Projects set for Istanbul European culturel capital

As part of preparations for the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture, a number of projects have been discussed and debated in recent months. Among the 60 projects completed so far are the Sur-i Sultani Master Plan, the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) renovation project, the Topkapi Palace Kitchens and Harem restoration project, the Hagia Sophia restoration, the redesign of the Port of Theodosius area, and Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk's Masumiyet Müzesi ( Museum of Innocence ). Out of some 1,900 project proposals submitted, 281 were accepted. Work on this range of projects, some of which will alter the image of the city and others which will contribute to the cultural life of the metropolis, continues, sometimes silently.