Mausoleums of Istanbul are often like museums, which is why the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been working to restore the city's countless historical and iconic tombs.
Speaking at the reopening of the latest tomb, Nev-i Fidan Tomb in Çemberlitaş, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Misbah Demircan stated that the tombs are a kind of personal museum "because the epitaph inside tells the life of the person there, or the caftan or the headdress, if there are any, reflect the architectural style of the period as well as reveal the characteristics of the person."
Demircan stated that there are about 1,000 tombs in Istanbul. "We started the restoration works of 122 ... The work will continue in stages. This is because our civilization and culture care about the individual and value the individual."
Istanbul Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Coşkun Yılmaz stated that many works of art had been restored in Türkiye in the last 20 years.
"Regarding the revival of historical artifacts, the repairs carried out in Istanbul are high in volume and number. This is not only a sign of love for history but a reflection of the state's development ... It is culture, civilization, a world of values and morals that make people human."
Yılmaz emphasized that the restoration of 30 of the 124 tombs under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Istanbul has been completed.
"The restoration of these shrines is a completely different development because it is a window to a different perspective on history, past and culture, considering that these shrines were closed for years, their doors were padlocked, and (they were full of) spider webs, it is extremely important in terms of mindset and meeting with the past that more than 100 shrines were included in the restoration program by the ministry with respect to (our) ancestors, some of them finished and some of them planned."
Maintenance, repair and restoration projects of more than 30 tombs and restoration and display arrangement projects of 25 were prepared in the project's first phase.
Within the project's scope, a three-stage work program was determined with 33 tenders for the maintenance and repair, comprehensive restoration and preparation of the tasks of the tombs of 15 sultans, 28 members of the dynasty, 60 grand viziers and pashas and 21 religious figures.
The Baba Cafer Tomb, the Osman Pasha Tomb and the Nev-i Fidan Women's Tomb are the tombs that have been reopened in the first phase.
