Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said a crime as big as ‘genocide’ is being committed against Istanbul’s skyline.
The CHP leader said on his Twitter account on Tuesday that neither humanity nor history will forgive those who destroy the historic skyline of the city. He later shared an image showing an old photo of Sultanahmet and a new photo of the same area side by side. The newer photo shows three skyscrapers visible behind the historic mosque. The skyscrapers in the image are highlighted by drawn-on light bulbs, reminiscent of the logo of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). In the corner of the image there is the figure of Ottoman Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who conquered Istanbul in 1453. The sultan is shown wiping away his tears with a handkerchief in one hand and holding a tulip in the other. In the original version of the famous sultan photo, he is sniffing a flower in one hand and holding a handkerchief in the other.
Kilicdaroglu accused the AK Party of allowing this construction to damage the silhouette of the historic city. At a symposium over the weekend, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned mayors against unplanned and improper urbanization. Erdogan urged those who think only of “stone and concrete” when it comes to city planning to re-evaluate their ideas and create cities that have “souls and direction.”
In remarks to Today’s Zaman, experts unanimously stated that the damage to Istanbul’s historic silhouette has been done and they urged authorities to take action against further unplanned urbanization. In 2012, the traditional silhouette of Istanbul, which comprises Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, was marred by a high rise building erected in the district adjacent to the historic peninsula. Currently, a new bridge under construction over the Golden Horn, a mosque on Camlica Hill and the rebuilding of Taksim Square are being debated because of aesthetic concerns.