"A big old man in need of treatment" - they say about one of the most beautiful buildings in Istanbul - the residence of the last Turkish sultans - the Dolmabahce Palace, turned into a museum. Many other architectural monuments in Turkey also need "treatment" - repair and restoration. Inexorable time and natural disasters have not spared the seemingly eternal creations of the past. The Suleymaniye Mosque and Fatiha Mosque, the Sumel Monastery in Trabzon, the sculptures of Mount Nemrut are, like the Dolmabahce Palace, in a rather deplorable state. The state strives to find funds to perform the most urgent work, but they are not always enough.

Istanbul's Suleymaniye Mosque was built in 1550-1557 in honor of Sultan Suleiman Qanuni (Legislator), who ruled in 1520-1566 and was known in Europe as the Magnificent. Its base resembles a square measuring 64 by 67 meters, the diameter of the dome is 27.25 meters, the height is 71 meters. The mosque complex consists of six religious schools-a madrasah, a charity institution, a shelter for the poor, Turkish baths, a caravanserai and a hospital. In the garden are the graves of Sultan Suleiman and his equally famous wife Khurrem-Sultan-Ukrainian Roksolana.

During the 444 years of its existence, the mosque has experienced more than one powerful earthquake, and not a single crack has appeared on its walls. But time still takes its toll. The roof tiles that cover the dome and four minarets crack. The support post of one of them was askew. Rain gets in through the broken windows of the building, and in some places the plaster lags behind. All this poses a serious threat to the faithful: after all, Sulaymaniyah remains an active mosque. The authorities are taking measures to restore it.

Another equally famous Fatiha Mosque in Istanbul has a much more complicated fate. It was built in 1463-1470 in honor of the conqueror of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Sultan Mehmed II Fatih (Conqueror) (1451-1481). Initially, the mosque complex (madrasah, library, etc.) occupied a huge territory, being the largest in the city.

The Fatiha Mosque proved to be more subject to the natural elements than Suleymaniye or the Hagia Sophia, which is known for its amazing strength. In 1766, during a major earthquake, most of the complex was completely destroyed. Restored by order of Sultan Mustafa III (1767-1771), the mosque was opened in April 1772, in this form it has survived to this day.

The earthquake of August 17, 1999, which claimed thousands of lives, left deep traces on the walls of the mosque. The cracks in the dome that appeared on that terrible night are getting bigger every day. 20 billion Turkish liras (approximately $ 15 million) were found for the renovation of the mosque. True, the amount needed for major repairs is several times more, but they hope that the necessary funds will be allocated over time.

Dolmabahce Palace was built in 1842-1856 by Sultan Abdul-

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Mejid (1839-1861), who tried to resemble the European monarchs in everything. Despite the fact that the country was not going through the best of times, no gold was spared for the new residence. The palace covers an area of 14.5 thousand square meters, it has 285 rooms, 43 halls, six baths and six terraces. It consists of three parts: Mabein - special apartments where the Sultan gave audiences, the Muaede ceremonial hall (the dome is 36 meters high) and the harem. The best Turkish and European architects and decorators of the mid-19th century were engaged in the construction and decoration of the palace.

According to the head of the Department of National Museums of Turkey P. Akbulut, the "treatment" is going well. The entire palace is under surveillance - from the basement to the attic, including furniture, carpets, and many exhibits. Use special tools to change the roof tiles. The facade of the building is being painted, which has faded over a century and a half. Thorough drainage works are being carried out: after all, the palace was built in the garden, on the site of the bay filled in at the beginning of the XVII century (once here the warships of the Ottoman fleet were solemnly seen off for sailing). There is a huge Muaede hall in the scaffolding: here you need to update the crumbling plaster in places, repair cracks in the walls that appeared during the recent earthquake. Therefore, the hall could not receive the leaders of 54 countries who arrived in Istanbul in November 1999 for the summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. But the museum is open to ordinary visitors. The work is carried out very carefully, so as not to interfere with the excursions.

The main problem of Dolma melon is woodworms that have damaged part of the roof, the parquet floor and valuable furniture. With the help of the Internet, Akbulut studied in detail the experience of famous museums in other countries fighting against tree-destroying bugs. At the invitation of the local Research Society, woodworm control specialists from England and Italy came to Istanbul. Valuable information was obtained from the renowned Paul Getty Restoration Institute. In the fall, the building will be covered with a huge tarp (to prevent chemicals from seeping out), and the palace will receive the necessary dose of chemical "medicine". Many tables and chairs will also be "treated" in this way. In addition, the furniture will be covered with new fabrics.

