By Cemal Coskun

ISTANBUL

Istanbul will soon have a science center which will attract around two million visitors every year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday.

Erdogan took to Twitter to announce the establishment of a new science center in Istanbul’s historic Halic (Golden Horn) Shipyard on the European side.

“We are establishing a science center in Istanbul’s Halic. Human and civilization-focused Science Center will receive two million visitors per year, [and] will contribute to science,” Erdogan tweeted.

The project will be completed in three years. It will cover 8,000 square meters and will cost 100 million Turkish liras ($21 million).

The science center is expected to have “a technology center with an international reputation, a digital thematic library and innovation center, training programs, workshops and science activities."

The center will also hold exhibitions on digital and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, maritime and shipyards, and science history.

The Halic Shipyard was established in 1455, two years after Istanbul was conquered by Sultan Mehmet II.