İstanbul’s historical gem: Beyoğlu culture route raises awareness of city heritage

The Purpose
The Beyoğlu Culture Route, developed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is a major project that aims to highlight and share Türkiye’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage with future generations. The route is approximately four kilometres long and extends from Galataport İstanbul to Taksim Square in the centre of İstanbul. It includes many of Türkiye’s best-known cultural attractions such as Galata Tower, Galata Mevlevihanesi Museum, Tarık Zafer Tunaya Culture Center, Garibaldi Scene, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Memorial House, İstanbul Cinema Museum, Beyoglu Refia Övüç Maturation Institute, and Taksim Mosque Culture and Arts Centre. In developing the project, the Ministry held extensive public meetings and consultations with the institutions and small businesses that are part of it.

This heritage initiative sits within a broader effort to celebrate Istanbul’s cultural identity on a city-wide scale. The İstanbul Kültür Yolu Festivali (Istanbul Culture Road Festival) was launched in 2021 with the aim of making art accessible to everyone in public spaces, while strengthening Istanbul’s position within the international arts community. Starting in Istanbul, the festival has since expanded to 20 cities across Türkiye and is held annually in Autumn. It brings together music, opera, theatre, exhibitions, gastronomy, and more, complementing the on-foot heritage experience of the Beyoğlu route with a city-wide programme of cultural events.

The Challenge
Challenges included the preservation of historical texture while implementing restoration and renovations, coordinating a wide range of events and festivals, and expanding awareness of Beyoğlu among the local population.

Although developed partly for international tourists, one of the key objectives is to expand awareness of Beyoğlu among people living in İstanbul and also to make connections across Türkiye’s historic and tourist cities.

The Solution
The route enables the local community as well as visitors to experience the cultural heritage of İstanbul on foot. It makes use of buildings, streets, and architecture, preserving the historical texture with several restorations and renovations. It brings together and makes visible a huge amount of intangible cultural heritage such as literature, theatre, song, opera, gastronomy, education and visual arts. Now that it is established, a wide range of events and festivals associated with the route, including digital ones, are being organized to reach different communities.

The Impact
The Beyoğlu Culture Route has boosted the city’s tourism potential, improving the diversity and infrastructure of the cultural sector and increasing its quality. However, although developed partly for international tourists, one of the key objectives of the initiative is to expand awareness of Beyoğlu among people living in İstanbul and also to make connections across Türkiye’s historic and tourist cities. By protecting the cultural and artistic contents of İstanbul, this is a pioneering project that will contribute towards Türkiye’s cities’ mutual development and cultural celebrations.

Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022

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