Türkiye's Istanbul Modern Art Museum has moved back to its original location on the banks of the Bosphorus in a new building designed by Italian-born architect Renzo Piano, whose most notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and London's Shard skyscraper.
ADVERTISEMENTAfter changing its name from "Turkey" to "Türkiye", the country known widely as the cross road between Europe and Asia seems to be taking its mission to modernise very seriously.
Türkiye's Istanbul Modern Art Museum has moved back to its original location on the banks of the Bosphorus in a new building designed by Italian-born architect Renzo Piano, whose most notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and London's Shard skyscraper.
Acccording to Piano, its design was inspired by the glittering waters and light reflections of the Bosphorus: "Every time you have water, it is great to make a building because water makes things beautiful. Istanbul is a place of water. We have water everywhere."
On the waterfront
The museum's return to its old but reinvented location marks the latest attempt by Türkiye's cultural capital to infuse its iconic waterfront lined with graceful imperial palaces and mosques, with a more futuristic feel.
The museum's new three-story reflective steel building, featuring a transparent ground floor made of reinforced glass, is connected to the new Galata Port, a sleek amalgam of restaurants, bars, and retail stores overlooking a waterfront boardwalk.
Established in 2004, the Istanbul Modern in 2018 moved out of a rustic building that once served as a customs warehouse.
When did Turkey became Türkiye?
The Turkish Presidential circular regarding the use of the name Türkiye instead of “Turkey” in the international arena was signed in December 2022.
Just after this decision, Türkiye also officially notified organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and NATO of its decision to change its foreign language name from Turkey to Türkiye in January 2022, and the necessary changes were made just after.
For more than one year, the US State Department uses Türkiye instead of Turkey, agreeing to a request by the Turkish government that resents the inadvertent association with poultry.
Among other English-speaking countries, the embassy websites in Ankara of Australia, Canada, India, and New Zealand write Türkiye, while the British, Irish, and South African embassies tend to use Turkey.
Türkiye is not the first country to change its name in the international arena. Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and North Macedonia have also done the same.
