Istanbul’s historic Haydarpaşa station set for cultural rebirth

ISTANBUL

 Istanbul’s historic Haydarpaşa train station will rise as one of the city’s main cultural and social attractions while preserving its role as a transportation hub once its comprehensive restoration and transformation project is completed, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

According to a ministry statement, restoration work is continuing at the iconic waterfront station, which has stood for more than a century as one of Istanbul’s most recognizable landmarks and a key gateway connecting Anatolia to Europe through the historic Anatolia-Baghdad railway line.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the site, Ersoy described Haydarpaşa as more than a transport terminal, saying it has long been part of the collective memory of millions of people.

“Haydarpaşa is not only preserving its role as a transportation axis but is also being transformed into a center for culture, art and public life. Once completed, it will become one of Istanbul’s most important attractions,” he said.

Ersoy noted that the project is being carried out in two phases, with the first stage targeted for completion in time for the Istanbul culture festival, one of Türkiye’s largest international cultural and arts events.

The minister said extensive historical and architectural research had been conducted before restoration began, with the process overseen by a scientific advisory board. Original construction materials are also being reused wherever possible.

“Some stone quarries that had previously been closed were reopened so that original stones could be sourced again and used in the restoration,” he said.

Under the project, the main station building will continue to function as a railway terminal while also hosting exhibition and event spaces. A separate 6,000-square-meter structure next to the station will be converted into a library complex designed for visitors of all age groups.

The redevelopment plan also includes digital museum spaces, a 15,000-square-meter archaeological park and what officials describe as the first archaeology museum on Istanbul’s Asian side.

Ersoy said the archaeology museum and archaeological park would be integrated into a single visitor experience, calling the concept rare even by international standards.

The site will also feature a planned “Museum of Four Seas,” curated by Italian architect and Venice Biennale curator Luca Molinari.

Highlighting the lack of large-scale cultural venues on Istanbul’s Asian side, Ersoy said the Haydarpaşa complex would serve a role similar to that of the Atatürk Cultural Center on the European side of the city.

The broader redevelopment includes a new 10,000-square-meter archaeology museum, a 20,000-person event area and landscaping across approximately 150,000 square meters. Authorities also plan to reopen the Haydarpaşa shoreline for public use.

Ersoy said the project was designed to preserve and strengthen Haydarpaşa’s transportation connections through rail, road and sea links while creating what he described as a new “urban oasis” for residents of Istanbul’s Asian side.