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Çelik Gülersoy facts for kids

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Çelik Gülersoy (born September 23, 1930, died July 6, 2003) was a Turkish lawyer, writer, and poet. He is best known for his amazing work saving old buildings and places. He worked for a long time as the head of the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey (TTOK). He helped protect many important historical sites across Turkey.

Çelik Gülersoy was born in Hakkâri, a city in Turkey. His family moved to Istanbul in 1933. He studied law at Istanbul University. After finishing his military service, he started working at the TTOK in 1961. He had already worked there in different roles since 1947.

In 1966, he became the director general of TTOK. He held this important job for 38 years until he passed away. During his time, he made many improvements to the TTOK. He also wrote many books about historical places, especially in Istanbul. He played a big part in making places like Soğukçeşme Sokağı and parks like Emirgan and Yıldız beautiful again. These places are now popular with tourists.

Çelik Gülersoy passed away on July 6, 2003. He left all his belongings to the Çelik Gülersoy Foundation. This foundation still runs a library on Soğukçeşme Sokağı, right behind Ayasofya.

Notable Historical Preservations

Çelik Gülersoy led many important projects to save historical sites. Some of these include:

  • Chora Church area (1977)
  • Çamlıca Hill (1980)
  • Malta and Çadır pavilions in Yıldız Park (1982)
  • Yellow, Pink and White pavilions in Emirgan Park (1979-1983)
  • Hotel Yeşil Ev in Sultanahmet (1984)
  • Khedive Palace in Çubuklu (1984)
  • Soğukçeşme Street in Sultanahmet (1985-1986)
  • Kameriye in Feneryolu (1989)
  • Fenerbahçe Park in Fenerbahçe (1990)

Recognitions

Çelik Gülersoy received many awards for his work. Some of them are:

  • 1976 - Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italy)
  • 1979 - Ordre national du Mérite (France)
  • 1980 - "Plaque of Honor" from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey
  • 1986 - Honorary Doctor from Black Sea Technical University
  • 1986 - Honorary Doctor from Boğaziçi University
  • 1998 - Honorary Doctor from Anadolu University
  • 2000 - "Grand Award of Culture and Arts" from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey
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