Erdoğan's Savarona message from Yıldız Palace

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the opening of Yıldız Palace.

Highlights from Erdoğan's remarks are as follows:

'IT WAS USED RECKLESSLY'

"Today, we are gathered to open one of the most beautiful historical monuments of our beautiful Istanbul. We have revived the Yıldız Palace, a legacy of our ancestors. Yıldız Palace, one of the symbols of our city, opens its doors to visitors starting today. I wish that our Yıldız Palace, which we have restored to its former beauty and presented for the benefit of our nation, will be auspicious and beneficial.

I would like to thank those who contributed to bringing this work back to our country through a 6-year effort. I thank all my brothers and sisters who took part in the project.

This place is by no means an ordinary structure. With its 200-year history, Yıldız Palace has witnessed the most painful period of the Ottoman Empire. It is identified with Sultan Abdulhamid II, but the history of the palace dates back to the pavilion built by Sultan Selim III in 1805. Only the fountain in the inner garden remains from this pavilion today. After Sultan Abdulhamid moved his harem to Yıldız shortly after ascending the throne, it was no longer called a pavilion, but began to be known as Yıldız Palace. Sultan Abdulhamid governed the state from here for 33 years. Yıldız Palace also became a symbol of resistance against attempts to destroy the Ottoman Empire. The distinguishing feature of Yıldız Palace is that it was used as an administrative center.

We are a nation that has not always known the true value of its treasures. While some countries take great care of their 100-150-year-old assets, we have failed to protect many of our much older cultural assets. A mindset of rejecting our heritage has cost us dearly. One of these symbols was Yıldız Palace. This place was also neglected, abused, and used recklessly for years. Most of the buildings in the complex were practically plundered. Many works, objects, and belongings were either burned, broken, or sold off for a pittance. The fact that the Ceremonial Pavilion was operated as a casino for a time is one of the examples of this recklessness. The 'Yıldız Casinos' project was implemented. The casino was closed after 1 year.

"SAVARONA'S RESTORATION IS FINISHING, WE WILL HOST GUESTS"

We all remember the scandals with which the Savarona yacht came to the agenda. We acted quickly and took over the Savarona yacht. We had the Savarona restored, and its restoration will be finished shortly. Afterward, we will begin using it to host heads of state and government. We were the ones who took ownership of the Savarona, which was left to rot by those who talk big about Atatürk but do nothing.

Restoration work continues on another historical monument left to its fate, the Edirne Palace. We will complete that as well and bring it back to our country. We will continue to protect the legacies of our ancestors.

Starting today, we will open this venue to visitors free of charge until the end of next month. It will only be closed on Mondays; otherwise, it will be open to visitors."