1,200-year-old Eirene Tower in Fatih transformed into art gallery

ISTANBUL

The 1,200-year-old Eirene Tower in Istanbul has been transformed from a weaving atelier into an art gallery, where marbling, miniature and calligraphy arts are made.

Located in the historical Eminönü neighborhood in the Fatih district and built during the Middle Byzantine Period, Eirene Tower was once used as a weaving atelier.

The 1,200-year-old tower was transformed into an art gallery after a maintenance process in accordance with its historical texture. The stairs in the tower were also renewed in line with the original.

The interior of the art gallery gained an aesthetic appearance thanks to special lighting. In the art gallery, six artists create their works in many different fields, from marbling to calligraphy.

Thirty local and foreign artists’ works will meet art lovers with special exhibitions at different periods of the year. Local and foreign tourists can visit the art gallery free of charge.

Kubilay Günel, the manager of the Eirene Art Gallery, stated that they aim to collect traditional and modern arts under one roof.

“We work on painting, illumination, marbling, miniature and calligraphy in the art gallery. We currently have an exhibition comprising works belonging to various art disciplines. We organized special exhibitions on calligraphy and Kufic art last summer,” he explained.

Reminding that the historical tower was used as a dungeon, watchtower and church in the past, Günel noted that Eirene served as a treasury room during the reign of the Ottoman Empire.

“Our main vision is to combine the historical texture with traditional Turkish arts,” Günel expressed.

Karabey Tecer, one of the founders of the art gallery who has been working as a tradesman for 60 years in the Sağır Inn, where the tower is located, pointed out that people of Istanbul, even the tradesmen at the inn, were not aware of the tower.

“We have to preserve history. A quite beautiful historical artifact has been revealed. Citizens are pleasant with the discovery,” Tecer stated.