Present Urban Context
If one approaches the madras from the crossroads in the north, one hardly recognizes the old building. The madrasa is formally drowning in its environment of flashy signs and a misshapen cityscape. Even the madras building itself is wallpapered with tasteless signs that don’t allow a free glance at the monument. In addition it is very disappointing to see that most of the signs are completely unnecessary or could have been executed in a more decent way. Due to a rise of land of about two meters the building seems very low from a far point of view. The dual four-lane Vatan Caddesi without a real pedestrian crossing also complicates the access. The nowadays Halicilar Koskü Caddesi which would connect the Fenari Isa Mosque, the madrasa and the tombs completely lost its importance because it is dominated by new cross-cuts like the Vatan and Oguzhan Caddesi. Surrounding walls and entrances of the madrasa seem to have no orientation because the ancient layout of roads is not understandable any more. It is sad that the connection between the urban layout and the monument could not be preserved at the time the city of Istanbul tried to handle the rapidly increasing traffic.
Read more about this topic: Yavuz Sultan Selim Madras
Famous quotes containing the words present, urban and/or context:
“Art for art’s sake? I should think so, and more so than ever at the present time. It is the one orderly product which our middling race has produced. It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths, it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden ... it is the best evidence we can have of our dignity.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)
“A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and and not by a but.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)
“Among the most valuable but least appreciated experiences parenthood can provide are the opportunities it offers for exploring, reliving, and resolving one’s own childhood problems in the context of one’s relation to one’s child.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)