When I started publishing pictures of Turkey people would complain that I showed old houses, often in a bad state. I wrote in answer that they ought to be proud that the old houses were still in existence, as so many of them, all over the world, fall victim to urban renewal. Eskişehir was one of the first cities where I saw massive renovation at work, and started having my doubts, because whereas I used to enjoy the atmosphere in neighbourhood containing old houses, this atmosphere tended to get lost. The result was a kind of Disneyland.
Nowadays I see such over-the-top renovation all over the country. Often concrete skeletons are covered with old-style woodwork, the result can be “plastic”. Compared to that the Eskişehir houses are not too bad, and maybe in a few tens of years with patination taking over the region will look fine. I must confess that when I first saw the Istanbul defensive walls being reconstructed I thought it was dismal, now parts of it are beginning to look the part. Time heals all wounds, after all.