The Atatürk Cultural Center ( ), commonly called the AKM, is a concert hall, theatre and cultural centre running along the eastern side of

Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...

in Beyoğlu,

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

. In 2021, it reopened to the public as a state-of-the-art cultural complex after a 13-year reconstruction period.

History

Two Turkish architects, Feridun Kip and Rüknettin Güney, proposed the building of the center on May 29, 1946, and work started on it before funding was halted in 1953. In 1956, construction resumed under architect Hayati Tabanlıoğlu. The building, originally called the Istanbul Culture Palace, was completed in 13 years and opened on April 12, 1969, twenty-three years after the initial proposal. On November 27, 1970, fire broke out during a performance of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's play ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

'' (''Cadı Kazanı'', "The Witch's Cauldron", in Turkish). Although there was no loss of life, some items brought from

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the complet ...

for the play of

Sultan Murad IV Murad IV ( ota, مراد رابع, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; tr, IV. Murad, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Cons ...

caftan A kaftan or caftan (; fa, خفتان, ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's ...

belonging to the Sultan, a painting of him, and a historic

Koran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

) were destroyed in the fire, the source of which was never identified. By June 2008, the Cultural Center was closed for renovations. The Board for the Protection of Cultural Property decided on 31 December 2009 that it should be renovated on the original site and on 9 April 2012, a tender was held for the renovation contract. The re-opening was planned for 29 October 2013,

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...

with an estimated budget of 70 million (approx. US$39 million). However, in May 2013 the project was halted. Reports suggested that the AKM was to be demolished as part of redevelopment plans for

and

Gezi Park Taksim Gezi Park is an urban park next to Taksim Square, in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district (historically known as Pera.) It is one of the last green spaces in Beyoğlu and one of the smallest parks of Istanbul. In May 2013, plans to replace the ...

and was to be replaced with a new opera house and a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

.''Plans for Gezi Park''
BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2013 During the

Gezi Park protests A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-in at the park prote ...

, which began on 28 May 2013, many protesters climbed onto the roof of the AKM during the night. The roof was evacuated and the police occupied the empty building and turned it into a logistics center. By February 2015, it was clear that the building, which had been empty for seven years, had been plundered; its technical installations,

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

and audio equipment as well as many other objects were sold at second hand markets or junk shops, even though the building was supposedly under police protection.

Gallery

File:A_Model_of_Atatürk_Kültür_Merkezi_(12966550065).jpg File:Atatürk_Kültür_Merkezi_Construction,_İstanbul_(12966970424).jpg File:Atatürk_Kültür_Merkezi_Construction,_İstanbul_(12966691423).jpg File:Taksim,_İstanbul_(12966441195).jpg File:Taksim,_İstanbul_(12966582183).jpg File:Atatürk_Kültür_Merkezi,_İstanbul_(12964525324).jpg

The Old Complex

Atatürk Kültür Merkezi, Side Foyer, İstanbul (12965327503)

The original AKM was covered and had a floor plan area of with a usable area of . The complex was made up of the Grand Stage, a hall with a 1,317 seat capacity hosting the

Turkish State Theatres The Turkish State Theatres ( tr, Devlet Tiyatroları - DT) is the official directorate of the national theatre companies in Turkey. It is bound to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and financed by the state to promote performed arts and enhance t ...

and performances of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet; and the Concert Hall, with a 502 seating capacity for concerts, meetings and conferences. There was also an exhibition hall of in the lobby. There was also a Chamber Theatre with 296 seats, the

Aziz Nesin Aziz Nesin (; born Mehmet Nusret, 20 December 1915 – 6 July 1995) was a Turkish writer, humorist and the author of more than 100 books. Born in a time when Turks did not have official surnames, he had to adopt one after the Surname Law of ...

Stage with 190 seats and a cinema hall with 206 seats. Until 2008, the center was home to the *Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and Choir (''İstanbul Devlet Senfoni Orkestrası ve Korosu''), *Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble (''İstanbul Devlet Modern Halk Müziği Topluluğu'') and *Istanbul State Classical Turkish Music Choir (''İstanbul Devlet Klasik Türk Müziği Korosu''). Over the summer, the AKM hosted the Istanbul Arts and Culture Festival.

The New Building

After it had been empty for ten years, demolition work ready for the construction of a new building to replace the original AKM began on 13 February 2018. The work was completed on 30 May 2018. On 10 February 2019, construction of the new complex began with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The new Cultural Center is made up of five sections having a total area of . It features a theatre, cinema and concert halls, an exhibition center, a convention hall, a library, a museum, an art gallery, cafés and restaurants. The architect wa
Murat Tabanlıoğlu
the son of Hayati Tabanlıoğlu, who had designed the original AKM. Construction cost 850 million (approx. US$162 million).

References

External links

Official siteMyMerhaba Istanbul European Choir website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ataturk Cultural Center Buildings and structures completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Turkey Music venues in Istanbul Concert halls in Istanbul Opera houses in Turkey Beyoğlu 1970 fires in Europe Burned buildings and structures in Turkey Demolished buildings and structures in Istanbul Buildings and structures demolished in 2018 Demolished theatres