As of the 2025–2026 Academic Year, the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) will continue its academic activities at the Bandabuliya Campus, located in the historic heart of Nicosia’s Walled City.

The Toptancılar Hanı (Wholesale Inn) holds a special place in Nicosia’s layered memory and has been one of the most vibrant centres of the city’s commercial life for centuries. Years ago, a section of the long-abandoned inn was transformed into a stage by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality, reintroducing it to the city’s cultural life. This transformation not only redefined the function of the building but also initiated its integration into the city’s daily life through art.

Subsequently, within the scope of the Uray Street Revitalization Project, carried out in collaboration between ARUCAD and the Nicosia Turkish Municipality (LTB), the stage was renovated to meet contemporary needs, while the remaining parts of the neglected structure were restored and converted into the ARUCAD Faculty of Music and Performing Arts. Thus, a building that once bore witness to Nicosia’s commercial history has now become an educational space that hosts the creative journeys of our students.

The architectural design of the project was undertaken by Architect Tunç Adanır. His detailed report, titled “Nicosia Turkish Municipality Former Wholesale Market (Bandabuliya) — Architectural Study and Analysis Report”, explores the historical, cultural, and architectural context of the building and can be downloaded from the link below.

Please note that the report is available in Turkish.

 NICOSIA TURKISH MUNICIPALITY FORMER WHOLESALE MARKET (BANDABULIYA) — ARCHITECTURAL STUDY AND ANALYSIS REPORT

Today, the Bandabuliya Campus, equipped with modern studios, workshops, and performance spaces, offers our students not only an educational environment but also an inspiring center that bridges the past and the present within the cultural heritage of the city. Students studying here will benefit from the faculty’s contemporary facilities while enjoying the unique privilege of producing art within Nicosia’s vibrant cultural fabric.