Home > Current Affairs News > Scandal at Namık Kemal's grave: The tomb of the 'Poet of the Fatherland,' whom Atatürk called the 'father of my feelings,' has fallen into ruin

Scandal at Namık Kemal's grave: The tomb of the 'Poet of the Fatherland,' whom Atatürk called the 'father of my feelings,' has fallen into ruin

The tomb of Namık Kemal, the 'Poet of the Fatherland' whom Mustafa Kemal Atatürk called the 'father of my feelings,' has fallen into ruin. 12punto investigated the state of the memorial tomb, which remains unattended despite warnings.

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Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once said: "Ali Rıza Efendi is the father of my body, Namık Kemal is the father of my feelings, and Ziya Gökalp is the father of my ideas."

The tomb of Namık Kemal, the 'Poet of the Fatherland' whom Mustafa Kemal Atatürk called the 'father of my feelings,' has fallen into ruin. 12punto investigated the state of the memorial tomb, which remains unattended despite warnings.

Regarding Namık Kemal's grave, Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ shared a video on social media and issued a call: "This is the state of the grave of the Poet of the Fatherland, Namık Kemal. This is a shameful situation and a national disrespect.

We are giving you 30 days. If you do not have it repaired, we, as the Zafer Party, will have the grave repaired."

Here is that video:

Following this call, the question of how Namık Kemal's grave fell into such a state of ruin became a subject of curiosity.

Located in the village of Bolayır in the Gelibolu district of Çanakkale, the grave has been filled with trash and rubble for about a year...

Soldiers used to stand guard at Namık Kemal's grave, and its cleanliness was carefully maintained.

The tomb of Şehzade Gazi Süleyman Paşa, the grandson of the Ottoman founder Osman Gazi, and the grave of the "Poet of the Fatherland" Namık Kemal are located side by side.

The area has become inaccessible due to a restoration project that was started two years ago at Süleyman Paşa's tomb and subsequently left unfinished.

When the restoration work began, there was no one left on duty at the memorial tomb. It was stated that new and significant findings were reached during the excavations for the restoration, which led to the intervention of the Regional Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Assets and the suspension of the work.

The restoration project, for which the tender was held on September 13, 2022, remains unfinished.

The Çanakkale Museum Directorate had previously explained that the excavation work was opened to install power lines, that it would be refilled with the same material, and that the lighting problem would be resolved through the electrical project.

It remains a matter of curiosity when the tomb of Namık Kemal, the 'Poet of the Fatherland' whom Mustafa Kemal Atatürk called the 'father of my feelings,' will be restored from its ruined state...