OLD MANSIONS IN ADANA BEING RESTORED
Mehmet ÞahÝn Adana
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 8 2007
The houses in the ancient Tepebað neighborhood, among the few that
have survived the 4,000-year-old history of the southern Turkish city
of Adana, are being restored and repaired one after another.
The newest link in the chain is the Bosnian Salih Efendi Mansion,
restored with the permission of the Cultural and Natural Assets
Protection Board by the Halil Avcý Group, which carried out the
project, remaining faithful to the original architecture of the
building. The mansion, built by Bosnian Salih Efendi one of the men
behind one of the largest enterprises ever launched in Adana, BOSSA,
will serve the city’s tourism industry as a boutique hotel.
In an attempt to demonstrate that cultural assets can be revived and
maintained with use, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism chose Tepebað
in 1993 as a pilot region in Adana’s protected area. The buildings
that have been restored so far by this project carried out by the
Protection Board are the old Governor’s Office, the old Adana Court
House, Ataturk Culture and Science Museum (Suphi Pasha Mansion),
Dr. Eþref Akman Mansion — currently used by the Protection Board,
and the historical Girls’ High School that nearly collapsed during
the 1998 earthquake.
Adana Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman Þaban Baþ bought a derelict
historical mansion, restored it and opened for public use. Baþ also
bought a second mansion opposite the old governor’s building on behalf
of ATO. In the meantime the Turkish Chemists Union bought and restored
the Mustafa Gulek Mansion; the Turkish Association of Travel Agencies
(TURSAB) and Seyhan Culture Association each bought and restored a
mansion in the same area. The Fifth Regional Directorate of Public
Highways repaired the foundations of a 3,500-year-old Taþkopru Bridge,
the restoration work was done with stones chosen to harmonize with its
original appearance. The Regional Charitable Foundations Directorate
restored the Grand Mosque, the Yað Mosque and the New Mosque, all of
which had been damaged in the earthquake of 1998.
The Protection Board is planning to turn the Mansion of Sheikh Cemil
Nardalý, who heroically resisted the French and Armenian occupation
forces, into a museum. The former building of the Riot Police will also
be restored according to its original plan. All of these buildings
on the banks of the Seyhan River are taking on a very charming look,
thanks in large part to the recreational projects carried out by the
Adana Metropolitan Municipality.
Director of the Protection Board Ýsmail Salman said that the buildings
in Tepebað were totally disregarded up until seven or eight years
ago by businessmen; he stressed that with each restoration effort
the area as well as the buildings became more and more valuable.
Adana has accumulated a considerable potential for cultural tourism
with the revitalization of this protected area and its buildings,
Salman noted, adding that Tepebað is now becoming a place combining
the old and the modern, the past and the future, with its nearly 300
attractive historical buildings.
Salman further noted that the buildings in the Tepebað and Sullar
Neighborhoods used to be called "Leb-i derya," (the Lip of the
Ocean) since they overlooked the Seyhan River, and recalled that
the restoration works were exempt from taxation. He also said that
Bosnian Salih Efendi Mansion with its 11 chambers and dining hall
for 70 people would be used as a boutique hotel, adding: "Those who
want to see Adana’s internal architecture and eat its traditional
food will stay here. Tourism investments are long-term projects;
they start making profit in the long run."
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Bosnia n Salih Efendi Mansion
Bosnian Salih Efendi was one of the most prominent businessmen of
Adana. Even Hacý Omer Sabancý, the father of the late founder of the
Sabanci Holdings, one of the most powerful businessmen in Turkey,
worked for him for a while. Later, in 1951 they co-founded Bossa
in Adana; the "Bos" of Bosnian and the "Sa" of Sabancý. As his name
implies, Salih Efendi’s ancestors came from Bosnia.
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