Republic Monument
Republic Monument (Cumhuriyet Anıtı) is at Taksim Square in Istanbul. It honors the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica designed it, and it was built in about two and a half years. It was unveiled on August 8, 1928. The monument is 11 meters tall and features bronze figures on a marble base. It shows the republic’s founders, including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, and Fevzi Çakmak. The north side shows Atatürk in military uniform during the War of Independence; the south side shows him and others in modern Western clothing, representing his roles as military leader and as a statesman. Semyon Aralov, the Russian ambassador in Ankara, is among the figures behind Atatürk on the south side, highlighting Soviet aid from Lenin in 1920. Today, the monument is an official site for national holiday ceremonies.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 21:05 (CET).