The historical Talat Pasha Mansion, which is on the Basilica Cistern, and the entrance structure of the cistern, which belongs to the IMM, was illegally seized. IMM initiated a legal process both for the mansion and for the cistern so that the queue does not come to the Basilica Cistern. IMM will resolutely continue all kinds of struggles against the possibility of transferring the museums, which were opened with the last Presidential decree, to the National Palaces Administration. Mahir Polat, Deputy Secretary General of IMM, called out in front of the Basilica Cistern, which has been the property of IMM for years. “Let them not confuse the cistern with the 'palace'. Its real name is Basilica Cistern. It was built during the Byzantine period. Therefore, it is not in a status to be included in the scope of national palaces. I hope there will be no such savings and such an application.”
The historical Basilica Cistern entrance structure and Talat Pasha Mansion, which are owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), were seized by the General Directorate of Foundations, although there was no court decision. IMM decided to take the actual situation to the court. On the other hand, with the last Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, the infrastructure for the transition of museums, which are in the hands of public institutions, to the National Palaces Administration was created.
Evaluating the possibility of confiscating both the seized IMM properties and the museums within the IMM, Mahir Polat, the Deputy Secretary General of IMM, said that there is a possibility that all the museums in the hands of IMM will be seized.
GET LIKE GALATA
The entrance of the Basilica Cistern, which has reached the final stage in the restoration work, and the Talat Pasha Mansion, located just above the building, were transferred to the General Directorate of Foundations by IMM. With the transfer, the buildings were taken from the IMM without a judicial decision, as in the Galata Tower and Taksim Gezi Park.
In addition, with the statement, "The Presidency may establish a new museum or take over the management of the museums of public institutions and organizations with the approval of the President," in the decree published in the Official Official Gazette, the way for the transfer of all museums in the hands of the public was paved. IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat made a statement about the law on foundations and the buildings taken from the municipality's property, which were cited as the reason for the buildings to change hands. Stating that the Law on Foundations does not have the structure and spirit to take the properties from the IMM, Polat stated that the practice lacks historical knowledge. Polat explained that although the condition of being a cultural property was sought, the Basilica Cistern entrance structure and Talat Pasha Mansion were taken from the IMM by correspondence between the Land Registry Directorate and the Regional Directorate of Foundations, without a court decision, by interpreting the laws.
APPLICATION TURNED INTO APPLICATION
Stating that the practices are far from historical reality, Polat said that the era of Talat Pasha Mansion went beyond interpretation and turned into a seizure. Stating that a similar possibility has arisen regarding the Basilica Cistern, which has been tried to be kept alive with the long-standing restoration work, Polat said, “It is not possible to know what the decree aims and covers. But we can say that; Now, all museums held by other public institutions of the IMM are transferable with a sudden decision.”
Basilica Cistern OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF NATIONAL PALACES
Reminding that the Yerebatan is often referred to as the 'palace' in Istanbul, Polat said, “This is our call to our friends who manage the cultural field. Let them not confuse the cistern with the 'palace'. Its real name is Basilica Cistern. It was built during the Byzantine period. Therefore, it is not in a status to be included in the scope of national palaces. I hope there will be no such savings and such an application.”
“I HOPE IT'S NOT LIKE TUNISIA HAYREDDIN PASHA
Making a statement in front of the Basilica Cistern, which is of historical importance for Istanbul, Deputy Secretary General of IMM Mahir Polat answered the questions of the press members. Polat gave the following answer to the question "How will the functioning of the Basilica Cistern be affected and how will the visitor entrance be?"
“Part of the Basilica Cistern has been confiscated. The structures we also use within the scope of restoration. We continue to evaluate these areas within our own program during our restoration process. We hope that this latest development in the Basilica Cistern will not affect the process. But as in the case of Tunisian Hayreddin Pasha after seizures in other places before. He was using IBB. The General Directorate of Foundations had this place evacuated. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality could not even stand as a tenant in the building it had built. I hope we are not talking about such a process in Yerebatan.”
“WE HAVE NO DOUBT IMM CASES WILL WIN”
Polat answered the questions as follows:
Will there be any legal action against the transfer decision of these foundations?
“Of course, this is just like in Gezi Park, Galata Tower and other examples. Since it is an unfair practice, we will be asked to return to our property again. These are long-term cases. It is very easy to prove whether a building like Galata Tower was built by a foundation. Court processes continue. Processes such as expert reports and on-site investigations are still ongoing. But we have no doubt. All of these lawsuits will result in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality regaining its properties.”
Can we say that there is confiscation of the places belonging to IMM in the presidential decree?
“The most rooted museums in the history of museums are those in Istanbul and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Therefore, all of the important museums under our responsibility can be addressed in this context.”
What was the financial return of the museums? What kind of loss will Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality suffer with this decree?
“It means the loss of resources that we will use in a fundamental cultural heritage restoration. This is because the revenues from these places were used by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality for the repair of other cultural assets in the city. It had 1,6 million annual travelers in the latest data. With the new exhibition program, we increased this target to three million… When we lost the Galata Tower, we didn't just lose the building. We have also lost revenues from there. For two years, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has not been able to earn any income from the Galata Tower. They are areas that cause great economic losses to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.”
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