Officials in Iskilip, Turkey have completed the first stage of a project to catalogue the city’s historic doors – some of which date back to the Ottoman Empire – in an effort to preserve its heritage and attract tourists.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Office says 300 doors belonging to craftsmen such as shoemakers, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, packsaddle-makers and tailors in the bazaars of 14 neighbourhoods have been photographed in the first stage of the project.

A classification system will soon be created with a plaque mounted on each door detailing the neighbourhood, street, door number and who it belongs to.

Tourists will be able to guide themselves around the city with a brochure and town map – with doors to be lit up at night – and a giant door due to be completed in May is being built for the city entrance.

As part of the project, the conservation of the city’s historic doors has been secured so that any future demolitions must preserve doors in situ or gift them to the Door Museum in the Seyh Yavsi Mosque for safekeeping.