Prof. Dr.-Ing. Turgut Saner (İTÜ Istanbul) 'Byzantine Archaeology vs Urban Renewal in Istanbul from 1930 to 1960'

Turgut Saner ist einer der profiliertesten türkischen Architekturhistoriker und Archäologen mit umfassender Grabungserfahrung in der Region der antiken Äiolis. Seit 2007 ist er Professor für Architekturgeschichte an der Istanbuler Technischen Universität (ITÜ). Darüber hinaus war er Gastprofessor an der Universität Trent, der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, der Rikkyo-Universität Tokio sowie der Bahcesehir Universität in Istanbul.

Seit 1988 ist er an zahlreichen Ausgrabungen zur antiken und byzantinischen Stadtgeschichte in der westlichen Türkei beteiligt.

BYZANTINE ARCHAEOLOGY VS URBAN RENEWAL IN ISTANBUL FROM THE 1930s TO THE 1960s

The Istanbul Archaeological Museums’ archive represents an invaluable source of documentation for the study of Byzantine excavations in Istanbul. Hundreds of files include official correspondence, lists, and descriptions of finds, drawings, and photographs. The ruins from various periods of Istanbul’s Byzantine layers range from burial finds and architectural fragments to large-scale building complexes and substructures. The archival documents from the early republican years to 1960’s also tell tales of attitudes regarding the modernization process of Istanbul. Especially the constructions of the modern Justice Palace, Istanbul University buildings and the so-called “Municipality Palace”, all in the old city district, emerge as a contradictory case in terms of preservation of the Constantinopolitan Byzantine heritage and the city’s urban renewal. On one side, the efforts of Turkish and foreign scholars to study the excavated Byzantine architectural remains, and urban decisions for the erection of monumental-size modern buildings on the other; all find their reflection in the archival material kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. The lecture is based on the twofold phenomena of “archaeological preservation and destruction” in mid-20th century Istanbul.