Safranbolu’s facade to change with restorations

KARABÜK - Anatolia News Agency

Almost half of the buildings have already been restored and Safranbolu has been able to attract a rising number of tourists with its restorations. AA photo

A total of 1,300 artifacts are set to be restored in the Anatolian town of Safranbolu, including mosques, houses, fountains and mansions. While Turkey has a total of 50,000 registered buildings, around 250 of them are in Safranbolu.

The mansions of Safranbolu were built in the 18th and 20th centuries, without adhering to any architectural plans.

Forty percent of the buildings have already been restored, and Safranbolu has been able to attract a rising number of tourists with its restorations.

Water has long been a defining characteristic of Safranbolu, with small pools and fountains in residential gardens adorning much of the Ottoman-era district. A total of 20 fountains were therefore restored according to their original design. Speaking to Anatolia News Agency, Karabük mayor İzzettin Küçük said the aim was to pass historical heritage onto future generations.

Every part of the city will be restored according to its original historical appearance, said Küçük, adding that the finance for the restorations was all ready. “We have received a lot of support from different associations. The development ministry has also allocated 1.5 million Turkish Liras,” he said.

City fountains

Noting that only 20 fountains had been restored so far, despite there having earlier been a total of 150 fountains in the town, Küçük stressed that more fountains were being restored with the new projects.

Most of the town’s fountains were built by Sultan Selim III’s grand vizier, İzzet Mehmet Paşa, at the end of the 18th century. Fountains in the İncekaya village, which is 7.5 kilometers away from Safranbolu, and others have already been restored with the support of locals and state officials. There are 50,000 buildings registered as protected artifacts in Turkey, and 250 of them are in Safranbolu, Küçük said, adding that the restorations were being conducted by a professional team.

The local mosques are also undergoing restoration. The mosques in the region belong to associations and their restoration projects are being conducted by those associations. The restorations of the Kavaklar and Asiye Hatun mosques are being conducted with particular care, and the largest of the 32 mosques in the district has already been restored.

The Asiye Hatun Mosque was built in 1939, while the Kavaklar Mosque was constructed in 1945.

The team that is undertaking the restoration is trying to restore the mosques in line with their originals.