19.07.2024 15:30
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Yıldız Palace, which has completed a 6-year restoration, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "Starting from today, we will open this venue to the public free of charge until the end of next month."
The Yıldız Palace complex, which was built during the reign of Sultan Selim III and expanded into a state palace during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, has been opened to visitors after approximately 6 years of restoration in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In his speech at the ceremony, President Erdogan announced that entry to the palace will be free until the end of August for visitors starting from tomorrow.
Highlights from President Erdogan's statements:
"Dear Istanbulites, esteemed members of our culture and art community, dear guests, I greet you all with heartfelt emotions and love. I am delighted to be here with you on this meaningful and important opening ceremony. I would like to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for sharing our excitement and pride by accepting our invitation.
Today, we are gathered here to inaugurate one of the most beautiful historical monuments of our beautiful Istanbul, which, as the poet says, even loving one of its neighborhoods is worth a lifetime. With the meticulous restoration and furnishing works carried out by the National Palaces Presidency for 6 years, we have revived the Yıldız Palace, which is a legacy of our ancestors. Starting from today, Yıldız Palace, which is one of the symbols of our city, opens its doors to our people and visitors from all around the world.
I wish our revived Yıldız Palace, which we have presented to the benefit of our nation, to be auspicious and prosperous. The happiness we experience today is the result of the sweat and effort of many of our teachers and experts. If it weren't for their labor, knowledge, and selfless efforts, this beautiful monument could not have been restored to its former glory. I consider it a debt to thank these brothers and sisters of mine at the beginning of my speech. I would like to express my gratitude to the National Palaces Presidency, the President and his team, the Minister, who have contributed to the restoration of this beautiful work to our country through a dedicated 6-year effort.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to the President of the National Palaces Science Board, our esteemed professor, Dr. Saadettin Ökten, and the board members.
With the restoration of Yıldız Palace, I believe that the historical, cultural, and touristic charm of our Istanbul will increase even more. Dear guests, our National Palaces President has just shared with us information about the historical journey of Yıldız Palace. We have listened together to its ups and downs in terms of architectural, artistic, and historical features. It should be emphasized first and foremost that this is by no means an ordinary work, an ordinary structure.
With its 200-year history, Yıldız Palace has witnessed the most turbulent years of the Ottoman Empire. As you know, Yıldız Palace became synonymous with Sultan Abdulhamid II. However, the history of the palace dates back to the kasr (pavilion) built by Sultan Selim III for Mihrişah Valide Sultan in 1805. Only the fountain in the inner courtyard has survived from this kasr to the present day. II. Mahmud also used this place to watch the training of the new army. The one who gave Yıldız Palace its true identity was Abdülhamid Han. With the transfer of his entourage and harem from Dolmabahçe Palace to Yıldız shortly after he ascended the throne, it began to be called Yıldız Palace instead of kasr.
"YILDIZ PALACE BECAME A SYMBOL OF RESISTANCE"
Yıldız Palace has a special place in our National Struggle history as well. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came here a day before he set sail on the Bandırma ship and met with Sultan Vahdettin. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk describes that historic meeting as follows: "We sat knee to knee in a small salon of Yıldız Palace. The view we saw from the window of the salon opening towards the Bosphorus was as follows. Enemy warships on parallel lines, their cannons aimed at Yıldız Palace. Vahdettin began to speak with these unforgettable words: 'Pasha, Pasha! You have served the state a lot until now. All of these are recorded in this book and have passed into history. Forget about them. The service you will do now may be more important than all of them. Pasha, Pasha! You can save the state.'"
In response to this, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk says to Sultan Vahdettin: "Do not worry, Your Excellency, I understood your point of view perfectly. If you give your consent, I will act immediately." After being honored with the address "Succeed," we left the presence without making any noise with our footsteps, away from the palace.
Dear guests, we are a nation who does not appreciate the value of our precious treasures. While some countries take great care of their 100-150 year old historical assets, we have not been able to protect our much older cultural assets. Especially the rejection of heritage mentality that marked a period of our history has cost us heavily. One of the symbols that suffered from this mentality was Yıldız Palace.
