Historic Clock Tower reinstalled in its place

Restoration work has concluded on the structure, which is one of Antalya's most important symbols, dating back to the Hellenistic period and located on the bastions; its tower section was built during the Byzantine period, and it was constructed as a Clock Tower in the early 1900s during the reign of Abdul Hamid II.

RESTORATION WORK COMPLETED

During the work, after it was discovered that the clocks in the tower were plastic rather than original, the Antalya Governorship launched an investigation to find the original clocks. While it was assessed that the original clocks might have disappeared in 1985, it was determined that the clocks installed in their place at that time were also plastic. Following a field search, a twin of the lost clock mechanism for the Clock Tower was found with a collector in Istanbul. After contact was established, the mechanism was acquired from the collector through a sponsorship method. The repair of the clock was carried out by Recep Gürgen, known as the 'Clock Doctor'.

The clock's mechanism and the 4 dials that will be located on the four facades of the tower were lifted with the help of a crane today and mounted in their places. It was reported that the clock will be fully operational in the coming days and an opening ceremony will be held.

"AN OPENING WILL BE PLANNED IN THE COMING DAYS"

Cemil Karabayram, Antalya Governorship Cultural Assets Unit Manager and Conservation and Restoration Specialist, stated that feverish restoration work has been carried out at the Clock Tower for approximately 3 years. Explaining that the work was carried out in 3 stages, including project work, restoration, and the installation of the clock dial, Karabayram said, “In this context, our work in the third stage, which started in 2023 and 2024, has ended. Now the clock mechanism has been moved up and the dials have started to be placed one by one. May it be auspicious for our Antalya, hopefully. An opening will be planned here in the coming days.”

Emphasizing that there has been great effort put into the clock tower from the past to the present, Karabayram said, “Our Governor Hulusi Şahin, first and foremost, and all our past governors have always taken ownership of the clock tower. This ownership adds great value to both Antalya and Kaleiçi.”

"THE COST OF THE 3 STAGES WAS 3 MILLION 600 THOUSAND TL"

Stating that the clock disappeared in the 1985s, Karabayram continued his words as follows:

“This clock disappeared in the 1985s, but today, a twin of that clock, an equivalent, a clock mechanism and dial made with the same character and the same original material, has been placed here. The master of this work, Mr. Recep Gürgen, personally took part from the beginning to the end of the work as a craftsman. A total of 3 million 600 thousand TL in funding has been spent to date in three stages. All of these were supported by our Governorship's contribution shares. One of the most important issues is that our clock tower was built under the supervision of the technical staff of the Antalya Regional Directorate of Foundations. From the foundation layer to the top layer, from its restoration to its statics, the civil engineers, architects, and technical staff of the Antalya Regional Directorate of Foundations took part.”

"IT WILL BE FULLY OPERATIONAL WITHIN 1-2 DAYS"

Recep Gürgen, known as the clock doctor, said that when he was invited to Antalya in 2022, the clock was not in its place and they went after its original machine. Stating that they procured a similar machine upon this, Gürgen said, “We adapted a machine belonging to another tower from the same period to our tower by doing R&D work according to our tower. The dial and all other information were approved by the board and have come to the present day. It will be fully operational within 1-2 days,” he expressed.

News Source: İHA