Taksim Square

Taksim Square is defined by the eleven-meter-tall Republic Monument at its center, a bronze and stone sculpture group featuring Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and other founders of the Turkish Republic. Erected in nineteen twenty-eight, the monument was designed by the Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica and portrays the nation’s history on two sides. One face depicts Atatürk in military uniform during the War of Independence, while the other shows him and his comrades in modern civilian clothing, symbolizing the transition to a new era.