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Over the past 14 years, Erzurum's Culture Road Project has quietly transformed the city, clearing away decades of informal settlements to reveal a historic fabric that had long been hidden from view.
Once crowded with unauthorized housing, the areas surrounding Erzurum Castle have been fully cleared, allowing the fortress to stand once again as the city's defining landmark.
Structures dating back to the Seljuk, Ottoman, and early Republican periods have been carefully restored, with damaged buildings repaired and completely demolished ones rebuilt true to their original form.
Of the 137 historic and registered buildings once scattered across central Erzurum, 22 have now been fully restored and reopened to the public as museums, workshops, and cultural venues.
Visitors strolling through the city's newly connected historic routes can now explore centuries-old landmarks such as the Double Minaret Madrasa, Yakutiye Madrasa, and the Grand Mosque on foot.
Traditional handicraft workshops have been revived inside restored buildings, giving artisans space to practice and pass down skills that once risked disappearing from the city altogether.
Inside a converted historic house, visitors can browse a secondhand bookshop, wander through a city archive, or watch caricature artists at work in a dedicated studio space.
Municipal officials describe the restoration process as painstaking and precise, comparing the work to embroidery, with each building requiring meticulous attention to preserve its original character.
Construction crews often work under tight three-month deadlines to complete each restoration, racing against time while balancing historical accuracy, structural safety, and budget constraints.
Every restoration project passes through Türkiye's Cultural Heritage Preservation Board, ensuring that changes to the city's protected structures meet strict conservation standards.
City officials say the transformation has already boosted tourism, drawing a growing number of domestic and international visitors eager to walk through Erzurum's rediscovered historic core.
Over the past 14 years, Erzurum's Culture Road Project has quietly transformed the city, clearing away decades of informal settlements to reveal a historic fabric that had long been hidden from view.
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