ABSTRACT
In 2009, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's joint stock company Istanbul Culture and Arts Products Trade Co. added to the panoply of its attractions a new "cultural showcase", entitled "Panorama 1453 History Museum". Based upon on-site observation, interviews, news coverage, close readings of promotional materials, and secondary literature on panoramas as well as on the urban history of Istanbul, this chapter discusses the physical, historical and political context of Panorama 1453. In addition, it describes and assesses the design of this attraction in light of precedents and theorizations of the medium, and concludes with a discussion of its political symbolism in contemporary Turkey. The existence of Panorama 1453 may be known to those who follow contemporary issues in Turkey, but a close reading of its production process, broader physical context, and connection to other attractions provides a unique perspective of this small-scale building as a governmental and cultural phenomena.
