Taksim Military Barracks

Taksim Military Barracks Halil Pasha Artillery Barracks
Taksim Kışlası Halil Paşa Topçu Kışlası
Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey
Taksim Military Barracks
Taksim Military Barracks Halil Pasha Artillery Barracks
Coordinates	41.038°N 28.987°E / 41.038; 28.987
Site history
Built	1806; 218 years ago (1806)
Built by	Sultan Selim III
In use	until 1909
Demolished	1940; 84 years ago (1940)
Events	31 March Incident

The Taksim Military Barracks or Halil Pasha Artillery Barracks (Turkish: Taksim Kışlası or Halil Paşa Topçu Kışlası) were located at the site of the present-day Taksim Gezi Park next to Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey.[1] It was built in 1806.[2][3]

During the 31 March Incident in 1909, the Barracks building suffered considerable damage, and waited to be repaired.[4] Its internal courtyard was later transformed into the Taksim Stadium in 1921, and became the first football stadium in Turkey, used by all major football clubs in the city, including Beşiktaş J.K., Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe S.K. The stadium was closed in 1939, and demolished in 1940, during the construction and renovation works of Taksim Square and Taksim Gezi Park in accordance with the plans of French architect and city planner Henri Prost.[4]

Reconstruction

On 16 September 2011, the assembly of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality decided to rebuild the structure;[5] despite the area falling within the purview of green space protection ordinances. Development interests were regarded by many of exploiting statutes protecting historic structures in order to trump green space protection. The proposed rebuilt barracks were intended to be a shopping center incorporating cultural centres, an opera house and a mosque[6] and containing no surviving portion of the barracks that existed on the site.

The reconstruction of the barracks was met by protests in Istanbul; after police brutality against initial protestors, this evolved into the nationwide 2013–14 protests in Turkey, also known as the Gezi Park protests.

References

1. "Yok olan Taksim Meydanı - Topçu Kışlası yeniden inşa ediliyor!" (in Turkish). wow Turkey. 2003-01-23. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
2. The Mixed-Up Files of Taksim Square Architecture. The New Republic. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-06-10
3. Gezi Park: A Big History For a Small Space. The Guide Istanbul. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-06-10
4. "Taksim Gezi Parkı'nın Tarihçesi". Aktif Haber (in Turkish). 2013-06-01. Archived from the original on 2013-07-11. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
5. "Belediye Taksim Meydanı için kararını verdi". Radikal (in Turkish). 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
6. "Turkey clashes: Why are Gezi Park and Taksim Square so important?". BBC News. 7 June 2013.

External links

• Hayal-et Project represents Taksim Military Barracks Archived 2016-04-07 at the Wayback Machine