Mertim, an acronym for ''Mersin Ticaret Merkezi'' (Mersin Trade Center), is a 52-story skyscraper in

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was the tallest building in Turkey between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. It is also the tallest hotel building in Turkey.

History

The

Port of Mersin The Port of Mersin (), is a major seaport located on the north-eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea in Mersin, southern Turkey. As one of the largest harbors in the country, it is Turkey's main gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. It was constructed d ...

, which is the largest seaport in Turkey and the main port for international trade with the

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all o ...

, had been declared as a

free trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject t ...

and a series of buildings were constructed in the city to be used in business and commerce, which included the Mertim Tower.

The construction

The architect of the complex was

Cengiz Bektaş Cengiz Bektaş (26 November 1934 – 20 March 2020) was a Turkish architect, engineer, poet and writer for Evrensel, ''Evrensel'' newspaper. Education Bektaş was born in Denizli. He attended Istanbul State Academy of the Fine Arts, and ultimate ...

who designed the building in 1985. The tower was constructed during the second half of the 1980s by the Üstay Corporation. The tower was completed in 1987 and the entire complex entered service in 1993. Immediately after its opening in 1993, a part of the building was used by the University of Mersin for several years during the 1990s.

Building

The complex at includes a shopping center of 1100 stores and a 52-floor skyscraper which is popularly known as ''Metropol'' or the ''Tower''. The total height of the building is and it is claimed that the building was the highest skyscraper between

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

as of the early 1990s. Sixteen floors of the building are used as a hotel and the rest are reserved for offices. At present, the hotel is operated by the Radisson Hotel Group.Page of Taksim International
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References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Turkey, Architecture Economy of Mersin Province Mersin Office buildings in Turkey Skyscrapers in Turkey Skyscraper hotels Skyscraper office buildings in Turkey