 Designed by Turkish architects Nihad Yücel and Nahid Uysal, the groundbreaking took place in July 1946, in the office time of Lütfi Kırdar (1887–1961), governor and mayor of Istanbul.The amphitheatre was opened on August 9, 1947 with a ceremony.However, it took its final form after German stage director Carl Ebert (1887–1980), then head of Ankara State Conservatory, made modifications in the architectural design of the stage area.