Hatay to become a museum city, says minister

ISTANBUL

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has stated that they are putting in great effort to transform the eastern province of Hatay, which was severely damaged during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes last year, into a museum city.

“As per our agreement with the Environment and Urbanization Ministry in Hatay, we are in charge of a 307-hectare area. We perform scanning, drilling and excavations there,” Ersoy said in an interview with private broadcaster Habertürk on Aug. 8.

Noting that they carried out a similar project in the Side district of the southern city of Antalya, one of the major holiday destinations of the country, Ersoy said that the district now serves as a hotspot for cultural tourism and has increased in value.

“We are putting all of our efforts into doing similar work across this area of 307 hectares [in Hatay],” he pointed out.

Emphasizing that Hatay sustained the most extensive damage to its cultural assets as a result of last year’s twin earthquakes, the minister said that they have completed ground improvement work at a museum that was severely damaged in the city. He added that while some parts will be demolished, others will be reinforced in a controlled manner.

Almost all of the historical buildings in the provinces affected by the tragic earthquakes sustained severe damage, he stated, noting that significant projects are underway in these cities to restore these culturally and historically important buildings.

The twin earthquakes affected 11 southern provinces of the country, resulting in a death toll of nearly 50,000 and causing extensive damage to many buildings in the affected region.