SCOTLAND is to export some of its heritage expertise to two ancient Turkish cities whose historic buildings are at risk of being ravaged by conflict.
The team of monument experts from Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) will use their conservation prowess built up over decades to document at risk buildings in south-east Turkey over the next three years.
Both cities date back to Roman and Byzantine times and are dominated by stone-built architectural masterpieces – not unlike those found in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
Rescuers at the site after an explosion in Diyarbakir
Perched on a rocky hill is Mardin. It is crowned by a citadel and includes Syriac buildings brimming with Muslim heritage and Armenian churches.
The other, Diyarbakir, has been on the World Heritage list since 2015 and lies in the area of Sur, which is bustling with ancient mosques, churches, inns, madrasas and bazaars.
In 2015 large parts of Sur were damaged in a three-month clash between the Turkish army and Kurdish militants.
Diyarbakir is considered the unofficial capital of the Kurdish area of Turkey and has been centre of recent conflict between Kurds and the Turkish army and police.
In November 2015, Tahir Elci, a prominent lawyer, spoke at the foot of a 500-year-old monument in Diyarbakir that had been damaged by armed clashes, and made a plea for the protection of the city’s unique cultural heritage.
George Clooney was in The Monuments Men saving treasures
During the speech he was assassinated – shot as he spoke at the Four Legged Minaret of the Sheikh Mata Mosque.
Professor Eva Sarlak, of the Turkish cultural body, the Külturel Mirasi Koruma Dernegi (KMKD) said the cities are home to a “diverse cultural heritage that has suffered as a result of recent conflict and political uncertainty”.
“Many historic buildings and neighbourhoods, much loved by the local community, are in a very poor state of repair, and risk being lost,” she said.
“This project is a first for Turkey.”
Hollywood film The Monuments Men depicted rescues of art treasures during wartime but in this real initiative, backed by a £1.2million pot from the British Council’s new Cultural Protection Fund, the Edinburgh team will work to inform local stonemasons and architects about preservation techniques while creating a comprehensive Building at Risk Register.
Adam Wilkinson, director of EWH, said the project was not about imposing Western methods on Turks, but sharing ideas and collaborating with local groups on the best methods to aid the two cities’ heritage. He said he hoped it would the beginning of a long relationship between the Turkish cities and Edinburgh.
Mr Wilkinson added: “Helping to protect cultural heritage at risk is important not only in Edinburgh, but also in the world’s conflict zones.
“In both Mardin and Diyarbakir, the historic buildings and archaeology are a daily reminder of the richness and diversity of the region’s culture, and must be preserved for current and future generations.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here