A Debate Spanning Nearly a Century…

Which Was the First Atatürk Monument in Turkey?

The Atatürk Monument unveiled on June 22, 1926

A debate that has lasted nearly a century… Two Atatürk monuments, both the work of Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel — one at Sarayburnu in Istanbul, the other in the garden of Ege University's Computer Engineering Department in Bornova… In fact, the truth had already come to light through a report by Izmir journalist Alaattin Gürırmak, published in the 9 Eylül Newspaper on November 9, 2012. According to the report, contrary to what many sources claimed, the first Atatürk monument erected in Turkey was not the one at Sarayburnu, but rather the monument placed in the garden of the Bornova School of Agriculture three months earlier.

The matter was actually quite clear: while the inscription on the Sarayburnu monument — long accepted as the “first Atatürk monument” — bears the date of October 3, 1926, the inscription on the Bornova Atatürk monument reads June 1926. In other words, according to the inscriptions, the Bornova monument was erected three months earlier.

However, some cautious historian colleagues raised the possibility that the date on the Bornova monument may have been inscribed as June 1926 because of Atatürk's visit to Bornova on June 18, 1926, and that the statue may actually have been erected at a later date.

For this reason, the narrative that the “first Atatürk monument” was at Sarayburnu continued. But in reality, a photograph published in the Servet-i Fünun magazine on July 15, 1926 had long since put an end to this debate. While the Atatürk statue unveiled at Sarayburnu on October 3, 1926 was being called “the first Atatürk statue,” the photograph of the Bornova Atatürk monument had already been published in the Servet-i Fünun magazine 2.5 months earlier, on July 15, 1926.

The debate between Istanbul and Izmir over which monument was the “first Atatürk monument” was not confined to recent times — it had been ongoing since the very beginning. It was triggered by a report published in the Hizmet Newspaper on September 29, 1926. The article, titled “Our Gazi's Statue — Official Unveiling Takes Place,” ended with the statement: “Next Monday, the official unveiling of the statue will be held with a special ceremony, and thus the honor of erecting our Great Savior's statue for the first time in Turkey will belong to Istanbul.” When this news reached Izmir, it caused a great uproar, especially at the Izmir District School of Agriculture in Bornova.

The Atatürk Monument in Bornova, as published in Servet-i Fünun magazine

The Atatürk Monument in Bornova, published in Servet-i Fünun magazine on July 15, 1926 (still 2.5 months before the Sarayburnu Atatürk Monument's unveiling)

School Principal Abidin Ege immediately sent a telegram to protest this report.

Abidin Bey stated the following in his telegram published in the Hizmet Newspaper on September 30, 1926:

“Our Gazi's statue was first erected not in Istanbul but in Izmir. I saw a telegram in today's Hizmet Newspaper. It reports that His Excellency the Gazi's statue was erected and officially unveiled at Sarayburnu yesterday, and below it adds the statement that the Istanbul province has attained the honor of erecting His Excellency the Gazi's statue for the first time in Turkey. However, exactly three and a half months ago, on the occasion of His Excellency the Gazi's visit to Izmir, the Gazi's first statue was erected upon a most exquisite marble pedestal in the garden of the agricultural school in Izmir, and on June 22, 1926, when His Excellency the Gazi honored our school with his visit, the official unveiling was performed by himself in person. Therefore, the honor of erecting the Gazi's first statue belongs not to Istanbul but to Izmir. I respectfully request that this clarification be published in your esteemed journal, in my capacity as a citizen of Izmir.”

Director of the Izmir District School of Agriculture, M. Abidin.

With this telegram, Abidin Ege not only protested the report claiming that the Sarayburnu monument was the first Atatürk monument, but also left an important historical record. As you may have noticed, Abidin Ege stated the date of Atatürk's visit to the Bornova School of Agriculture as June 22, 1926. Yet existing records indicate that Atatürk came to the Bornova School of Agriculture on June 18, 1926.

Historical sources show that Atatürk was in Izmir between June 16 and July 9, 1926, and that a ball was held in his honor in the garden of the School of Agriculture in Bornova on June 18. However, just because “it is not in the historical records” does not mean we should entirely dismiss the possibility that Atatürk also visited Bornova on June 22, as Abidin Ege mentioned in his letter.

Not 100 years or even 10 years later, but in those very days — would Abidin Bey have made such a significant factual error in this serious letter of refutation? While Atatürk was still alive, would Abidin Bey have made a misleading statement in a newspaper that everyone, including Atatürk himself, would read?

If Atatürk were a guest in our home, would we forget that date? We would never forget it, would we? And Abidin Bey not only did not forget it — he even recorded it in history through his letter to the Hizmet Newspaper.

Let us also note it here once more: Turkey's first Atatürk monument was unveiled on June 22, 1926 in the garden of the Bornova School of Agriculture. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself witnessed that unveiling.

This leads to yet another conclusion: the bust in the garden of Ege University's Computer Engineering Department in Bornova — that is, Turkey's first Atatürk monument — is the first and most likely the only monument whose unveiling Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself attended. As far as is known, Atatürk never attended the unveiling of any of his other monuments after this one.

Source: Altan Altın (Hikayeler Şehri Bornova)