09.07.2026 16:10
The details of the "Crescent and Star Joint Headquarters," which will bring the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff, and the force commands under a single roof, have been finalized. The massive complex, planned to become fully operational in 2028 and inspired by the crescent and star of the Turkish flag in its architecture, will cover an area of 12 million square meters, making it three times larger than the famous Pentagon building in the USA and four times larger than NATO Headquarters.
The new headquarters of Turkey's defense will be the Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters. The Ministry of National Defense, force commands, and affiliated units will be gathered under the Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters starting in 2028.
THE SIZE OF 1680 FOOTBALL FIELDS
According to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense, the details of the Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters, inspired by the Turkish flag with its star and crescent, have been revealed. Accordingly, the headquarters covers a total area of 12 million square meters, equivalent to 1680 football fields.
The headquarters has a total construction area of 2 million square meters, of which 1 million square meters have been completed. When finished, it will be three times the size of the Pentagon and four times the size of NATO Headquarters.
The perimeter wall of the headquarters is 6.5 kilometers long. It will include 5 conference halls for 3,200 people, the Star building covering 10,000 square meters completed in one year, and 6 indoor parking lots with a capacity of 6,400 vehicles.
GREEN AREA LARGER THAN HYDE PARK
The project has a total excavation volume of 19 million cubic meters. It will use 2 million cubic meters of concrete, approximately the volume of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and 125,000 tons of steel, equivalent to 22 times the steel in the Eiffel Tower. The site will have 25 kilometers of internal barracks roads.
Additionally, the campus will feature 1 million plants and trees over an area 1.5 times the size of London's Hyde Park, 2 million square meters of green space, 44,800 kilometers of cable, 168,000 lighting fixtures, and a capacity of 25,000 fiber optic cables.