Fatih Municipality Hosted UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS Delegation

Within the scope of the Reactive Monitoring Mission of UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, we hosted World Heritage Director Eloundou Assomo and his expert delegation as Fatih Municipality. Thus, the "Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Historical Areas of İstanbul" was successfully completed.

The "Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Historical Areas of İstanbul", which took place between 24-27 June 2024, was successfully completed. As part of the Reactive Monitoring Mission carried out by UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), we hosted World Heritage Director Mr. Eloundou Assomo, Architect/Urban Planner, and his expert delegation in our city as Fatih Municipality.

Fatih Municipality, together with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the General Directorate of Foundations, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Turkish State Railways, participated in the monitoring and inspection programme coordinated by the Site Management Directorate of Istanbul.

Within the scope of the programme, detailed presentations were made to the delegation consisting of UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS officials about the projects carried out in the historical areas of Istanbul, and the delegation was given the opportunity to examine the projects on site with field trips.

During the field inspections, comprehensive examinations were carried out in the Land Walls National Garden, Yedikule Fortress, Bâlâ Süleyman Agha Complex and Hagia Sophia Mosque, Chora Mosque, Molla Zeyrek Mosque, Bukoleon Palace, Yedikule Gasworks, Land Walls, Süleymaniye Region and Basilica Cistern, especially the works carried out in the wooden civil architecture examples carried out by our municipality, which were also appreciated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS officials.

In addition to the tangible cultural heritage, Marifet Street shops allocated by our municipality to artists engaged in various art activities such as calligraphy, miniature, felt, illumination, ornamentation, painting and gravure printing were visited by the delegation and detailed information was given about traditional art works.

During the field trips, the works carried out by Fatih Municipality to increase the green areas especially in historical cities, prioritising urbanism and handling all the works as a whole as inventory, documentation and restoration were appreciated by the delegation. In addition, this visit also enabled the process of creating a comprehensive roadmap in cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Center and Advisory Bodies related to our projects.

The members of the delegation appreciated the work carried out to protect Istanbul's historical and cultural heritage and made suggestions for future projects. In particular, it was emphasised that important steps should be taken for the protection of historical areas and the sustainable transfer of these areas to future generations.

At the end of the visit, the parties emphasised that the cooperation on the protection and development of historical areas of İstanbul will continue and that this visit is of great importance and is part of the efforts to protect and promote Istanbul's rich cultural heritage across the world.

As Fatih Municipality, we will continue to protect and develop our historical areas in accordance with international standards.