Where places of worship have no congregation: heritage restoration in Turkey as public diplomacy

<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Heritage restoration focused on sites of belonging to minorities have become fundamental tools in Turkey’s strategy to enhance its global stature. This paper explores heritage initiatives within the context of public diplomacy, using strategic narratives as a framework for analysis. By conducting a critical discourse analysis of official statements and political speeches, the study examines how Turkey constructs its strategic identity narrative concerning minorities and the ways in which heritage restoration are integral part of its public diplomacy efforts. We argue that by reviving its imperial multicultural heritage, Turkey seeks to project an image of tolerance and inclusivity, reinforcing its identity as a diverse and historically pluralistic nation, to enhance its international status. Simultaneously, this narrative serves domestic purposes, by advancing a vision of promoting a vision of&nbsp;</span><i style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;">pax Ottomana -a romanticized portrayal</i><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;">&nbsp;of harmonious coexistence under Ottoman rule- thereby fostering national unity and legitimacy. Ultimately, this paper contends that while heritage restoration operates as a strategic instrument of soft power, it does not necessarily translate into improved minority relations. Instead, these projects can reinforce existing power asymmetries, using cultural restoration as a symbolic gesture rather than a means of addressing deeper social and political inequalities.</span>