Some 23 historical shops in Karabük's Safranbolu district, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be restored as part of the "Improvement of Asmaaltı Neighborhood" project.

Safranbolu Municipality and the Karabük Chamber of Architects are jointly preparing measured drawings, restitution and restoration plans for the project.

Once the planning - including for immovable properties on private estates - is completed, it will be presented for the approval of the Directorate of Karabük Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board. If approved, restoration works will begin with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.

Safranbolu District Governor and Deputy Mayor Fatih Ürkmezer explained that they will begin restoration works on 23 historical shops located at the district's Asmaaltı neighborhood, in the Historical Bazaar region.

The deputy mayor said that Asmaaltı has been the meeting place for people in Safranbolu for years. "We always come here to greet each other on Eid. I am not happy with the current state of these structures and we want to change it as soon as possible. We will work together with the Chamber of Architects and our friends at the Development Directorate will do the facade restoration."

He said that the Minister of Environment and Urbanization visited Safranbolu some time ago. "Minister Murat Kurum said he wants to support this project as a person who knows and follows Safranbolu. When they visited our district, I showed him this neighborhood. He found it ideal. We hope we can soon open this historical area for our guests. We will remain faithful to the original designs and try to finish the project in the shortest time possible."

A separate restoration project, covering 67 historical shops, was done before as part of the "Our Historical Bazaars Revealed" project. It was presented to the Western Black Sea Development Agency (BAKKA) by the Safranbolu Municipality and accepted as part of the 2018 Small Scale Infrastructure Financial Support Program.