From shepherd to President!

The road from shepherd to the Presidency...
7 Prime Minister for 10 years and 5 months with different governments...
The youngest (41) person ever to hold the office of Prime Minister...
Presidency between 1993 and 2000...

source

I do not like politicians, but some names deserve respect due to their structure, I think Süleyman Demirel was just one of those names!

He passed away in 2015 at the age of 90 due to respiratory infection and heart failure. I had the opportunity to visit the museum built in his name in the city where he was born and where items identified with him are exhibited.

The political leader, who lived in a modest village house and attended primary school in the village, worked as a shepherd in his village. I remember the life in village houses dating back many years from the accounts of many people older than me.

It is quite authentic to see the items belonging to the past life of a person who is not alive today. During my visit to Süleyman Demirel Museum, I experienced both emotional and admiring moments.

The most important of my admirations were the items and visuals describing his life in the village with his family. This painting from the first half of the 1900s belonged to his mother and was one of the images symbolising the Anatolian woman of those years.

It is clear that the fact that a name with many successes and failures during his political career is still well remembered is a reflection of his personality and the life he led in the eyes of the public.

Many projects he initiated and finalised are still standing today and pictures, brochures and newspapers from those days were on display throughout the museum.

This statue represents the last days of his political career.

This shirt belongs to Galatasaray and has the signatures of the players and technical staff of the team that won the UEFA Cup in 2000.

Most politicians touch our lives positively or negatively by what they do or do not do. Their work is open to constant criticism. As it should be, if you contribute to someone's life in one way or another, you will be rewarded with praise or criticism!

Instead of criticising or praising a politician, most of whom I have not lived and who is no longer alive, I choose to remember and commemorate him with the traces he left. His personality and career increase the value of the traces he left. When this is not only in his own city but also across the country, it gains even more meaning.

Among all the images and objects in the museum, these picture frames were my favourite. 100 years ago, it is enough to give important clues about home life. Cultural differences may prevent many people from understanding it, but it is important for me because I can understand the picture!

Süleyman Demirel Museum is perhaps more meaningful for those who lived through those times, for me it was a nostalgic journey. Some of them I remember because they took place in my own time, others I only heard, researched and read about!