As tensions escalate in Turkey, Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square has become the focal point for the anti-government protests. Leading Turkish architect Korhan Gümüş explains why the square holds such political importance for demonstrators.

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Taksim Square acquired a political identity after the founders of the republic saw and designed it as their prestige project, according to architect Korhan Gümüş. Ever since, the square has become a site of struggle for dominance, with each government trying to leave their mark, says Gümüş.

After the Republic designed Taksim Square as its prestige project, the area became a ground for tension about who was going to dominate the public space, according to architect Korhan Gümüş.

Each government has sought to leave its mark on the square, and the ruling Justice and Development Party is no exception to this rule, said Gümüş, a member of the civil initiative Taksim Platform that is opposed to the government’s plans to redesign the square.

The government is displaying the same unilateralism that was seen during the one-party regime in the early days of the Republic, Gümüş told the Daily News.

Read the interview with Korhan Gümüş here.

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