Restored birth house of Türkiye’s third president opens

BURSA

(AA photo)

Türkiye’s third president, Celal Bayar, was commemorated on the 40th anniversary of his passing with the public opening of his restored historic house in the northwestern province of Bursa on Aug. 22.

Launched in June by the National Palaces Presidency, the full-scale restoration overhauled the building’s original woodwork, doors, and shutters. Crews updated the lighting to reflect historical designs, installed period-accurate textiles, including new curtains, cushions and carpets, and carefully refurbished the exhibited artifacts.

Bayar, born in Bursa’s Umurbey neighborhood on May 16, 1883, served as the country’s president from 1950 to 1960. He died on Aug. 22, 1986, and was buried in Umurbey following a state ceremony in Ankara. Authorities estimate the house dates back to the 19th century based on its building materials.

The registered historical property owned by the Celal Bayar Foundation stands as a space carrying the memory of the Republic’s history. Yapı ve Kredi Bankası restored the building from a derelict state in the 1950s, preceding a roof repair in the early 1990s and an Interior Ministry renovation in 2022.

Bayar established an adjacent museum, library and cinema in 1967. The museum features state gifts, medals, city keys and items from factory openings alongside presents from banking institutions he helped establish. The library houses 25,000 books, including 15,000 belonging to the late president and 10,000 to his family.

Demolished in 2021 over earthquake safety concerns, the museum and library are being rebuilt to meet modern museology standards. Construction is currently 65 percent complete, after which the Interior Ministry will hand the facility over to the presidency.