’Destructive’ works in Kaş’s historical square
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Meral Çiyan Şenerdi
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 24, 2009 00:00
KAŞ - Nongovernmental organizations start a battle against the local administration over renovation work on the historical town square of the Antalya tourist town of Kaş. ’Industrial excavators are breaking the cobbled Cumhuriyet Square and our lovely streets,’ say one activist, adding that the area was registered as primary historic site.
The Antalya tourist town of Kaş is facing a battle between nongovernmental organizations and the local administration over renovation work on its historical town square.
"Everything started at the beginning of this month" said Nur Keçeci, an architect and resident representative of The Foundation for the Promotion and Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage. We could not believe our eyes. There, at the heart of the town, industrial excavators were breaking the cobbled Cumhuriyet Square and our lovely streets, all in the area registered as primary historic sites."
"Kaş is a very typical Mediterranean town. We could even say it is the last preserved sample of the area. The protection rules are very strict; you can not even drive a nail into your own wall without permission from the Ministry. How is it possible then that someone approved the renovation project? We have started to ask each other this question," said Erdem Aydın, a senior tour guide.
To ask that and more questions, members of local nongovernmental organizations and individual volunteers visited Mayor Halil Kocaer twice. He listened to their requests and promised to "soften" the matter by holding a roundtable meeting to come to a solution. But the square has continued to be under construction.
NGOs and volunteers said they could not stop the construction through conversations with the Mayor, so they applied to the higher authorities of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. In two hours, approximately 500 people signed a petition to stop the construction. The Board of Protection of Natural and Cultural Estates immediately ordered a stop to the construction because no project was submitted or approved by it.
’Three monkeys’
The "municipality has played the three monkeys," said one of the volunteers. "They did not stop; they went on their own and did the wrong thing." Upon further initiatives and a second notice from the volunteers that included last-minute photos of the construction, the board sent another written notice to the head official of the district and to the Municipality, stating the work should stop until the Board’s final decision at a meeting on March 27.
"Our square is our guest room. We travelled a lot to find the best stone for Kaş. We went to big cities like Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa and historic towns like Pergama and Çanakkale. But I did not like any of them. I heard about this stone that was laid in Alanya and Antalya’s centers. We went there to see the stone and then ordered it for Kaş," the mayor said to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
About NGO and individuals’ complaints about the construction, Kocaer said; "Don’t pay much attention to such objections. The tender was completed, there is no U-turn. The majority of the people approve of this stone. The ones who oppose it are very few and I can keep them under control."
Undoubtly, some like the stone change and some dislike it. But most of them seem to be anxious about the coming tourism seasons. "We can not welcome tourists with this building site scene, in any case it must be completed before Easter," said one resident. "These resources could have been used for other necessities such as a marina or new streets. It is like building slums on the eve of the local elections. I feel deep pain in my heart, I am even thinking of closing my shop and leaving Kaş," said İlhan Özcan, a town silversmith.
Struggle goes on
NGOs sued the Mayor and disclosed it with a press conference in Antalya. It seems that Kaş volunteers and Mayor Kocaer will continue to struggle with this issue. NGOs applied to the court, filling against the mayor and other responsible parties, with the case of causing damage to public areas. A group of NGO representatives held a press conference in Antalya to announce the issue and their continuing actions. "Kaş is upset with urban environment and certain people," said an NGO spokeswoman, Kadriye Hacımusaoğlu. "The most tragic point is this ’renovation’ opens the path for people to ’renovate’ their historically registered houses as they wish. This has created precedent."
It has been heard that Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay will visit the town before the elections for the opening ceremony of the renovated square, of which the renovation was ordered stopped by his ministry.
"Everything started at the beginning of this month" said Nur Keçeci, an architect and resident representative of The Foundation for the Promotion and Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage. We could not believe our eyes. There, at the heart of the town, industrial excavators were breaking the cobbled Cumhuriyet Square and our lovely streets, all in the area registered as primary historic sites."
"Kaş is a very typical Mediterranean town. We could even say it is the last preserved sample of the area. The protection rules are very strict; you can not even drive a nail into your own wall without permission from the Ministry. How is it possible then that someone approved the renovation project? We have started to ask each other this question," said Erdem Aydın, a senior tour guide.
To ask that and more questions, members of local nongovernmental organizations and individual volunteers visited Mayor Halil Kocaer twice. He listened to their requests and promised to "soften" the matter by holding a roundtable meeting to come to a solution. But the square has continued to be under construction.
NGOs and volunteers said they could not stop the construction through conversations with the Mayor, so they applied to the higher authorities of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. In two hours, approximately 500 people signed a petition to stop the construction. The Board of Protection of Natural and Cultural Estates immediately ordered a stop to the construction because no project was submitted or approved by it.
’Three monkeys’
The "municipality has played the three monkeys," said one of the volunteers. "They did not stop; they went on their own and did the wrong thing." Upon further initiatives and a second notice from the volunteers that included last-minute photos of the construction, the board sent another written notice to the head official of the district and to the Municipality, stating the work should stop until the Board’s final decision at a meeting on March 27.
"Our square is our guest room. We travelled a lot to find the best stone for Kaş. We went to big cities like Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa and historic towns like Pergama and Çanakkale. But I did not like any of them. I heard about this stone that was laid in Alanya and Antalya’s centers. We went there to see the stone and then ordered it for Kaş," the mayor said to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
About NGO and individuals’ complaints about the construction, Kocaer said; "Don’t pay much attention to such objections. The tender was completed, there is no U-turn. The majority of the people approve of this stone. The ones who oppose it are very few and I can keep them under control."
Undoubtly, some like the stone change and some dislike it. But most of them seem to be anxious about the coming tourism seasons. "We can not welcome tourists with this building site scene, in any case it must be completed before Easter," said one resident. "These resources could have been used for other necessities such as a marina or new streets. It is like building slums on the eve of the local elections. I feel deep pain in my heart, I am even thinking of closing my shop and leaving Kaş," said İlhan Özcan, a town silversmith.
Struggle goes on
NGOs sued the Mayor and disclosed it with a press conference in Antalya. It seems that Kaş volunteers and Mayor Kocaer will continue to struggle with this issue. NGOs applied to the court, filling against the mayor and other responsible parties, with the case of causing damage to public areas. A group of NGO representatives held a press conference in Antalya to announce the issue and their continuing actions. "Kaş is upset with urban environment and certain people," said an NGO spokeswoman, Kadriye Hacımusaoğlu. "The most tragic point is this ’renovation’ opens the path for people to ’renovate’ their historically registered houses as they wish. This has created precedent."
It has been heard that Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay will visit the town before the elections for the opening ceremony of the renovated square, of which the renovation was ordered stopped by his ministry.