Historical PTT building is Turkey’s largest Mail and Telegraph Ministry and the construction and serving started in 1905.
The building, which was completed in 1909, was named “New Post Office” in the 1930s and later became the “Great Post Office”. The building is the first work of the architect Vedat Tek. It is the first example of the First National Architecture Movement. On the upper side of the entrance gate is written Ottoman “Postal Telegraph Ministry” embroidered with tiles.
The entrance to the four-storey, 3200-square-meter building was raised by the steps, and both corners of the front ceiling were raised, elevated and covered with a dome. There is a rectangular central space inside the building rising 3 floors and surrounding rooms.
The 16th century Ottoman style is dominant in the ornaments. Facade, chipped stone and marble. It is believed that Vedat Tek specially designed his bricks. The main entrance opens onto a quite large saloon. The ceiling rising to the roof is covered with orange and blue color dominated glass.
Between 1937-1936, the building also served as Istanbul Radio House. In 1958, it started to be used for postal and telegraph works. Today, it serves as the Head Office of the Istanbul European Side PTT and a full-fledged post office (Sirkeci PTT Center) is located on the entrance level. Inside of the building there is a museum about the history of communication and telecommunication of the country.
