic Peninsula, are among the other contents on display. Plans and projects, created by utilizing the global accumulation of the historical peninsula, will be presented to the suggestions and opinions of Istanbulites on various topics from cultural assets to transportation, from urban design to social facilities. The exhibition will be open to all Istanbulites throughout October.
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