Megaron (Jan 2009)
Suleymaniye: Possible Solutions for a New-Age Spirit - A Phenomenological Approach
Abstract
Along the rear of the Unkapanı Dry Goods Market and extending to the Bozdoğan Arches lies a residential and commercial area where shanty settlements form the ruined historical fabric. The area is too remote from the Süleymaniye Mosque to benefit from the steady tourism. Today, the promising social and architectural configuration of the area seems to be forever lost. Abject poverty in the region, whose residents are either unemployed or can barely support themselves, bears witness to the rapid downfall of the region’s historical texture. Renovation endeavors undertaken by the local government focus on changing the current social structure and revitalizing the history of the area. A group of architectural students have run pilot studies to address the questions of whether it is possible to help the current social structure adapt to the modern age and which criteria and concepts need to be considered when rebuilding the historical structure. Carrying the concepts of equality and universality to a common ground, feeling the “spirit of presence”, superpositioning different and specific identities, and creating discussion platforms of refined sensitivity comprise the core of this article.
