First Lady Gül’s legacy: Silent powerhouse

It was my first time in the Çankaya Presidential Palace after 10 years. I have covered Süleyman Demirel’s presidency as a reporter, but it was a different place then. So when I received the invitation for the final reception hosted by President Gül and Mrs. Gül, I was sure that this was going to be exciting. And so it was.

Before getting into the political debate of it all, we as a nation, owe a big thanks to Mrs. Gül for transforming the palace into a place we all can be proud of. Demirel and Sezer used and lived inside the Çankaya, but never thought of turning that place into a showcase of the Republic. Maybe priorities were different, maybe they were coming from a more modest generation. But despite all of the criticism about the cost of it, let us be proud of Mrs. Gül’s Çankaya, because we are a part of it.

The walls are full of paintings, the stairways, halls and corridors are bright. There are flowers everywhere. Sculptures surprise you on the steps to the main ceremony hall. Young staff greet you with smiles and make sure you get properly entertained. Portraits of former presidents cover the walls of the connecting corridors. And a gigantic portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic greets you on the stairway, reminding you how we became a nation after all.

The final reception was almost like the receptions in the White House. From basketball stars, to TV celebrities, from business tycoons to religious leaders, the main ceremony hall was full of people who wanted to bid farewell to a president in Ankara, but also welcome him and his wife to a new life in Istanbul.

Mrs. Hayrünnisa Gul is a symbol of typical Turkish women: A silent powerhouse who stands by her man. A...