Former Beşiktaş Mayor Ayfer Atay laid to rest

Ayfer Atay, a former mayor of Beşiktaş Municipality, has passed away at the age of 91. A funeral ceremony was held for Atay in front of the Beşiktaş Municipality building. The ceremony was attended by his family, relatives, colleagues, CHP Deputy Chairman Gökan Zeybek, and Acting Beşiktaş Mayor Ömer Rasim Şişman. Atay was laid to rest at the Ortaköy Family Cemetery following the noon prayer at the Ortaköy Büyük Mecidiye Mosque.

Ayfer Atay, who served as the Mayor of Beşiktaş for 10 years between 1989 and 1999, was remembered for the works and services he brought to the district. Speaking at the ceremony in front of the municipality, Acting Beşiktaş Mayor Ömer Rasim Şişman emphasized that Atay was a great asset to Beşiktaş and stated the following:

“Today, we are bidding farewell to eternity to our Mayor Ayfer, a true son of Beşiktaş, who was born and raised on Değirmen Street in Ortaköy, who knew our district inch by inch, and who left his mark on every stone. Words are insufficient. Our hearts are heavy. He was not just a mayor; he was Beşiktaş itself. For ten years, he loved our district like his own child and nurtured it with the tenderness of a gardener. The fragrant linden trees we smell today while passing through Ihlamurdere are a legacy of his vision and love for nature. He adorned the Azerbaijan Park and the World Peace Park with linden trees he brought from Saray, Tekirdağ.”

Speaking at the ceremony, CHP Deputy Chairman in charge of Local Governments, Gökan Zeybek, stated that Atay played a pioneering role in municipal governance and said:

“We have lost a mayor who never compromised on the principles of a democratic and secular republic while supporting the disadvantaged segments of society. Yesterday, we visited our Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, who is being held in Silivri Prison, and our Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, as well as our friends and political party leaders who are being unjustly detained. Mayor Rıza conveyed his condolences to the Beşiktaş organization, municipal employees, and the Atay family. May our municipality and all the people of Beşiktaş have our deepest condolences.”

Ayfer Atay was laid to rest at the Ortaköy Family Cemetery following the noon prayer at the Ortaköy Büyük Mecidiye Mosque.