Back	Will Istanbul Lose its UNESCO World Heritage Site Status? Istanbul was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, after it had taken part in the European Council's "European Cultural Heritage" program. Recently, however, it is being suggested, in certain international circles, that the city - whose 2,000 year old history reaches across two continents - is putting its World Heritage cultural and historic values in danger. The Ottoman Bank Archive and Research Center is organizing a panel discussion to address this issue, aiming to place it high on the public agenda and contribute to the synergy that would mobilize knowledge and expertise in that field. The panel is scheduled to take place in the Ottoman Bank Museum on Monday, June 30, at 5:00 p.m. Prof. İhsan Bilgin, consulting board member of the Ottoman Bank Archive and Research Center, explained their reasons for organizing the panel. "Istanbul was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, years ago, because of its unique historical past," he said, "but the aggressive urbanization, which has taken place in the city over the past 50 years, now poses a direct threat to its two thousand year old historical heritage. Historic areas and buildings in Istanbul have been left to their fate and continually suffer serious damage. It cannot be denied that the city possesses a unique historic fabric going back thousands of years, but the fact that it fails to safeguard this patrimony suggests it may no longer deserve the World Heritage Site status it was granted." THE OTTOMAN BANK MUSEUM PANEL DISCUSSION “Istanbul, a Heritage from the Past, a Debt to the Future” Monday, June 30 at 5:00 p.m. The Ottoman Bank Museum Moderator: Prof. Atilla Yücel, critic and architect Istanbul Technical University Panelists: Prof. Murat Belge, critic and translator, Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature, Bilgi University Assoc. Prof. Turgut Cansever, architect, Ağa Han Award, lecturer, Mimar Sinan University Free Admission.