MEHMET AKSEL
Last Friday morning, I went to see the Tersane Istanbul project.
A magnificent location that frames the historical peninsula with a rare angle, from the Bulgarian Church to the Fener Greek Patriarchate, from Hagia Sophia and the Şehzade Mosque to the Galata Tower, buildings that send shivers up and down one’s body, a wonderful project, a huge excavation site that resembles a beehive.
Before I tell you about my thoughts on the project, let me tell you about the location’s history from what I have learned…
From the 16th century until the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Imperial Arsenal (Tersâne-i Âmire) was the main base and the navy shipyard of the empire.
The story began with Fatih Sultan Mehmet.
Seeing the Genoese ships after he conquered Istanbul, Fatih ordered for the same ships to be built for himself…
If I am not mistaken, the first works started in Sarayburnu, but due to a problem experienced while launching the ships, it was decided that the works would move to the Golden Horn, which provided a better environment for shipbuilding activities.
The story of the Imperial Arsenal, which started in 1461 with a few shipbuilding benches, a mosque and a banquet hall (Divanhane) building, has always been a center of attention that never ceased throughout the history of the empire.
Once a new ship was built, naming ceremonies were held for the ships, wide-attended festivals for the public were organized, and when a large number of ships or an important ship was launched, the sultan would personally attend the ceremony, sacrifices would be made and feasts were made for all the attendees.
The shipyard, whose foundations were laid by Fatih, expanded greatly with the works carried out during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim, and with the transition from galley-type ships to galleon-type ships, and to keep up with the changing shipbuilding technologies in the world shipbuilding pool, the Valide Hanım Sled, Taş Kızak (Stone Sled) and Ağaç Kızak (Tree Sled) were built during the reign of Selim III, and finally during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the shipyard became the largest shipyard in the Mediterranean.
The second of the shipbuilding docks that allowed the construction of large galleons was built during the reign of Mahmut II, and an additional shipyard where steamships were constructed was built during the reigns of Abdülmecid, Abdülaziz and Abdulhamit.
During the occupation of Istanbul (1918), the shipyard was hit hard and moved to Gölcük.
The shipyard, which was reopened for operation with the Straits Agreement signed in 1941, grew considerably with the additions made in 1960 and took its final shape today.
Later, with the construction of the Galata Bridge, ships could no longer enter the shipyard area and the process of closure began.
While I already knew parts of this, I recently learned some of the details.
The period I witnessed was mostly the industrial destruction that impacted the Golden Horn region and the part about the development plans that transformed the Golden Horn in the 1980s, which somehow spared the shipyard, miraculously preserving it from the destruction, thank goodness for that.
The Camialtı and Taş Kızak shipyards remained active until they were moved to the new industrial sites built in Istanbul. This is the period I remember most vividly.
Now, Tersane Istanbul is coming back to life with a completely different idea.
But please don’t be afraid, this time, I really think (hope) the result will be a masterpiece.
Within this beautiful project, a wonderful complex is being built that will include different areas for accommodation, residences, offices, culture and retail.
- The old buildings and the modernity, which will be adapted to them,
- The extra care given to the vernacular,
- The preservation of the historic function of the shipyard and the efforts to make this history visible,
- The design concept of the settlement project and the landscaping,
- The serenity of the seaside and the elegance of the interiors,
- Giving weight to maritime transportation, and the overall inclusion of the sea as a feature of the project as opposed to many other projects in Istanbul where we often make the mistake of ignoring the sea,
- The approach to arts and culture with four large museums and various art galleries,
- The integrated approach to the project’s history, buildings and the eating and drinking experience that will be on offer.
I really liked the project and was so impressed that I would like to congratulate those who devised the idea for the project, those who have allowed it, those who designed it, those who built it, and even those who are going to take part in it.
- Imagine that you enter a factory where torpedoes were being produced centuries ago to watch concerts and theaters.
- Imagine that you are sitting on the sledge where ships were being pulled ashore and listening to a recital on a stage set above the sea, as you inhale the fresh smell of iodine.
I had the feeling that everything was well thought out and built with respect to history. I hope I am not wrong.
I think that we, as MSA, will also take part in this venture with a great project.
I will tell you about our project in more detail in another article, but let me share two important things that I remember from that day…
First of all, as someone who has been traveling and learning about every inch of Istanbul with my father since the 1970s, I completely overlooked this space (who knows what else I’m missing in Istanbul). The atmosphere and the buildings were equally fascinating. They are repairing some of the buildings by raising them with lifters.
Secondly, I appreciated the attention paid to the archaeological artifacts unearthed during the construction work.
I learned that the archeological discoveries were taken very seriously and embraced by both the construction site under the supervision of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the ministry.
In addition to the movable artifacts that were unearthed, a relic that was uncovered will be exhibited via a glass floor built above it so that future visitors can appreciate it without it being removed from its history.
I will write about this place more but suffice to stay that I fell in love.
Anyway, I digress, but believe me, I can safely say that after such a long time I finally saw a project worthy of Istanbul, and as I said before, I hope I am not wrong.
Later in the day…
After my meeting at Tersane Istanbul, I was supposed to go to the American Hospital in Nişantaşı to have a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination.
I entered Vali Konağı Avenue, and traffic was in a deadlock.
The first absurdity and nonsense I encountered was that of the couriers going back and forth between cars in the opposite direction. Like raindrops hitting the window, they were rushing past us in the opposite direction, carelessly and arrogantly, from right to left.
We were able to make scant progress, and I immediately found out why it was so difficult to move forward. Three or four cars that had double-parked caused a traffic bottleneck. One was a DHL van. So, the others are outright rude, but you represent a global brand, how can you park your car in the middle of the road? You should be ashamed of the brand you carry on your vehicle.
We had barely made it another 100 meters forward when I saw a policeman with his motorbike parked on the right. His Excellency was leaning on his motorbike, with his feet stretched out on a drink case next to him, and was playing with his phone. The traffic is locked, the vehicles are double-parked, and he doesn’t care.
I lowered the window and said, “Officer, the situation 100 meters behind is a total nightmare.”
Perhaps because of the determination in my voice, he took a look back, got off his bike, and took 15-20 steps backwards. I followed his movements in the mirror, when we advanced a little, he turned back, got on his bike and put his flashlights on and pulled away.
I’m really curious, do these friends of ours have a task follow-up, a “What did you do today” list or query?
On the way to Maslak, there were an abundance of vehicles that jump over the bollards to the opposite side in Mecidiyeköy or to the side road, couriers driving their motorbikes on the pavement, opportunists lining up for an exit over four lanes, and public transportation vehicles that drop passengers in the middle of the road… Choose your poison…
I arrived in Maslak, and the valet terror, which has now become a classic, was in action. The roadside parking spaces were already illegally occupied, that I have become accustomed to but the small roundabouts outside the entrance of the plazas designed to allow cars to maneuver, have also become special valet territory.
Police? He is eating meatballs at the restaurant overlooking the roundabout.
As I said, total nightmare.
How can this be fixed? I have no idea.
