Created by TİKA, the Memorial Rose Garden for the Martyrs of July 15 Was Opened in Lebanon

The Memorial Rose Garden for the Martyrs of July 15 was opened by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in Tripoli, Lebanon, in memory of 251 people who were martyred in the coup attempt by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO).

The opening ceremony for the Memorial Rose Garden for the Martyrs of July 15 and a commemoration ceremony on the occasion of the Democracy and National Unity Day, celebrated on July 15, were held at the Mevlevi House of Tripoli, renovated by TİKA. The event was attended by Ali Barış Ulusoy, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Beirut; Riad Yamak, Mayor of Tripoli; Raafat Mikati, President of the University of Tripoli; representatives of the Turkish Friendship Associations and Turkish institutions in Lebanon; Turkmens living in Lebanon; and many Lebanese citizens. In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Ulusoy stated that the Turkish nation has experienced many wars, disasters, and destructions for thousands of years and has always been determined to overcome them and defend their country. Ulusoy added that the Turkish nation considered it their duty to defend their state and protect their democracy on the night of July 15, 2016. He said, “The traitors who took action on 6 years ago today, thinking that they could take over the Turkish government and the will of the people, failed. With its government and people, Türkiye is now much stronger than it was before July 15, 2016.”

A poem by the Lebanese President of the University of Tripoli about July 15

Riad Yamak, Mayor of Tripoli, stated that Tripoli enjoyed its Golden Age under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. He noted that Tripoli always stands in solidarity with Türkiye and the Turkish people, as it did on the night of July 15, 2016. Raafat Mikati, President of the University of Tripoli, reminded that he gave a poem he wrote about the night of July 15 as a gift to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan six years ago and that the poem was translated into Turkish and published by Anadolu Agency (AA). He said, “We would like to once again congratulate the Turkish people for taking to the streets and putting down the coup attempt.” The speeches were followed by the recitation of the Quran and prayers for the martyrs of July 15. In the last part of the ceremony, the rose garden created by TİKA in the front yard of the Mevlevi House of Tripoli, renovated by TİKA, to keep alive the memory of the martyrs of July 15 was opened.

A photography exhibition featuring the photographs taken by Anadolu Agency on the night of July was also held as part of the event. Here are some of the verses from President Mikati’s poem, which reached thousands of Internet users in Lebanon right after it was published in 2016: “When a brave man appeared on the screen, determination spread across every street. Traitors grew pale when they heard the Takbir chants. Faith was shining as brightly as one thousand suns.
At the airport and the bridge, hearts were filled with tenacity, as death was destroyed by the knowledge of immortality. When the voice of the people was heard, cannons and tanks could not make any noise. In the eyes of this nation, cannons and tanks were nothing but toys.”