Historic bank’s vault to be demolished due to security concerns

Salim Uzun - ANTALYA

Once the extraordinary measures against a robbery attempt had been revealed during the restoration of the Turkish Central Bank’s branch in the southern province of Antalya, the head office has requested to demolish the vault as it could pose a risk to other branches.

During the restoration of the building in Antalya’s Muratpaşa district, which was built in 1963, the details noticed in the vault revealed that exceptional measures such as reinforced walls and a fake safe entrance were taken.

Right after the photos from the restoration phase were made public, Turkish Central Bank’s head office demanded that the safe doors and the items inside be dismantled and the security corridors surrounding the safe be closed by building a wall as the information that could be obtained from the historical building could pose a risk to other branches.

While it is claimed that the decision to destroy the historical doors has stirred a debate between the institutions, the destruction work has not yet been started in the building.

The building, whose restoration cost was covered by the governor’s office of Antalya, was planned to be opened to visitors for exhibition purposes.

The walls, which are almost impossible to break or carve, were built very well considering the conditions of the day, according to Cemil Karabayram, the head of the Department of Cultural Properties of the governor’s office, said earlier.

“Even the possibility of detonating with dynamite was considered,” Karabayram said earlier, adding that a labyrinth was created around the safe.

Even if the robbers manage to break through the first wall, they face a second wall, then another gap and a new one, Karabayram said.

“The large door at the entrance of the vault was specially designed in England in accordance with the architecture of the building,” he said, adding that the perimeter of the safe room is kept particularly narrow so that those who try to open the safe door or drill into the wall cannot use any tools.