16.10.2026 14:00
For Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin, who died as a result of the traffic accident he had, forgiveness was sought in front of the municipality where he worked. Speaking at the ceremony, AK Party Istanbul Provincial Chairman Abdullah Özdemir stated that one day before Gültekin's death, he had stood by the people of Üsküdar until morning in the fight against the disaster in the city. While Dündar's grieving family could barely stand, President Erdoğan also attended the ceremony.
Dündar Ziya Gültekin, Deputy Mayor of Üsküdar, who was traveling from Istanbul to Ankara to attend the meeting of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, lost his life in an accident that occurred when the vehicle he was in collided with another vehicle traveling in the same direction on the Düzce section of the Anatolian Highway.
A ceremony to ask for forgiveness was held in front of the Üsküdar Municipality building for the late Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin. There were emotional moments at the ceremony, which was attended by thousands of people. It was learned that Gültekin's funeral will be held from Büyük Çamlıca Mosque following the Friday prayer.
"WE HAVE WITNESSED HIS LOVE FOR SERVING ÜSKÜDAR"
Speaking at the ceremony held in front of the municipality, AK Party Istanbul Provincial Chairman Abdullah Özdemir stated that they had a friendship of more than 20 years with the late Gültekin and said the following:
"Our brother Ziya was a brother with whom we had a friendship of more than 20 years, and whom we witnessed to be a good husband, a good father, a good person, and a good Muslim. He was a brother whose love for serving Üsküdar, where he was born and raised, we always witnessed."
"HE WON THE HEARTS OF ALL ÜSKÜDAR RESIDENTS IN A SHORT TIME"
Drawing attention to Gültekin’s devotion and sacrifice to the district, Özdemir continued his speech with the following words:
"We are together on the day when our precious brother, who entered the hearts of all Üsküdar residents in a very short time, shared their troubles, and whose devotion both to our district and to those living in our district I witnessed, passed away to the hereafter. May our Lord grant patience to all of us. Just before the day he passed away, we saw that he struggled until morning in the disaster response in Istanbul, personally being by the side of our fellow Üsküdar residents, striving to address all their needs. May our Lord accept our testimony about him, and make his resting place Paradise. Our pain is great. We will all hold his trusts as sacred trusts until the end of our lives. We will protect his memory."