This place was neglected for years. It was damaged and used recklessly. Most of the buildings that make up the Palace Complex were almost looted. Along with these, many artifacts and objects that would shed light on our recent history were unfortunately burned, broken, or sold off. The fact that Merasim Pavilion was operated as a casino for a while in the late 1920s is one example of the recklessness the Palace was subjected to.
"SAVARONA'S RESTORATION WILL BE COMPLETED SOON"
Yıldız casinos project was implemented by the municipality officials of that time just to attract tourists. The casino, operated by an Italian company, was closed after a year. You see, not only Yıldız Palace, but also many objects that left their mark on our nation's history and memory suffered from this ignorance. We all remember the scandals that surrounded the Savarona yacht where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his last months. After the immoral incident that was also reflected in the newspapers, we quickly took action and took over the Savarona yacht. We had Savarona restored with meticulous work and it will be completed soon. Then, we will start using it to host guest states and government leaders as it should be.
There were those who criticized this and made unimaginable allegations. However, we were the ones who took care of the Savarona yacht, which those who never left a trace of ash on the grill when it comes to Atatürk left to decay. The same applies to many historical artifacts, structures, and objects. While some hide behind the Republic and oppose the Ottoman Empire, we have always embraced all periods of our history without discrimination.
We have revived our national heritage artifacts with the understanding of gratitude to history and respect for the past. Through the General Directorate of Foundations, we have restored or repaired approximately 6,000 foundation cultural assets since 2002. Through TIKA, we have carried out more than 120 restoration projects in the heartlands of our nation. Under the leadership of the Presidency of National Palaces, we have also carried out many successful projects.
From Beykoz Glass and Crystal Museum to Ankara Palas Museum, from the long-closed treasure collection, caftan collection, calligraphy works collection in Topkapı Palace to Mecidiye Pavilion and Sacred Relics Department, we have revived many works.
Dear friends, I want to express this very clearly. Each of our values, where the past, mind, soul, and aesthetic taste are engraved, are milestones of our nation's journey from eternity to eternity. We see the mosques, bridges, fountains, caravanserais, tombs that we have restored as the living, speaking memories of our civilization. We evaluate all these renovation works within the framework of strengthening our roots and connections, and that's why we attach great importance to them. By reviving Yıldız Palace, we have done this once again. We have made one more of our memory spaces available to our people.
"READY TO SERVE AS A MAGNIFICENT MUSEUM"
We did not only restore the stones, walls, pavements, and furniture of the Palace. We also used it in a way that is true to its original identity. During the Presidency, we held dozens of meetings, receptions, and summits here. By carrying out many of our works here, we actually brought this historical place back to life. As a result of our approximately 6 years of work, Yıldız Palace has become a magnificent museum ready to be visited with pride by every member of our nation, where our young people can personally experience a very important part of our history.
The most important link of our initiative to open our national palaces to our people is to bring Yıldız Palace together with our people. Restoration works for Edirne Palace, another historical artifact that has been abandoned, are still ongoing. We will complete it and bring it to our country. We will continue to take care of our ancestors' legacies. As we progress towards Turkey's Century goals step by step, we will protect the heritage of our ancestors, stand firmly on the foundations of our civilization that dates back thousands of years, and make the 21st century the century of Turkey with the permission of Allah. I pray that Allah will be our helper and supporter. I wish Yıldız Palace, which we have opened today, to be beneficial and auspicious for our city, our country, and our nation.
We entrust this beautiful work, which is the legacy of our ancestors, to our nation and especially to our beloved young people from today onwards. On this occasion, I remember with mercy once again Sultan Abdulhamid II and our heroic ancestors. I congratulate everyone who contributed to the restoration. I greet you with love and respect, and with this occasion, we will open this place to the public for free until the end of next month, including this month. Congratulations. I pray that Allah will grant our nation the opportunity to protect this place, which we have opened to the public, with their own eyes, by visiting and seeing it. "
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