The "Darülaceze Social Service City" project, established on the foundation of charity and help, opens its doors to people in need, the elderly, disabled and orphaned children.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid the foundation of the Darülaceze Social Service City project, which is unique worldwide and will set an example for future generations. Darülaceze Chairperson Hamza Cebeci shared the first images of the Darülaceze Social Service City showing the completion of the first stage and explaining the project's details.

The founding of Darülaceze came to the fore in 1877 during the Ottoman-Russo War as the war caused a mass migration to Ottoman lands, and around 400,000 people were left on the streets with no one to take care of them. Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II ordered the founding of the Darülaceze (Hospice) to bring the beggars, orphaned children, and people in need who sought shelter in mosque yards in Istanbul and help them learn crafts while offering the elderly a warm home to spend the rest of their days.

"Darülaceze Social Service City is an international and unique project in itself, and there is no other project of this size, quality and capacity anywhere in the world. It is being established in Istanbul Arnavurtköy, next to Istanbul Airport. It was designed with a horizontal, slow and livable city understanding. The approximate construction cost, including the interior equipment, is TL 3 billion ($150 million). The project will result in a city that will embrace people with compassion from the very beginning," said Cebeci.

"This environmentally friendly project will meet all your needs. There are single, double, triple and quadruple rooms in this Social Service City. A total of 1,300 people can stay in this city. We will bring together people who have a common denominator," he explained.

Some 150,000 square meters (1.65 million square feet) of land will be used for the project. The means of transportation in the city will be provided by electric vehicles.

"To continue the harmonious culture of Darülaceze, a mosque, church and synagogue are also built to provide religious service in terms of civilization, culture and humanity, the project will set an example to the world."

In addition, "There is a coffee house and restaurant in the city square. The Town has sidewalks and a bicycle path. There is a total of 900 beds consisting of 11 blocks and a reserved area with a capacity of 400 beds consisting of 5 blocks in case of need. Apart from the accommodation units, there are rehabilitation and social centers. And to engage the residents in healthy activities, a spa, physiotherapy and fitness center have been established to provide exercise and sports activities.

There is also a polyclinic in the city and a closed parking lot for 250 vehicles on the basement floor, and an open parking lot for 400 vehicles throughout the project. All kinds of needs will be met for the residents of Darülaceze and the children under protection."

Stating that the project is continuing, Cebeci said: "A similar type of project is planned to be built on the Anatolian side. Darülaceze is an institution that does not receive any financial help from the state but runs on volunteer work. Such projects require substantial costs and without the great support of our president, this project would not have been completed by public funds in a decade."