The foundation of the Unkapanı Değirmeni University Transformation Project was laid on 10 October 2025. Through a restoration faithful to its original character, the historic structure will bring together scholarship and culture in the heart of Istanbul.
11 October 2025
The groundbreaking ceremony of the Unkapanı Değirmeni University Transformation Project, carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and in cooperation with the Fatih Municipality and Ibn Haldun University, was held on 10 October 2025.
One of the most significant industrial heritage sites of the Historic Peninsula, the Unkapanı Değirmeni will be restored in accordance with scientific conservation principles and transformed into the Süleymaniye Campus of Ibn Haldun University.
A Historic Heritage Meets the Academic Life of the Future
Constructed in the late nineteenth century as one of Istanbul’s most important food production centers, Unkapanı Değirmeni is being transformed through this project into a space where knowledge, thought, and production will be reshaped, while remaining faithful to its original architectural character.
Once completed, the structure will offer a high quality academic environment for students and researchers with classrooms, conference halls, and multipurpose social spaces, while also serving as a meeting point open to Istanbul’s cultural life.
The restoration works are planned to be completed within approximately two and a half years under the supervision of the Conservation Board.
An Innovative Campus Vision from Ibn Haldun University
The new Süleymaniye Campus is designed as an open center of learning where intellectual production, art, and innovative projects will flourish.
Through this campus, the university aims to provide direct educational and knowledge based services to society, encourage intellectual and academic production, and create a dynamic and inspiring learning atmosphere for students.
Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz: “Toward the Future with Knowledge, Culture, and Values”
Our Chair of the Board of Trustees, Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz, who attended the ceremony, shared the following remarks regarding the project:
“The Unkapanı Değirmeni Transformation Project is an exemplary initiative that brings our civilizational heritage from the past together with the educational vision of the future. This project will enable our young people to reconnect with knowledge, culture, and values. I sincerely thank everyone whose contribution, effort, and prayers have played a role in bringing this valuable work to life.”
Cultural Heritage in the Service of Youth
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Mayor of Fatih Mehmet Ergün Turan, District Governor of Üsküdar Adem Yavuz, AK Party Deputy Chair Mustafa Demir, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ibn Haldun University İrfan Gündüz, and Rector of Ibn Haldun University Atilla Arkan.
Speakers emphasized that the project represents an exemplary model of cooperation that preserves Istanbul’s historical fabric while placing it at the service of education and culture.
A Center of Learning Revived in the Memory of Civilization
Once completed, the new campus rising at the heart of the Historic Peninsula will add lasting value to Istanbul’s academic life through its modern educational infrastructure, public cultural activities, and research spaces. By bringing together the accumulation of the past with the understanding of knowledge for the future, this visionary project will become a center of learning revived within the memory of civilization.
