Historic Hatay parliament building reopens as state theater

HATAY

The Turkish State Theaters (DT) has opened its Hatay stage in the restored parliament building of the former Hatay State, reviving one of the city’s most symbolic landmarks after it was destroyed in the devastating Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes.

The historic assembly building and the adjacent Adalı Mansion, both reconstructed in accordance with their original architecture, were allocated to the State Theaters Directorate General to support the city’s cultural and artistic life.

The opening ceremony began with the signing of a protocol on stage safety and maintenance by Hatay Governor Mustafa Masatlı, State Theaters Director General Tamer Karadağlı and Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Öntürk.

Speaking at the ceremony, Karadağlı said the reopening represented more than the launch of a theater stage. “We are witnessing Hatay rising again with its memory, culture and resilience. Art rebuilds not only the buildings of a city after difficult times, but also its spirit,” he said.

Karadağlı described Hatay as a unique city where different beliefs, languages and cultures have coexisted for centuries.

“To raise the curtain of the State Theaters in such a deeply rooted city carries profound meaning and great responsibility for us,” he said, recalling Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s famous words: “Hatay is my personal matter.

He added that the historic parliament building symbolized not only architecture, but also “the memory, will and hope of a nation.”

Governor Masatlı said the building had witnessed pivotal moments in Hatay’s history and called it one of the city’s most important symbols.

“Just as we lost lives and property in the Feb. 6 disaster, this building was also destroyed and rendered unusable. Today, we have rebuilt it, and it will now serve art,” he said.

Masatlı noted that the restoration project involved carefully preserving and reinstalling stones from the original structure in cooperation with the Doğuş Group.

Following the speeches, the play “Bu Da Geçer Ya Hu,” written by Uğur Saatçi and directed by İsmet Numanoğlu, was staged as the first production performed at the new Hatay State Theater venue.

Designed by French architect Leon Benju in 1927, the building served as the parliament of the Hatay State from 1938 until Hatay joined Türkiye on June 29, 1939.

After being used for various commercial purposes for decades, it was expropriated and restored by the Hatay Governor’s Office in 2021 as the Assembly Culture and Arts Center before collapsing in the 2023 earthquakes.