First Lady Emine Erdoğan attended an event marking the launch of the book “Gül Baba and Religious Heritage in Ottoman Hungary” at the Gül Baba Tomb in Budapest on Thursday, as she said she believes the literary work would further boost Türkiye-Hungary friendship.
The first lady was in Budapest to accompany President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who attended the European Political Community Summit in the Hungarian capital.
After visiting the Gül Baba Tomb, whose restoration was completed by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in 2018, Emine Erdoğan attended the event of the book published by the Turkish agency.
In a message she wrote on the guest book of the tomb, the Turkish first lady expressed happiness about being able to meet around the heritage of Gül Baba, on the centenary of the Turkish-Hungarian friendship agreement. She continued by saying that she was excited to witness the restoration work of TIKA, which she said was crowned with a new book.
“I believe that this book, which explores the traces of Ottomans in Hungary with Gül Baba, will further strengthen the friendship between Türkiye and Hungary,” the first lady said, adding that the cultural heritage of the world shows the reality that each person is a member of humanity.
In a social media post, the first lady said the tomb is a sacred heritage, a memory of mutual values shared with respect and love.
“I hope that this significant work illuminates the future and leads to the creation of many bridges of love,” she said.
The octagonal tomb of Gül Baba [Father of Roses], an Ottoman Bektashi dervish poet and companion of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, was built between 1543 and 1548 in Budapest.
As one of the few remnants of Turkish rule in central Europe, the tomb has been protected by Hungarian authorities to date.
It was initially restored by Hungarian experts in 1963 after being damaged during World War II. Since then it has been designated as a museum and opened to the public.
