Mertim
Encyclopedia
Mersin
-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was the tallest building in Turkey between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers
Isbank Tower 1
The 52-floor Isbank Tower 1 was the tallest office building and fourth tallest skyscraper in Turkey and the Balkan peninsula . It entered service with the ceremonies between August 23 and 26, 2000...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and still remains the tallest building in the country outside of Istanbul. It is also the tallest hotel building in Turkey.
History
The Port of MersinPort of Mersin
The Port of Mersin , aka Mersin International Port , is a major port located on the north-eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea at Mersin in southern Turkey. It is the country's largest port...
, which is the largest seaport in Turkey and the main port for international trade with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus...
, had been declared as a free trade zone
Free trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
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 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 36°48′N 34°37′E 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 176.8 metres (580.1 ft) and it is claimed that the building was the highest skyscraper between SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Franfurt 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 Taksim International Group of Hotels.