440-year-old powder mill to be restored by Istanbul Municipality

ISTANBUL

A historic powder mill in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood will be restored by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on July 1.

The building, built in 1578 by the Ottomans, will start serving as an office when the restoration is completed in 2019, according to the report.

Municipality workers have encircled the building with steel barriers and have demolished some concrete structures around it.

It was shut down because of a fatal blaze in 1792.

Sultan Mahmud II, who remained on the throne between 1785 and 1839, had ordered the reopening of the powder mill. Then it started serving as a cartridge factory for the Ottoman navy.

However, the building went out of use after being badly damaged in the 1894 Istanbul earthquake which had an estimated magnitude of 7.0.

The original stone walls appeared after scraping off the cement rendering.

Some parts of the building which were buried under the ground have been unearthed.

Municipality experts have also been planning an anti-earthquake reinforcement for the building.

The domes of the historic building will be fortified under the guidance of the experts from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Scientific Council.