History of 8,500 years waits for a museum

The conservation process of the Yenikapı shipwrecks, discovered during the Marmaray project and considered the world's largest collection of ancient ships, has stopped due to the lack of a museum or a warehouse, says the head of the Yenikapı Shipwrecks Excavation and Conservation Project.

Stating that the Theodosius Harbor, which dates back to the 5th and 10th centuries B.C., and the 37 shipwrecks it contains, is the largest medieval ship collection in the world, Istanbul University's Professor Ufuk Kocabaş said that thousands of archaeological artifacts await a museum.

"Istanbul has great potential in terms of underwater archeology. The city has the world's largest repertoire of medieval sunken ships. This collection is not yet on display at a museum. But now the time has come. A museum where the artifacts from Yenikapı shipwrecks will be exhibited will attract millions of tourists to Istanbul and will bring this heritage to the fore," he said.

Reminding that in 2010, when Istanbul became the world capital, a project had been designated to establish a museum in the region where Yenikapı Marmaray and metro stations are located, Kocabaş said: " Kadir Topbaş, the mayor at that time, organized an international competition for the museum station project. Various projects were delivered in this competition, and as a result, a project was chosen to establish a museum in the area where Marmaray and metro stations are located in Yenikapı. After the completion of the process, tenders were expected to be held in 2015 for implementation. Unfortunately, a museum has not been established since then. I don't see any preparation at the moment, too. Tens of thousands of Istanbul residents travel every day in a historical texture."

Speaking to Demirören...