Atatürk Cultural Center

About

The Atatürk Cultural Center (Turkish: Atatürk Kültür Merkezi), commonly called the AKM, is a concert hall, theatre and cultural centre running along the eastern side of Taksim Square in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Originally opened on April 12, 1969, it was closed for renovation works in 2008, but was ultimately demolished in 2018 and rebuilt in 2021 as a state-of-the-art cultural complex. On October 29, 2021, it reopened to the public after a 13-year interval. The new AKM building was designed by Murat Tabanlıoğlu, the son of Hayati Tabanlıoğlu who had designed the original AKM building. Werner Sobek AG was responsible for the facade engineering, creating a transparent facade that opens the building to Taksim Square.