Istanbul gets new opera house on the 98th anniversary of republic
ANCHOR
Published: 04:10 PM,Oct 31,2021 | EDITED : 08:10 PM,Oct 31,2021
ISTANBUL: A new opera house opened on Istanbul's iconic Taksim square on Friday, in celebration of the 98th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish republic.
In addition to the 2,500-seat opera house, the Ataturk Cultural Centre - named after the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - also houses a cinema, libraries, cafes and restaurants. It was built to replace an older structure that was demolished in 2018. With its glass facade, the new building recalls the architecture of the previous centre. The spherical auditorium is dark red and is made up of 15,000 handmade ceramic tiles, according to Anadolu state news agency. These can be seen from the outside through the facade.
The new building was designed by architect Murat Tabanlioglu, the son of the architect Hayati Tabanlioglu who designed the previous structure. The centre, known as AKM, was originally built in 1969 as the Istanbul Culture Palace to represent a modern and secular Turkey. The centre was later renovated and reopened in 1977 after a fire in 1970.
However, performances stalled in 2008 and the building fell into disuse. The foundations for the new building were laid in February 2019. The building also became a symbol of the Gezi protests as it is located right next to Istanbul's Gezi Park.
The centre was occupied by 'terrorist groups,' Erdogan said of the Gezi events during his speech at Friday's opening. The president believes Gezi was part of what he views as an international plot to topple him.
The building is owned by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The design of the new building, in the old iconic republican style, came as a surprise to many. It is located at one end of Taksim Square, across from a new mosque that Erdogan opened in May.
Art lovers now look forward to future programmes and many wonder whether the work of artists critical of the government will feature there too.
Among the first performances is a concert by the London Philarmonic Orchestra that is scheduled to take place on Sunday. The programme features a slew of other performances from Turkey and abroad. - dpa
In addition to the 2,500-seat opera house, the Ataturk Cultural Centre - named after the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - also houses a cinema, libraries, cafes and restaurants. It was built to replace an older structure that was demolished in 2018. With its glass facade, the new building recalls the architecture of the previous centre. The spherical auditorium is dark red and is made up of 15,000 handmade ceramic tiles, according to Anadolu state news agency. These can be seen from the outside through the facade.
The new building was designed by architect Murat Tabanlioglu, the son of the architect Hayati Tabanlioglu who designed the previous structure. The centre, known as AKM, was originally built in 1969 as the Istanbul Culture Palace to represent a modern and secular Turkey. The centre was later renovated and reopened in 1977 after a fire in 1970.
However, performances stalled in 2008 and the building fell into disuse. The foundations for the new building were laid in February 2019. The building also became a symbol of the Gezi protests as it is located right next to Istanbul's Gezi Park.
The centre was occupied by 'terrorist groups,' Erdogan said of the Gezi events during his speech at Friday's opening. The president believes Gezi was part of what he views as an international plot to topple him.
The building is owned by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The design of the new building, in the old iconic republican style, came as a surprise to many. It is located at one end of Taksim Square, across from a new mosque that Erdogan opened in May.
Art lovers now look forward to future programmes and many wonder whether the work of artists critical of the government will feature there too.
Among the first performances is a concert by the London Philarmonic Orchestra that is scheduled to take place on Sunday. The programme features a slew of other performances from Turkey and abroad. - dpa