Atatürk Cultural Centre

The Atatürk Cultural Centre on Istanbul’s Taksim Square opened on 12 April 1969. Completed under architect Hayati Tabanlıoğlu, it provided stages for opera, ballet and spoken theatre. A fire in November 1970 interrupted its early life; the repaired building reopened in October 1978. After a prolonged closure, the complex was rebuilt and opened again on 29 October 2021. The new centre contains a 2,040-seat opera auditorium, an 802-seat theatre, exhibition and multipurpose spaces, a recording studio, a specialist library and a children’s arts centre.