Programs and Events
The President's Townhall for Students
100 students between 18 and 26 participated in a student town hall with President Barack Obama. The students are studying in fields varying from political science to sports to fine arts. They come from all parts of Turkey including large cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Adana; cities from the southeast such as Diyarbakır and Mersin; and regions from the Black Sea.
President Obama's Townhall for young people in Istanbul, Turkey took place at 12:20p.m. Istanbul time on April 7, 2009.
History of the Tophane Building
Tophane is one of the oldest, distinctively Turkish districts in the city. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, had chosen Tophane as the place to position cannons in order to shoot the Byzantine city walls. In fact, the name "Tophane" means "cannon foundry" and, as a result, the district became the place where the military industry of the Ottoman state was established. Due to the changes in the military order and multiple fires, Tophane-i Amire was restored many times and added to by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century. The current 8-domed, stone and brick compound building was constructed by Sultan Selim III in 1803.
The Tophane-i Amire building was recently restored as the Culture and Arts Center of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and has become one of the most significant exhibition halls in İstanbul.