ITU Touches Our Country’s Historical Buildings with Its Long-Established Experience

ITU has started a study in cooperation with the Governorship of Ağrı to restore Ishak Pasha Palace to its original state seen in the engravings.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) protects the aesthetic and historical texture of our country with its works in the cultural and artistic fields as well as in science and engineering. Ishak Pasha Palace, one of our important cultural assets, will be restored to its original state with the cooperation initiated by ITU Faculty of Architecture and the Governorship of Ağrı. 

ITU’s touch to Ishak Pasha Palace, one of the most important civil architectural works of Anatolia

ITU Faculty of Architecture faculty members made examinations at Ishak Pasha Palace together with Dr. Osman Varol, the Governor of Ağrı. Stating that a long-term and detailed study will be carried out, Governor Varol said that Ishak Pasha Palace will attract more attention once it regains its original form seen in the engravings. Governor Varol gave information about various arrangement activities in the surroundings of Ishak Pasha Palace and stated that he considered the restoration to be carried out with ITU academics very important and described it as “an important work that will make an impact”.

Ishak Pasha Palace, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, attracts more and more local and foreign tourists every year. With the project to be carried out by ITU with the Governorship of Ağrı, the palace will be restored from top to bottom. The plastic and glass enclosures in the building will be removed and it will be restored to its original appearance with original materials from the period it was built. 

Hagia Sophia bears traces from different regions of the world with its stones

In addition to the restoration works in which it is involved, ITU also conducts various scientific investigations on historical buildings. Asst. Prof. Dr. Serkan Angı from ITU Faculty of Mines, Department of Geological Engineering examined the natural stones used in the Hagia Sophia Mosque.

Dr. Angı evaluated the relationship between natural stones and architectural aesthetic understanding and techniques, which changed over a long period of time from the Roman period, in which the building was constructed, to the Ottoman period. He pointed out that very different natural stones, even from distant geographies such as Tunisia and France, were used in Hagia Sophia.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sedat Bornovalı, who examined the natural stones together with ITU faculty member Dr. Serkan Angı, said that natural stones have been seen as a symbol of power from the past to the present and emphasized the diversity and richness of stones with the words “Hagia Sophia is a perfect composition”. He mentioned that the Turks, who gave special importance to Hagia Sophia, played a very important role in the preservation of the building from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic and in carrying it to the present day: “The waqf established by Mimar Sinan, Selim II and Mahmut I added great beauty to Hagia Sophia. It also strengthened the structure over time. For example, if the restoration during the reign of Abdülmecid had not been made, Hagia Sophia would probably have collapsed during the earthquake in 1894 and would not have survived to the present day.”