Dolmabahce Palace has many interesting sights. A great impression is made by 28 paintings by I. K. Aivazovsky, who for some time was a court artist of Sultan Abdul-Aziz (1861-1876). And many exhibits have not yet been put on public display. Now a thorough inventory is being carried out: everything will be restored, rewritten and entered into the computer.

Numerous antique clocks attract attention. Since November 10, 1938, the hands of many clocks have been stopped; they will always show the same time-five minutes past nine - at which time the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who made the palace his residence in the last years of his life, died. There is also a Renaissance clock with a single hour hand (the minute hand was invented later), a Gothic-style bronze clock from 1820 that plays four melodies, and a French clock from 1825 with a model of the planet Earth that rotates to their measured ticking. All watches are in working order. They are brought back to full life by the professional watchmaker Recep Gürgen, who continues the work of his father, who studied the basics of this profession under the personal watchmaker of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876-1909) Wolfgang Mayer. Upon completion of the renovation, an exhibition of antique clocks will be opened in Dolmabahce. "This beauty should be seen by everyone," says Recep Gyurgen.

The Turks now respect not only Muslim mosques and monuments left by the Ottomans, but also Christian shrines. An example is the monastery of Our Lady of the Black Mountain in Sumel, which is not far from the pearl of the Black Sea coast of Turkey - the city of Trabzon. The huge monastery, like other ancient Greek "brothers", is built on the edge of a steep cliff, at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level. Monks first came here in the IV century, the age of the preserved structures is about eight centuries. Experts are trying to restore the monastery to its former greatness. The budget for restoration work in 1999-2000 alone was about one hundred million dollars. Over the past eight years, three repair contractors have been replaced, which is not so easy to manage - building materials have to be delivered using a winch. The weather conditions do not add optimism to the restorers either - even in summer, it rains almost every other day in these places. There are no restoration specialists in Turkey either

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frescoes. The Turks realized that it was not just the artist's talent that was required to recreate frescoes that were partially smeared and damaged by time. After all, even in Russia, artists who have not passed a thorough test of their professionalism are rarely allowed to paint sacred images in new churches. The caretakers of the monastery told us that the issue of inviting church painting masters from Russia is being considered: they have heard about the magnificent frescoes in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

The Ministries of Culture and Tourism decided to take control of the program for the restoration of other historical monuments located far from the main tourist routes, such as the famous sculptures on Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey. The gigantic heads of the gods carved out of stone, erected at an altitude of 2200 meters above sea level during the Hellenistic kingdom of Commagene (I century BC), are considered here as the eighth wonder of the world.

Massive statues of Apollo, Tyche (the goddess of Chance), Zeus, Hercules and the ruler of Commagene Antiochus I, as well as various animals, have retained clear outlines. The history of the statues is somewhat similar to the history of stone idols from Easter Island. The construction methods of both remain a mystery. Apparently, thousands of slaves, at the behest of Antiochus I, dragged heavy stone blocks to the top of a high peak to build double terraces, which were later decorated with majestic sculptures.

The ruins of Mount Nemrut were added to the UNESCO List of Historical and Cultural Monuments in 1987, 105 years after their discovery. Meanwhile, the wonders of Mount Nemrut are under threat of extinction. Weathering and earthquakes over two thousand years have increased the number of "wrinkles" on the impassive faces of the gods. Experts suggest protecting them with architectural "grafts", that is, closing the cracks with a special material that does not allow moisture to pass through. The International Nemrut Foundation, the Foundation for the Protection and Evaluation of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Turkey and the Turkish Democracy Foundation have developed a comprehensive project to save the Nemrut gods. The project provides for measures aimed not only at preserving the statues, but also at protecting the natural environment in the surrounding area. A closed museum will be created, where it is planned to store valuable sculptures under a certain temperature regime. American experts suggest putting exact copies in their original place.

Documentaries are constantly being made in historical places of Turkey, excavations are underway in different parts of the country, new museums are being opened and old ones are being restored. Exhibitions are organized to introduce residents and visitors of Turkey to the country's historical past.

In Turkey, they realize that the most beautiful ancient cities and other beautiful creations of architects of the past are the cultural heritage of all mankind, and it would be unforgivable to lose even a small part of it.

The State recently allocated large additional funds for the repair of lighting and security systems in the Topkapi Museum. International organizations also help. For the first time, the World Bank has allocated $ 50 million, which will be used to compile a unified list of cultural attractions in Turkey and to conduct urgent archaeological work in such ancient cities as Zeugme and Hasankeyfu in the south-east of the country, which are subject to flooding by the waters of the Birejik and Ilysu reservoirs. The question of moving the Zeugmeh, rich in beautiful mosaics, up the mountainside is being considered, following the example of the Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel on the banks of the Nile, which were saved in this way with the help of UNESCO.

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