Landmark of resort city to return to its original state after restoration

ANTALYA - Anadolu Agency

A historical clock tower in Antalya, one of the landmarks of the touristic Mediterranean province, will return to its original state after undergoing restoration.

The 14-meter-high clock tower, located in the province’s world-famous historical oldtown, carries the traces of the Roman, Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican eras.

The pentagonal tower, which was built in the Byzantine period in the 9th century, was converted into a clock tower after new historical stones in the shape of squares were added to it in the beginning of the 1900’s.

Later, crenel-like castellations were installed in place of the tower’s dome, which was damaged in a storm in the 1940s.

Antalya Foundations Regional Directorate, which started working to bring the tower to its original form, took action to start the excavation works by documenting, with old photographs, a dome was located on the tower.

The head of the regional directorate, Hüseyin Coşar, said that the historical clock tower is one of the important symbols of the city.

Noting that they the tower belonged to the directorate, Coşar stressed that they prepared a project within the scope of restoration works to make the tower unique.

The restoration process is expected to be completed within one and a half years.