Restoration of the Marble Sea Gates of Ciragan Palace in Istanbul
摘要
This paper addresses the restoration of the two seaside gates of Ciragan Palace, a significant historical landmark of Istanbul from the Ottoman period. Designed by Nikagos Balyan, Ciragan Palace was built between 1863 and 1871 during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. For more than 70 years, Ciragan Palace and its marble gates remained neglected until they were restored in 1986. A comprehensive conservation-restoration concept based on in-depth historical research, material analyses, damage and condition assessments, structural analyses, and mapping was developed for the Sea Gates in 2023 and was subsequently implemented in 2024 under the supervision of national and international experts. This paper provides an overview of the conservation and restoration process of the Sea Gates in practice, from planning and sampling to execution.