Kadir Topbaş facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kadir Topbaş
Mayor of Istanbul
In office 28 March 2004 – 22 September 2017
Preceded by	Ali Müfit Gürtuna
Succeeded by	Mevlüt Uysal
Mayor of Beyoğlu
In office 18 April 1999 – 28 March 2004
Preceded by	Nusret Bayraktar
Succeeded by	Ahmet Misbah Demircan
Personal details
Born	(1945-01-08)8 January 1945 Yusufeli, Artvin, Turkey
Died	13 February 2021(2021-02-13) (aged 76) Istanbul, Turkey
Political party	Justice and Development Party (AKP)
Spouse	Özleyiş Topbaş
Children	3
Alma mater	Istanbul University
Awards	Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (2014)

Kadir Topbaş (born January 8, 1945 – died February 13, 2021) was an important Turkish politician. He was also an architect and a businessperson. He is best known for serving as the Mayor of Istanbul, a very big city in Turkey, from 2004 to 2017.

About Kadir Topbaş

Kadir Topbaş was born on January 8, 1945. His birthplace was a village called Altıparmak, in the Yusufeli district of Artvin Province. When he was just one year old, in 1946, his family moved to Istanbul.

He studied at several universities. He first studied theology at Marmara University, finishing in 1972. Then, he studied architecture at Mimar Sinan University, graduating in 1974. Later, he earned a special degree called a PhD in the history of architecture from Istanbul University.

After his studies, Kadir Topbaş worked in different jobs. He was a preacher in Edirne and a teacher. He also worked as a freelance architect in Istanbul. From 1994 to 1998, he was an advisor to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At that time, Erdoğan was the mayor of Istanbul. Topbaş helped with fixing up and decorating old palaces and other historic buildings in the city.

Besides his political and architectural work, Topbaş also owned a chain of Turkish restaurants. These restaurants were called Saray Muhallebicisi.

Kadir Topbaş's Political Journey

Kadir Topbaş started his political career with a religious political group. This group was called the Milli Selamet Partisi (MSP). He tried to become a member of the Turkish parliament twice. He ran for the Artvin province seat in 1977 and again in 1987. However, he was not successful in these attempts.

In 1999, he was elected as the mayor of the Beyoğlu district. This is a well-known area within Istanbul. He won this election as a member of the Fazilet Partisi (FP).

His biggest political step came in 2004. Kadir Topbaş ran for the top job: Mayor of Istanbul. He was a candidate for the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP). He won the election on March 28, 2004.

As Mayor of Istanbul, he took on international roles. In November 2007, he became a co-president of United Cities and Local Governments. This is a worldwide organization for cities and local governments. He was also considered for the 2008 World Mayor award.

Kadir Topbaş was re-elected as the Mayor of Istanbul in 2009. He won against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who later became a leader of the Republican People's Party. In 2009, he also became the President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey.

During some public events in 2013, he talked about city development. He said that plans for places like Taksim Gezi Park came from the national government. He later promised to talk more with people before making big changes to the city. He resigned as Mayor of Istanbul on September 22, 2017. He did not give a specific political reason for leaving. After his resignation, Mevlüt Uysal was chosen as the new mayor.

Kadir Topbaş Chowk in Lahore, Pakistan. This square was named after Kadir Topbaş and opened on March 12, 2012.

Personal Life and Passing

Kadir Topbaş was married to Özleyiş Topbaş. They had three children together: two sons and one daughter.

In November 2020, he was hospitalized because he had COVID-19. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Sadly, Kadir Topbaş passed away on February 13, 2021. He died due to complications from COVID-19.

Awards and Honors

Kadir Topbaş received an important award from South Korea.

Ribbon bar	Award or decoration	Country	Date	Place	Note	Ref.
	Order of Cultural Merit	South Korea	12 September 2014	Seoul