Newsletters
The Turkish government has launched a comprehensive bunker construction program following recommendations from the National Intelligence Academy to minimize civilian casualties in potential conflict situations, with bunkers reportedly planned beneath "national gardens" and other locations across all 81 provinces.
The initiative follows intelligence officials' proposal to construct bunkers, particularly in major metropolitan areas, to create easily accessible safe areas for citizens in city centers while providing modern infrastructure that meets current standards.
Officials have reached the final stage of updating regulations governing the construction of these emergency bunkers.
Türkiye currently operates under the "Bunker Regulation," which took effect in 1987, and mandates the construction of bunkers in buildings of specific sizes.
The existing regulation requires at least 1 square meter of net bunker space per person in all types of facilities and buildings, with the number of people calculated as four for each independent unit.
For permanent or temporary accommodation facilities, such as dormitories, barracks, guesthouses, bedrooms, care homes, hotels, pensions, and hospitals, calculations are based on 20% more than the number of beds specified in the approved architectural project.
However, enforcement has been largely neglected in practice, with many apartment projects converting designated bunker areas into parking spaces or storage facilities instead of maintaining them for their intended emergency use.
New bunkers are designed for rapid access during emergencies, with planned facilities serving as durable structures that can be quickly accessed in the event of disasters and crises. The program aims to enhance citizen safety across all regions of Türkiye.
Officials emphasized the bunkers would be built to withstand various emergency scenarios while remaining easily accessible to local populations.
The bunker construction will focus primarily on areas beneath national gardens, creating a network of accessible emergency bunkers in urban centers where citizens can quickly seek protection during crisis situations.
The comprehensive study examined global examples, with particular attention paid to bunker systems in Israel, Japan and Switzerland to inform Türkiye's approach.
Following cabinet deliberations, officials decided that TOKI, Ankara's mass housing administration, would construct bunkers across all 81 provinces. Construction work has already begun in several cities, with Ankara designated as a priority location.
1 min read
3 min read
