Galata Tower under restoration
ISTANBUL
Istanbul’s iconinc Galata Tower has been undergoing a restoration process since Nov 1. Only the observation terrace of the structure has been closed to visitors.
Galata Tower, one of the landmark buildings of Istanbul, was built in 1349. As part of the works in the 674-year-old tower, in which the migration period of birds has also been taken into consideration, no scaffolding was installed on the exterior of the tower in order not to affect both tradesmen around and the visitors.
Nevhiz Deniz Koyukan, architect and restoration specialist of the Istanbul Surveying and Monuments Directorate, explained the details of the work that will replace the lead coatings on the cone and exterior of the tower.
Koyukan emphasized that they plan to open the observation terrace to visitors in a month if weather conditions do not affect the work. It is expected that the work on the tower will be completed by the end of April, again taking into account the migration period of the birds.
“Since the stay of migratory birds here is between the end of April and the end of October, we started work on Nov. 1. After closing the eighth floor, work began to install scaffolding on the cone of the tower. First of all, we started lead manufacturing and dismantling works. In the meantime, we inspected studies on the facade walls, and it still continues. Deteriorations on the exterior façade, stones, bricks and joints were also detected."
"We will intervene in them in collaboration with the laboratories. Accordingly, we will undertake a systematic intervention study. Leads continue to be removed and sent to the smelter. The lead of the entire cone will be melted and it will be covered with 3-millimeter rolls with its own lead again,” she added.
Koyukan said that they would remove the copper dome in four pieces, adding: “It will be preserved in a specially prepared place at a certain temperature. And it will be covered with gold leaf. After this is finished, we will place the dome."
"It will not take a long time. It will be completed within a month, with the most lead. After that, we will work on the exterior of the tower. The dome is said to weigh 270 kilos in various documents. It is in four pieces,” she said.
Work set to be finished by the end of April
Noting that they don't have much to do inside the tower, Koyukan said: “We will do painting, maintenance and repair. We will carry out works on the exterior that could not be done in previous restorations due to birds. We will also have local interventions regarding broken stones on the facade. We will do these works without scaffolding. We have several large cranes. We plan to continue these works without preventing surrounding people and commercial enterprises. We will try to make it ready for the next bird migration season. We have time, but we plan to finish the work completely by the end of April.”
Stating that the Galata Tower was also controlled against the risk of earthquakes, Koyukan said, "We are currently carrying out various tests, the results have not come yet, but observationally, there was no risk in the reinforced concrete made in the 1960s. There is no cracking or corrosion. We have not noticed any risky situation at the moment.”
