Reconstruction as a Tool for ‘Ideological Preservation’ in the Three Former Ottoman Capitals of Turkey

Heritage places represent the identities of communities, but they often become contested due to their meanings or associations with competing identities, making them targets for destruction during political and armed conflicts. Reconstruction is one way of dealing with the demolition of symbolic heritage places to enable collective healing after traumatic events. However, it can also be manipulated, prioritising national identities. Originally intended to prevent the deliberate demolition of heritage places, reconstruction as a preservation approach in Turkey has become an ideological tool, recreating an idealised Ottoman past in the service of neo-Ottomanist heritage policies. This paper aims to discuss the political uses and abuses of reconstruction in Turkey through three former Ottoman capitals: Istanbul, Bursa, and Edirne. By outlining the motives behind selected cases, the paper argues that reconstructions in multi-layered and multicultural heritage places select, emphasise, and recreate a particular past from a multitude of pasts in Turkey.