Culture
The Day a Heritage-Seizing Law Passed, Istanbul's Museums Turned Off the Lights
The Turkish government amended the vakif law in December, providing a legal basis to transfer opposition-run cultural sites in Istanbul to state foundations. With World Heritage-class facilities like the Basilica Cistern, Casa Botter, and Feshane Gallery under threat, this represents a new strategy of 21st-century authoritarianism: weaponizing cultural heritage as a political tool.