Snake statue of Galatasaray High School missing

ISTANBUL

The disappearance of one of the historical snake statues on the columns in the front gate of Galatasaray High School on the İstiklal Avenue of Istanbul has sparked controversy.

Şerif Yaşar, the president of the Art History Association, said that the statue which is more than than 150 years old, no longer exists in its place.

Stating that he started to research the subject when he got the information about the missing statue on social media, Yaşar said he contacted the administrators and security guards of Galatasaray High School.

The school administration told Yaşar that, according to the information they obtained from eyewitnesses, the statue was broken during works on March 8. It is unknown what happened to the broken pieces.

“I talked to some officials of Galatasaray High School. They said they spoke to several eyewitnesses there and got information that the employees of a company, who set up barriers to provide safety on March 8 Women’s Day, broke the statue while working. Unfortunately, no one knows what happened to the broken piece,” he said.

Yaşar stated that the statue should be found and put in its place as soon as possible and said, “Unfortunately, we noticed it after March 8. A friend from social media sent me a few photos and I also saw it myself while walking on the İstiklal Avenue. It really wasn’t there anymore. It was a very precious statue. Of course, we did research and I talked to the security guards of Galatasaray High School, and they said they couldn’t find out what was going on there because the security camera has a blind spot. The school is called 1868 Mekteb-i Sultani, but now we call it Galatasaray High School. When we investigate the history of the statue, we see that this statue had actually been there since the establishment of the high school. It is a statue that has lived more than 150 years, but unfortunately it no longer exists.”

Yaşar said that he learned that the school authorities even visited the antique shops in the vicinity in case the statue was stolen.

“They think it may have been sold to antique dealers. It is being investigated, we are waiting for the results of the research. Because it is very important to us,” Yaşar said.

Yaşar noted that the school administration will make a restoration project to restore the lost statue and a snake head sculpture will be put in its place.

Galatasaray High School has not yet made a statement about the subject, and it was reported that no application was made to the Beyoğlu District Police Department by the school administration.