The Clock Tower, one of the symbols of Antalya, which bears the traces of the Roman, Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican periods, was placed a clock prepared in accordance with the original.
The restoration work carried out by expert teams since 2021 at the Clock Tower in the Kalekapısı area, the entrance to Antalya’s historic Kaleiçi, has been completed.
The original clock mechanism and dials of the work, which was built in the 9th century AD during the Byzantine Empire and converted into a clock tower during the reign of Abdülhamid II, were placed in the tower with the help of a crane.
Cemil Karabayram, a conservation and restoration expert from the Antalya Governorship Cultural Assets Unit, told reporters, “The works were carried out in 3 stages. In the first stage, project works, in the second stage, the dome part and restoration works were carried out.
The third stage was one of the most important stages. Work on the placement of the clock dial was carried out. Our third stage work was finalized this year. The clock mechanism was moved upstairs and the dials started to be placed one by one. I hope it will be beneficial for our Antalya. The clock tower of our city will continue to live and be kept alive in the future of our Antalya with all its time and with its most beautiful stance.”
Historic clock stolen in 1985
Regarding the allegations that the clock in the tower was stolen or lost, Karabayram said, “This clock disappeared in 1985, but today, a twin of that clock, a clock dial and mechanism made with the same character, the same original material was brought and placed here. Recep Gürgen, the master of this work, took part here from the beginning to the end as a craftsman himself. A total of 3 million 600 thousand liras was spent in our project.”
Stating that the clock tower was built in line with the supervision of the technical staff of the Antalya Regional Directorate of Foundations, Karabayram said, “Civil engineers, architects and technical staff of the Regional Directorate of Foundations took part in all stages from the basic layer to the top layer, restoration and statics.”
Source: NTV