Media drone targeted amid attempt to document damage of Istanbul’s heritage
ISTANBUL
A media drone flown by Demirören News Agency has been targeted with a shotgun in an attempt to capture images of the damage inflicted on Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman heritage by unlicensed structures.
The drone had been surveying the historic area in Istanbul’s Eminönü neighborhood to document the damage triggered by the building and expansion of shanty houses.
One of the locals, who had been expanding their hut, had targeted the drone with a shotgun but missed it.
According to the news agency, the group had screwed iron bars into the historic Byzantine walls and poured concrete on the roof of Sağır Han, an Ottoman inn built in the 17th century.
During the assault, the group was reportedly trying to repair an illegal structure adjacent to the 1,500-year-old Eirene Tower, which is the city’s only Byzantine tower that still stands.
