TRTurkish artist Melikşah Soytürk has completed a two-year restoration project to recreate and enlarge a 16th-century panoramic drawing of Istanbul originally made by Dutch artist Melchior Lorich. The original artwork, created during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, is currently housed at Leiden University Library in the Netherlands. Soytürk expanded the original 11.4-meter piece to nearly 19 meters, restoring damaged sections using scientific methods and a special ink technique named after his mentor, Cemal Akyıldız. His version includes 22 sections and highlights historical landmarks like the Süleymaniye Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Soytürk aims to present the completed work to Turkish authorities and hopes to display it internationally, including in New York and Istanbul. The restored panorama showcases 16th-century Istanbul's skyline and includes details of Ottoman-era urban life and diplomatic interactions.
Bias read (Center): The article focuses on a cultural restoration project involving a Turkish artist and does not engage with political issues, policies, or figures. There is no framing that suggests a political bias; the content remains neutral and descriptive of the artistic achievement.
