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Turkish officials draw ire for ordering ‘reburial’ of Ottoman town found on Istanbul’s Asian side
Turkish officials draw ire for ordering ‘reburial’ of Ottoman town found on Istanbul’s Asian side
Municipality workers have discovered the remains of an Ottoman town on the Asian side of Istanbul after digging the ground only one foot deep for a new drainage system. But officials have stirred public outcry by ordering the reburial of the ancient town. Click through for the story in photos by Ömer Erbil...
Works to improve the drainage system had started after the area near the main square of the Üsküdar district was repeatedly flooded during torrential rains earlier this year.
When Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) workers recently started to work on the asphalt road and dug only one foot to replace the pipes, they discovered buried walls and foundations.
Five archaeologists from the Istanbul Archaeology Museum have confirmed to daily Hürriyet that the remains belonged to Ottoman-era houses and shops.
İSKİ requested an expert opinion from the 6th Board to Protect Cultural Heritage in Istanbul, which eventually replied that there was no need to protect the Ottoman ruins.
The board’s reply allows İSKİ to remove the Ottoman ruins and continue archaeological digging at the same site into deeper layers.
Üsküdar residents, however, reacted angrily and launched a campaign on social media this week to protect the Ottoman ruins where they were found.
İSKİ officials, on the other hand, defend that the improvement of the drainage which will protect the area from more floods cannot be completed without the removal of the newly-discovered ruins.
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