Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given Istanbul a controversial makeover
His vision for a “New Turkey” is reflected in his transformation of the country’s biggest city
THE ATATURK Cultural Centre (AKM), initially known as the Palace of Culture, was the talk of the town when it opened in 1969. Seated on the edge of Taksim Square, in the heart of Istanbul’s entertainment district, the building was considered a shrine to modernity and to the man after whom it was later named, Kemal Ataturk. But in late 1970 the AKM partially burned down. After years of neglect, it was demolished on the orders of Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Many feared the worst when Mr Erdogan vowed to build a “baroque” opera house in its place.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Building his case”
Culture November 5th 2022
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given Istanbul a controversial makeover
- Josephine Tey’s crime capers probed the dark side of human nature
- The life and times of George Balanchine
- A documentary follows Bobi Wine on the campaign trail in 2017-21
- Two new biographies explore the rise and reign of Janet Yellen
- An argument is being waged over research on children’s language
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