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Unfolding Stories
Istanbul skyline row erupts over new build near iconic mosque
The soaring minarets of Suleymaniye mosque paint the postcard image of Istanbul, but that is now blighted by rickety wooden scaffolding at a nearby construction site.
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A picture taken on February 16, 2022 in Istanbul shows Suleymaniye mosque domes and a building in construction (back) stopped by the Istanbul metropolitan municipality (IBB). (AFP/Ozan Kose)
T
he soaring minarets of the 16th-century Suleymaniye mosque paint the postcard image of Istanbul, but that is now blighted by rickety wooden scaffolding at a nearby construction site, sparking fury on social media.
The latest row over Istanbul's skyline has seen opponents of the new building attack botched restoration work and calls for historical edifices to be protected.
"The disrespect, there is no recognition of any proportion or any limit," Esin Koymen, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, told AFP.
"There's this talk that the new buildings betray Istanbul's silhouette but it's quite upsetting to see the continuing recklessness on a landmark historical compound," she said.
"This needs to stop."
The mosque was built from 1550-57 by the celebrated Ottoman architect Sinan and dominates the peninsula that also houses the Grand Bazaar.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the mosque which has survived fires and an earthquake, represents the golden age of the Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent.
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