The Western approach to the Karşıyaka monument-museum. Copyright Uğur Akıncı 2019

A Unique Monument-Museum in Izmir Honoring Turkish Women

Izmir, also known as the “Pearl of the Aegean,” is a lovely Turkish city on the Aegean coast, home to many natural, historic, and archaeological treasures.

Turkey’s third largest city of 4.5 million souls is full of unexpected surprises. One of them is the imposing monument in the Karşıyaka district that is visible from almost every vantage point along the city’s horseshoe-shaped bay.

The monument looks like a bundle of imposing white columns taking off boldly to the sky.

But as you get close to it, you see a bronze ring of statues holding the columns together, led by the figure of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, modern Turkey’s national hero and founding father.

Equal Rights in 1920s

Atatürk made sure Turkish women enjoy many new rights early on during the Republican era (starting in 1923), including the right to divorce, assume guardianship (of children), and enjoy property rights (1926), the right to be elected and cast vote in municipal elections (1930), the right to maternal leave after birth (1930), the right to be elected as Village Administrators (muhtar) and to the Village Council of Elders (Ihtiyarlar Meclisi) (1933), the right to be elected and cast vote in general elections (1934), etc. He was a relentless promoter of equal rights and a champion of educational opportunities for Turkish women.

A close-up — Atatürk in the center. To his left is his mother Zübeyde Hanım. To his right is the anonymous Turkish peasant woman symbolizing the many who carried cannon ammunition on their shoulders to the front during the Turkish War of Liberation (1919–1922). Copyright Uğur Akıncı 2019

Yet this is not another monument celebrating the founding of the Turkish Republic. It’s more focused than that. It’s about Atatürk’s beloved mother Zübeyde Hanım, and all the other famous Turkish women who elevated Turkey in many fields ranging from sports and arts to law, science, foreign affairs, politics, and even (yes) Sumerology.

In short, it’s a monument-museum dedicated to prominent Turkish women, paying homage to their excellence and struggles, and honoring their contribution to the Turkish society.

“Karşıyaka Monument for Atatürk, His Mother, and Women’s Rights and Museum of Respect“ (“Karşıyaka Atatürk, Annesi ve Kadın Hakları Anıtı Saygı Müzesi” in Turkish) as it’s…