Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality faces property dispute over Saraçhane building

The General Directorate of Foundations has applied to the Fatih Land Registry Directorate to register the main service building of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) in Saraçhane under its own name. The building, which has been used by the IMM since 1970, is currently registered in the municipality's name.

The legal basis for this application is Article 30 of the Foundations Law (No. 5737), which regulates the transfer of cultural assets that were originally created through foundations but later passed into the ownership of municipalities or other public entities back to the relevant foundations.

If the registration is completed, the ownership of the building will transfer from the IMM to the General Directorate of Foundations. Potential outcomes for the building's use include the IMM leasing the property, the building being allocated to the IMM for public service while ownership remains with the Directorate, or the IMM being removed from the premises. The IMM has indicated it will seek judicial recourse once the registration process is finalized and officially communicated to the municipality.