The National Struggle Museum in the school displays numerous artifacts documenting Anatolia’s contribution to the War of Independence. (AA Photo)
Steeped in 133 years of history, central Türkiye’s iconic Taş Mektep (Stone School) continues to educate new generations while keeping alive the memory of the students who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Turkish War of Independence.
Founded during the Ottoman era in 1893, the school, officially known as Kayseri High School, is among the country’s long-established educational institutions. Its history is also commemorated at the National Struggle Museum, established in part of the school building by Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality in 2016.
The institution’s history began during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, when plans were made to establish high schools in several Anatolian cities.
The school experienced a sharp decline in enrollment as the Ottoman Empire entered the Balkan Wars and World War I, with the number of students falling to 49. It graduated only nine students during the Gallipoli campaign.
When the Turkish War of Independence began in 1919, people from across the country joined the struggle. As Greek forces advanced as far as Haymana, the Turkish Grand National Assembly decided on July 24, 1921, to relocate its headquarters to Kayseri. The high school was prepared to host parliamentary sessions, but the plan was abandoned after the Turkish victory in the Battle of Sakarya.
The school could not graduate a class in 1921 because its senior students had volunteered for military service and were killed in the Battle of Sakarya. Poet Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, who was appointed to the school in 1922 and taught literature there for two years, wrote the Kayseri High School anthem in memory of the fallen students.
Over the decades, the institution has educated prominent figures in Turkish public life, including former presidents Turgut Özal and Abdullah Gül, as well as artists, politicians, scientists and senior state officials.
The National Struggle Museum now displays numerous artifacts documenting Anatolia’s contribution to the War of Independence.
‘A school that made history’
Kayseri Provincial Director of National Education Coşkun Esen told Anadolu Agency that the school was one of Türkiye’s most established high schools, with a history spanning 133 years.
Emphasizing the role played by students alongside the Turkish nation during World War I and the War of Independence, Esen said the school’s senior students had been killed before receiving their diplomas.
“This is not merely an educational institution. We can speak of a school and a generation that shared in shaping a nation’s destiny,” Esen said, adding that students had contributed to the country’s unity, freedom and independence while still in school.
Esen noted that two Turkish presidents had graduated from the institution. Özal, Türkiye’s eighth president, and Gül, its 11th president, were among its alumni, alongside numerous ministers, statesmen, artists and scientists.
Current students also expressed pride in attending the historic school.
Twelfth-grade student Buğlem Şen said it was an indescribable feeling to know that prominent figures such as Özal, Çamlıbel and singer Emel Sayın had walked the same corridors.
“For me, this is a school of those who made history, not those who surrendered,” Şen said, describing attendance as a privilege.
Another student, Ömer Türk, said he valued the school’s history, noting that both his primary and middle school teachers had graduated from the institution.
He said seeing people he had looked up to while growing up among the school’s alumni was meaningful and added that he, too, hoped to graduate from Kayseri High School.
