Who is Mahir Polat, the CHP Fatih Mayoral Candidate?

The Fatih Mayoral candidacy of IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat was finalized on December 21, 2023, by a decision made by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and members of the CHP Party Assembly. Who is Mahir Polat, who has worked in Istanbul alongside IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu for five years?

Mahir Polat (born 1976, Erzincan) is an art and architectural historian, bureaucrat, and politician. He is the Republican People's Party (CHP) Fatih Mayoral Candidate for the March 31, 2024, Local Elections.

Education

In 2002, he graduated from the Department of Archaeology and Art History at the Istanbul University Faculty of Letters. In 2003, he began his studies in the Architectural History Master's Program at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). In 2008, he completed his postgraduate education with a thesis on cultural management at the Yildiz Technical University (YTÜ) Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Art and Design. Between 2011 and 2015, he served as a lecturer in the same department, teaching courses on cultural heritage legislation. He completed his doctoral thesis, focused on Religious Cultural Heritage, which he began in 2009 at the Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences, in 2023.

Career

He began his career at the General Directorate of Foundations in 2005 and continued as a foundation expert starting in 2009. During this period, he took part in the restoration of many historical Ottoman-era monuments in Anatolia and Istanbul, as well as numerous museum establishment projects.

Following Ekrem İmamoğlu's election as Mayor of Istanbul in 2019, he began his tenure at the IMM as the Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage. Appointed as Deputy Secretary General of the IMM in 2020, Polat spearheaded numerous projects during his term in the fields of urban planning, architectural and urban design, cultural heritage, zoning, earthquake risk management, social services, and cultural and artistic events.

He founded and managed "IMM Heritage" (İBB Miras), which has since become a brand. Within this scope, he oversaw the restoration and protection of a total of 942 heritage sites, including 62 monuments and civil architectural works, 21 new museums and living spaces, 34 public art pieces, 197 registered fountains, 588 historical graves and treasuries, and 19 historical tombs.

He managed projects to restore and bring to Istanbul the Museum Gazhane (Hasanpaşa Gazhanesi), the Basilica Cistern, the Library Trolleybus (Beyazıt IETT Trolleybus Power Center), the Cendere Art Center (Cendere Pumping Station), Haliç Art (Fener Houses), and a 1-km section of the Land Walls. He also led teams conducting culture and art-focused restorations to bring the Silivrikapı Visitor Center, Bebek Art (Bebek Cistern), Mecidiyeköy Art, the abandoned Moda Pier, the Gülhane Cistern in the Historical Peninsula, the Casa Botter Art Center—the memory of Beyoğlu—Metrohan, the Beşiktaş and Kadıköy Piers, the Yedikule Gazhanesi, the dilapidated Büyükada Stone School, Artİstanbul Feshane, and the Beyoğlu Cinema to Istanbul.

He managed the processes of restoring and bringing to Istanbul as public living spaces the Süleymaniye Row Shops, Rumeli Fortress, Haldun Taner Stage, Muammer Karaca Theater, Kuyumcu Han, Genoese Walls, Belgradkapı, Bukoleon Palace, Çubuklu Silos, St. Pierre Han, Saraçhane Excavation House, Taksim Reservoir, Anemas Dungeons, Helva-i Yakup Lodge, Ali Pasha Palace, Haliç Shipyard, and Ataköy Baruthane, all of which are currently undergoing restoration.

He led the teams that enabled the realization of 400 urban design projects, including 17 squares such as Taksim, Kadıköy, Bakırköy, and Bağcılar.

During his tenure at the IMM, Polat managed the zoning processes for all 39 districts of Istanbul, including Fatih, and developed projects providing social support to 360,299 households as part of the fight against poverty. He also oversaw social projects such as the "People's Milk" support, providing approximately 24 million liters of milk to over 256,000 children, "Home Health Services" for 88,124 people, and 28 centers providing psychological support to 280,769 people.

Polat, who ensured the opening of "Our Home Istanbul" Children's Activity Centers (ÇEM) in 75 neighborhoods of Istanbul, also put 23 People's Milk Points, 14 social facilities, 7 Neighborhood Houses, and 4 medical centers that have provided outpatient diagnosis and treatment services to 871,203 people to date into the service of Istanbul residents.

He enabled the opening of 43 new libraries, which have become popular destinations, especially for children and young people.

He brought dozens of works to Istanbul that made a great impact worldwide, including the "Fatih" portrait by Bellini, the "Suleiman the Magnificent" portrait, and the "Fatih Medallion." Developing projects that spread culture and art to every corner of Istanbul, Polat has brought 196 exhibitions of national and international importance to Istanbul residents to date.

Having made a major contribution to the development of Istanbul by implementing hundreds of projects during his tenure—from zoning to social aid, from social projects covering children, youth, women, the elderly, and workers to the management of heritage sites—Mahir Polat became the Republican People's Party Fatih Mayoral Candidate for the March 31, 2024, Local Elections.

Mahir Polat, who has conducted studies in the fields of historical and cultural environmental protection, museology, religious and cultural social history, social memory, and architectural history, is a member of the History Foundation Board of Trustees, Europa Nostra Turkey, the Foundation Experts Association, and SODEV. Married to music teacher Binnur Polat, he is a father of one.

News Source: 12punto