Turkish president breaks ground at giant opera house
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says significant step is being taken with groundbreaking of new Ataturk Cultural Center
Istanbul’s iconic Ataturk Cultural Center, a landmark step in the nation’s art and culture including a giant opera house, will be completed in less than two years, said Turkey’s president on Sunday.
“We will complete [construction of] the Istanbul Ataturk Cultural Center in a short period of time, some two years, and we will put it in the service of artists and culture lovers,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a groundbreaking ceremony for the new center in Taksim Square.
“Today we are taking a significant step that will be a breakthrough in our country’s art and culture,” added Erdogan.
He said the center, representing an investment of 850 million Turkish liras ($162 million), would have five separate sections spanning over 95,000 square meters.
Erdogan added that Turkey would no longer impose VAT on books, magazines, or newspapers.
"No one, no sector will be able to condemn our country to mediocre art and culture any longer," he said.
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