Kuyumcu Han opens as City Research Center in Istanbul

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) has officially opened the historic Kuyumcu Han in Beyoğlu Perşembe Pazarı as a City Research Center. Following restoration efforts led by IBB Miras that began in 2022, the 19th-century building has been repurposed to serve as a hub for urban history and cultural heritage.

The project involved an investment of approximately 61.3 million TL. The center is designed to bring together several organizations under one roof, including the History Foundation, the Union of Historical Cities, the Foundation for the Protection of Turkey's Monuments, Nature, Tourism and Environmental Values (TAC Foundation), and IBB Miras.

The facility houses a library containing 2,200 works and will focus on city history, cultural heritage, and urban research. Historically linked to the banking and money-changing activities of Galata, the four-story building had fallen into disrepair after being largely abandoned since the 1980s.