Historical statue goes missing at the heart of İstanbul

Photos: Tuğçe Yılmaz/bianet

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One of the two open-mouthed snake statues on the gate of Galatasaray High School in Taksim, İstanbul, has been missing since March 8.

The historical school building is located on İstiklal Avenue, a busy pedestrian street where hundreds of thousands of people walk by daily.

Informed about the incident through photos sent to him, Şerif Yaşar, head of the Art History Association (STD), said he thought the statue was probably "stolen."

There was no camera to record the incident in the area, Yaşar said, citing security personnel and administrators of the school, as well as eyewitnesses.

"They broke it while placing barricades"

"According to eyewitnesses, employees of the company contracted by the police hit the statute while placing barricades and the statute fell to the ground. It's a very hard marble, it wouldn't be blown to smithereens.

"Regarding the issue, I spoke with the administration of the Galatasaray High School and asked them about the fate of the statue. They told me that they had notified the police about the situation.

"They are dealing with the incident, but, unfortunately, they think the statute was stolen as well. They even said a person from the board of directors voluntarily called every single antique shop in the area.

"This is a 150-year-old statute. Its twin is also seen in a photograph dated 1895. It's inconceivable that it's at a point where there are no cameras. Its twin on the left is still there, but the statute on the right is missing.

"We have sent a letter to the police and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for the statute to be found."

In response to bianet's request for information about the issue, the school said, "We have no information." (TY/VK)