A couple years ago, news reached the United States of protests erupting in Istanbul, Turkey. It became known as the Gezi Park protests.
Today, we see that the Gezi Park redevelopment issue still persists, and is especially pertinent to my research project. On March 1st, we met Muge Yorganci, a professional in Urban Design, for a guided tour of Taksim Square and Gezi Park.
Both Yorganci and past news reports maintained that the protests started with the government’s moving of five trees. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had previously announced his plans to build a large shopping mall within Gezi Park, which brought oppositions because public green spaces are far and few within Istanbul. Eventually, Yorganci states that this issue became a venue for all types of people to protest against the government in general. However, this issue is of particular interest for me because the shopping mall is planned to be a replica of Topçu Kışlası, an Ottoman military barrack. Therefore, the Gezi Park issue is a prime example of the collision of government interests, revival of pre-modern culture, and urban planning.
Other than background, Yorganci provided some interesting information about the Taksim neighborhood. For example, Beyolu, which is the larger area in which Taksim is located, is actually a “modernized Ottoman area.” Historically, Beyolu was the edge of the city. Hence, we see an ancient aquaduct now just used for aesthetic purposes within the Taksim square. This area was the Grand Pera, historically. The entire area has also been “pedestrianized,” as in vehicular roads were converted to be solely pedestrian friendly- possibly a step back towards the “golden times” of the Ottoman empire.
Apparently, when the current president became the mayor of Beyolu, the first thing he wanted to do was build a mosque. Interestingly, this may reflect similar ambitions of sultans who built mosques in their names during their reigns (however, this connection may be a stretch). The mosque has yet to be built.
I also learned about a historical preservation law that allows the government to tear down current buildings to erect a historical building that was previously at that location. This law is a part of the conservation laws, but Yorganci wasn’t sure of the specific name. I will research into this.
