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A quiet neighborhood change has sparked a loud heritage debate in Istanbul.
The 300-year-old Ottoman fountain in Istanbul’s Beykoz district has been demolished and replaced with a new marble structure, triggering public anger and a dispute between heritage authorities, the municipality, and local officials over responsibility for the intervention.
The Ishak Agha Fountain in Yalikoy was built in 1741 during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I by Ishak Agha, who served as customs chief and Galata voyvoda in the Ottoman period.
The fountain was one of three major structures linked to Ishak Agha in Beykoz, alongside the well-known Oncesmeler in Beykoz Square and the monumental fountain in Ortacesme.
Images shared on social media showed that the original column-shaped fountain, including its inscription and cylindrical body, had been removed and replaced with a rectangular marble block.
The Yalikoy fountain was considered distinctive because of its column form. It had a cylindrical body, a rose motif, and a three-line inscription.
The inscription reportedly identified its founder as “Es-Seyyid Ishak Agha Voyvoda-i Galata.”
Ottoman fountains were not only decorative structures. According to Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, neighborhood fountains were once essential public water points and social meeting places in Istanbul.
The ministry notes that fountains commonly included inscriptions naming their founders and reflecting the architectural style of their period.
This has made the Beykoz case more than a local construction dispute. For heritage observers, the removal of the original material raises questions about how a registered cultural asset could be altered without proper authorization.
After criticism spread online, the General Directorate of Foundations said it had not carried out the restoration.
The institution said the fountain stood in front of a mosque under its ownership, but added that the restoration work was not done by the directorate and claimed it was carried out by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
“We remind the public that accurate and healthy information can be obtained directly from the official channels of our General Directorate,” it said, adding that it would make the necessary initiatives with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which it described as the responsible administration.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality rejected the implication that it carried out the demolition.
Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat said the unauthorized intervention had been detected three months earlier by IBB Heritage teams during routine monitoring. He said the original fountain, which had been removed from its place, was rescued and taken under protection.
“The historical fountain’s original pieces are safe today,” Polat said, adding that IBB Heritage had submitted projects to the conservation board to reinstall the structure in its original form.
According to the municipality’s chronology, teams detected on Jan. 14 that the registered fountain had been removed without permission, taken to a marble workshop, cut at the lower section, and altered.
The issue was sent to the conservation board on Jan. 15. On April 15, the board decided to initiate judicial and administrative proceedings against those responsible.
Beykoz Yalikoy neighborhood headman Necmi Gosterit later said the work had been done after requests from local residents and the mosque association.
Gosterit said they collected money from local tradespeople and had a new marble fountain built.
“It was an old fountain, so we had it demolished. In its place, we had a bright, beautiful fountain built that suits our neighborhood,” he said, according to Cumhuriyet. “We gave the old pieces to the marble worker.”
Gosterit said they had acted with good intentions but admitted that mistakes had been made because residents had not considered the permission process required for a historical artifact.
The municipality says the original fountain will be returned to its place once the new structure is removed and the conservation board process is completed.
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