Historic Unkapanı Mill to be transformed into university campus

ISTANBUL

The heart of Ottoman Istanbul’s bread production, the historic Unkapanı Mill, is being restored under a joint project by Ibn Haldun University and the Fatih Municipality.

The landmark, which supplied flour and bread to both Istanbul and Anatolia in the 19th century, will serve as the university’s new Süleymaniye Campus.

After years of neglect and use as a parking lot, only the masonry wall remnants of the mill have survived. Aerial footage shows the decayed structure now under careful restoration.

Professor Can Binan, head of the Scientific Advisory Board overseeing the project, said the mill had lost most of its original industrial components due to years of abandonment. “Because it was used as a parking lot and left unused for so long, very few documents remain to show its original machinery,” he said. “Over time, only the walls survived. It stands before us today as a cultural heritage site.”

Binan explained that the restoration plan ensures no additional load is placed on the original walls, which will remain intact as a protective shell. “A new design has been prepared to preserve the historic structure while introducing new functions. This project will result in a unique space where the traces of the original mill coexist with new architectural elements,” he said.

Once complete, the site will house classrooms, administrative offices and multipurpose halls. “Students will experience the coexistence of the historic fabric and modern structures,” Binan noted. “It was one of the major industrial facilities of its time, contributing to Ottoman modernization and industrialization. The mill was designed with a sophisticated distribution system that supplied flour and bread by sea to Istanbul and possibly to Anatolia.”

He added that despite its historical importance, few people today are aware of the mill’s legacy. “For years, it was known only as a ruin with walls,” he said. “Now it will once again serve the city, this time as a place of learning.”