Citizens walk past the entrances of the 1,600-year-old walls of Istanbul, Türkiye, June 13, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The restoration of the 1,600-year-old historical walls of Istanbul, the largest Turkish city, has rejuvenated the surrounding once-notorious neighborhoods in a way that has beat the expectations.
The walls, originally built in the 5th century during the Eastern Roman Empire to protect the city from enemies on land and sea, went through a series of additions and modifications throughout history. However, a large part of them, either destroyed or heavily damaged, did not survive the ravages of time.
Known as the excellent fortification system in antiquity, the walls once posed a safety hazard to the city when their neighborhoods were seen as a shelter for drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless, and witnessed repeated collapsing incidents.
Photo shot on June 13, 2023 shows carvings written in Greek are seen at the threshold of the Mevlanakapi entrance of the walls of Türkiye's city Istanbul. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)
Now, the entire area has seen a rapid transformation since the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality launched a major restoration project for the walls in 2021.
"This place was in a pathetic state," Onder Guler, a historian who was part of the project's brain trust, told Xinhua at Mevlanakapi, one of the main gates of the land walls, which gives its name to a neighborhood.
"You couldn't get in (the bastions) or climb the stairs, and there were no bars. There was a safety hazard and a danger of falling," Guler spoke of the previous state of the walls.
At Mevlanakapi alone, more than 300 trucks were used to remove about 7.5 tonnes of rubble piling high at the walls before the workers could reach the foot to start the restoration.
Photo shot on June 13, 2023 shows towers of 1,600-year-old historic walls in Istanbul, Türkiye. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)
Following the restoration and maintenance works, a 7 km part, out of the total 22 km of the walls, have been opened to the public, with a beautiful walking route dotted with libraries, parks, cafes, and art and cultural centers.
Currently, the restoration teams focus on revealing the marks left by Ottoman soldiers on the walls during the siege of Istanbul in 1453, such as the cannonballs' dents.
"There are also other marks, called remiz, engraved on the gates and walls by the janissaries who stood guard at the gates after the conquest," Guler said.
"Each janissary engraved and painted the name and pennant of the squadron to which he belonged and his own name on the gate, the walls and the fountains," he added, noting the teams are applying protective procedures to make them more visible and prevent them from fading.
Citizens walk past the entrances of the 1,600-year-old walls of Istanbul, Türkiye, June 13, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)
Hasan Marsoglu, 70, has lived in the Mevlanakapi neighborhood since birth. He told Xinhua that the area has been transformed into a safe zone where people are having fun, touching the historical texture and visiting the exhibitions.
"My wife is now a frequent visitor of this spot, and she's jogging with her friends, sitting at cafes, chatting and having tea or coffee," he said.
Restoration work is continuing on other bastions and parts of the land walls in Istanbul, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. ■
