― 19 марта 2019 г.

Inauguration of the Statue of Koroglu in Bolu

The ceremony held in the International Korogolu Park gathered TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kasseinov, the Secretary General of the Turkic Council  Ambassador Bagdad Amreyev, the Governor of Bolu Ahmet Ümit, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Ankara  H. E. Isankuli Amanlyev, the Mayor of Bolu Alaaddin Yılmaz, the Rector of the Izzet Baysal University of Bolu Mustafa Alişarlı, the Mayor of Seben Süleyman Özbağ, Representatives of Diplomatic Missions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the Head of the Academy of Fine Arts of Kazakhstan Amandos Akanaev and the sculptor Murat Mansurov along with guests from various regions of the Turkic World and many citizens of Bolu.

The statue of Koroglu, the legendary hero of the Turkic World was made by the Kazak sculptor Murat Mansurov  who was the winner of the International Design Competition organized by TURKSOY in 2016. The inauguration of the statue was preceded by the lighting of the Nevruz Fire.

Nevruz Fire of TURKSOY in Bolu

The Nevruz fire which is not only the common heritage of Turkic peoples but also is considered as the beginning of Nevruz celebrations of TURKSOY  was lit by protocol members. The lighting of the Nevruz fire was followed by the iron forging ceremony which took place in the presence of a large audience including students from Turkic republics waiving flags of their countries of origin in their colourful traditional garments.

The iron forging ceremony was followed by another essential component of the Nevruz tradition, namely the egg-tossing ceremony. Rituals of the  Nevruz feast were followed by the opening speeches of protocol members.

“The statue of Koroglu  is a gift of TURKSOY to the Turkic World for Nevruz”

In the opening speech he delivered at the ceremony, TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kasseinov wished everyone a happy Nevruz and said: “May this year’s Nevruz  bring about peace and abundance to humanity.” Mr. Kasseinov further stressed that the building process of the Koroglu statue literally ressembled epic  stories of Koroglu.

Mr. Kasseinov who also said that this statue is a precious gift for Turkey and the Turkic World further added: “Folk songs and stories  of Koroglu which have been sung and told by minstrels of the Turkic World from Turkistan to the Caucasus  and from Anatolia to the Balkans will from now on live forever with this monument as a heritage for future generations. As Secretary General of TURKSOY which is the UNESCO of the Turkic World, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Mayor of Bolu Mr. Alaaddin Yılmaz as well as to all persons and institutions for their precious contribution to the realization of this Project.”

Secretary General Kasseinov further said: “On behalf of TURKSOY, let me express my happiness to have contributed to the realization of such a major project. Koroglu is the symbol of justice, equality and freedom and this statue will held new generations grow up with these principles. Of course, the importance of Koroglu cannot be measured with this statue. However a statue of Koroglu of this size will undoubdtedly  stand as a symbol of the importance attached to the brotherhood and solidarity of the  Turkic World and its common future.”

“Koroglu, a hero who stands by the oppressed and protects them while standing up against tyrans”

In the speech he delivered at the ceremony, the Mayor of Bolu Mr. Alaaddin Yılmaz said that Koroglu is the common hero of the Turkic World and added: “There is no other hero like Koroglu  who stands by the oppressed and protects them while standing up against tyrans. Based on his words “greetings to the people of Bolu”, we believe that he lived in Bolu while the Kyrgyz people believe that he lived in Kyrgyzstan, the  people of Azerbaijan believe that he lived in Azerbaijan, the Kazak people believe that he lived in Kazakhstan, the Turkmen people believe that he lived in Turkmenistan and the Uzbek people believe that he lived in Uzbekistan. We are very happy to have such a widely venerated hero”.

Mr. Yılmaz further said that Nevruz is another common cultural value of the Turkic World  and stressed that the only Mount Nevruz of the Turkic World is located in Bolu: "We have lit the Nevruz fire. Our Nevruz fire will now bring the joy of this traditional celebration of spring to the entire Turkic World."

The Governor of Bolu said it is the perception of a nation’s and a state’s culture and civilization which makes them a big nation or state and added that heroes of Turkic peoples are not well-known enough. Mr. Umit who extended his gratitude to all those who contributed to the building of the statue of Koroglu in Bolu  further said: “Nations which do not have heroes cannot have a bright future. If we did not have heroes such as Karacaoglan, Dadaloglu, Mevlana, Yunus Emre, Sultan Abdal, Nene Hatun, Kara Fatma, Sherife Bacı and  Koroglu our culture and civilization would be missing something. Koroglu is a hero known for his solidarity with the people. Our great nation has always stood besides the oppressed throughout history. I hereby extend my sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to the building of this meaningful statue”.

The opening speeches were followed by song and dance performances from various regions of the Turkic World.

At the end of the concert, protocol members inaugurated the statue in a wibbon-cutting ceremony.

Following the opening ceremony of the statue, participants visited the art museum in the Koroglu Park featuring books and paintings about  Koroglu.  

Statue of Koroglu in Bolu

The the International Koroglu Design Competition had been held in 2016 in cooperatipon of TURKSOY  with the Municipality of Bolu.

In line with the examination of jury members, prize winners  of the competition were 1. Yedil Tussibbekov- Architect, Murat Mansurov  Sculptor- (Kazakhstan) 2. Ibrahim Bakır- Architect, Murat Oğuz- Sculptor (Turkey), 3. Abdukakhar Turdiev- Architect, Tulyagan Tadjıkhodjaev- Sculptor (Uzbekistan).

The statue of Koroglu by the sculptor Murat Mansurov is made of bronze and it is the biggest statue which has ever been made of Koroglu in the whole world. The total height of the statue with its pedestal is 66 meters and it reaches a height of 99 meters together with the hill on which it is located.