Roman era tower in northwestern Turkey set for restoration

EDIRNE, Turkey

An ancient Macedonian tower in northwestern Turkey dating back to the Roman era will become a restored cultural zone where stories of various civilizations that made the city home will be told.

The monument in the modern Edirne province witnessed nearly a millennium of history, with the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras, and now will be restored through a project by Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The Macedonian Tower is the only remnant of four towers erected during the Roman era, and visitors will be able to learn about its history and civilizations with both live and animated presentations there.

Engin Beksac, head of the Art History Department at Turkey’s Trakya University, said the tower is a rare specimen that defied time and survived down to this day.

"The walls right across the tower date back to the period when the (second century AD) Roman Emperor Hadrian built the city, the excavations directly point to that," he said. "The tower is a masterpiece; it is a construction built for purpose of observation to fortify the walls of Edirne."

Stressing that restoring the tower would help draw more tourists to Edirne, he said it was important to preserve such historical elements for the sake of history and culture.

"This place also sheds light on European history," he said, adding that many foreign tourists first see the tower when visiting the city of Edirne, which borders Greece

The tower is also known as the "clock tower," as Ottoman Governor Haci Izzet Pasha ordered the placing of clocks on the tower as well as the building of wooden stories in 1867.

But after a 1953 earthquake did heavy damage to the tower, both the extra stories and clocks were removed.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas