Ankara renames street after historian İlber Ortaylı

ANKARA

A street in the Turkish capital has been renamed after prominent historian and author İlber Ortaylı, following a unanimous decision by the city council.

During the first session of April, the Ankara Municipality assembly approved a joint motion to rename “84th Street” in the Çankaya district’s Yücetepe neighborhood as “Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı Street.”

The proposal — submitted with the backing of members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) — was adopted unanimously by all 110 council members present.

Ortaylı, a leading scholar of Ottoman and Turkish history, passed away last month while undergoing medical treatment.

Ortaylı died on March 13 at Koç University Hospital in Istanbul at the age of 78. He had been receiving treatment in intensive care and passed away due to multiple organ failure following complications related to a kidney condition.

Ortaylı was buried beside Ottoman scholars and statesmen in one of the city’s most historic burial grounds at the Fatih Mosque.

In a separate decision, the council also approved the renaming of “Çarşıyolu Street” in the Yenimahalle district’s Emniyet neighborhood to “Ankaragücü Street,” in tribute to the capital’s historic football club. Both measures passed without opposition.