Opening a museum once may not be enough
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 12, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - As the local elections in Turkey are approaching the competition between the candidates gains pace and they attack each others weak points. The 1453 Panorama Museum, in Zeytinburnu on the European side of Istanbul, is a new topic on the agenda
With less than three weeks to go before local elections in Turkey, candidates have been attacking the competition by locating each other’s weak points. The 1453 Panorama Museum, in Zeytinburnu on the European side of Istanbul, is a new topic on the agenda that has caused controversy.
The first issue stems from the fact that the museum seems to have had two openings. The first opening took place Jan. 31, and the second opening took place March 7. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and State Minister Egemen Bağış attended the first opening. The prime minister was not at the second opening, but Topbaş and Bağış were in attendance. A statement from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality claims that these were two different openings: the first one was an opening for the museum, and the second was a general opening for all public services that were developed by the municipality in Zeytinburnu.
The second cause of controversy was a claim that the municipality released inaccurate information about the museum’s budget. But the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality denied the claims the museum was opened twice and maintained there were no discrepancies in the museum’s budget.
According to information from the municipality, the 1453 Panorama Museum, Topkapı Culture Park and Topkapı Social Facility opened Jan. 31, with Erdoğan and Topbaş in attendance. At the collective opening ceremony March 7, in Zeytinburnu, the municipality discussed its projects in the Zeytinburnu district near the 1453 Panorama Museum, said the statement.
Answering claims
The municipality report answered claims that the city walls in the panorama did not have domes as found in Byzantine architecture and the towers of the city walls had either four or eight sides. Those with eight sides had domes on top, the municipality said in its statement. The dome tower displayed in the museum is the third tower of Istanbul’s city walls, looking from the Kaleiçi door. Some newspapers claimed that the panorama also lacked the Topkapı moats, but the municipality stated that the painting depicts the 53rd day of Istanbul’s siege, when the moats were covered.
There was also a comment about the soldiers’ modern furry uniforms. The municipality said that after the long research, they have confirmed that fur, which belonged to the extinct Anatolia leopard, was used as part of the uniforms.
There have been many other arguments about the panoramic paintings of the newly opened museum such as the colors used in the clothes of the time, the city walls and figures used in the city.
The election competition continues on Istanbul’s billboards. In a statement about Republican People’s Party, or CHP, mayoral candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s election posters and on the billboards showing a book about him, the municipality said: "Among all the billboards in Istanbul, Kılıçdaroğlu’s 1,000 election posters and 60 promotional posters of a book about him are unintentionally placed together in three billboard spots."
The statement said that in order to prevent possible misunderstandings, the company that operated the billboards changed the places of the posters. Another statement about the news that the Istanbul Bus Transportation Authority, or IETT, has canceled three lines said that lines 120, 129 and 129k had not been canceled. The statement reported that since the number of passengers decreased in those lines after the Metrobus system opened, the number of vehicles was reduced. It is also said that the current staircases would be removed from Metrobus stations and that elevators would be installed at all Metrobus stops.
The first issue stems from the fact that the museum seems to have had two openings. The first opening took place Jan. 31, and the second opening took place March 7. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and State Minister Egemen Bağış attended the first opening. The prime minister was not at the second opening, but Topbaş and Bağış were in attendance. A statement from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality claims that these were two different openings: the first one was an opening for the museum, and the second was a general opening for all public services that were developed by the municipality in Zeytinburnu.
The second cause of controversy was a claim that the municipality released inaccurate information about the museum’s budget. But the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality denied the claims the museum was opened twice and maintained there were no discrepancies in the museum’s budget.
According to information from the municipality, the 1453 Panorama Museum, Topkapı Culture Park and Topkapı Social Facility opened Jan. 31, with Erdoğan and Topbaş in attendance. At the collective opening ceremony March 7, in Zeytinburnu, the municipality discussed its projects in the Zeytinburnu district near the 1453 Panorama Museum, said the statement.
Answering claims
The municipality report answered claims that the city walls in the panorama did not have domes as found in Byzantine architecture and the towers of the city walls had either four or eight sides. Those with eight sides had domes on top, the municipality said in its statement. The dome tower displayed in the museum is the third tower of Istanbul’s city walls, looking from the Kaleiçi door. Some newspapers claimed that the panorama also lacked the Topkapı moats, but the municipality stated that the painting depicts the 53rd day of Istanbul’s siege, when the moats were covered.
There was also a comment about the soldiers’ modern furry uniforms. The municipality said that after the long research, they have confirmed that fur, which belonged to the extinct Anatolia leopard, was used as part of the uniforms.
There have been many other arguments about the panoramic paintings of the newly opened museum such as the colors used in the clothes of the time, the city walls and figures used in the city.
The election competition continues on Istanbul’s billboards. In a statement about Republican People’s Party, or CHP, mayoral candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s election posters and on the billboards showing a book about him, the municipality said: "Among all the billboards in Istanbul, Kılıçdaroğlu’s 1,000 election posters and 60 promotional posters of a book about him are unintentionally placed together in three billboard spots."
The statement said that in order to prevent possible misunderstandings, the company that operated the billboards changed the places of the posters. Another statement about the news that the Istanbul Bus Transportation Authority, or IETT, has canceled three lines said that lines 120, 129 and 129k had not been canceled. The statement reported that since the number of passengers decreased in those lines after the Metrobus system opened, the number of vehicles was reduced. It is also said that the current staircases would be removed from Metrobus stations and that elevators would be installed at all Metrobus stops.