We had the privilege of hearing about the fascinating history of the Büyük Apartman—commissioned by Vehbi Koç in 1928 as a commercial building and one of the first modern structures on Ulus Anafartalar Street—from Prof. Dr. Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu, one of our country’s leading historians.

In this building, which now serves as the Vehbi Koç Ankara Studies Research Center following a restoration, we explored the multi-layered history of Palestine from the Ottoman era to the present day by touring the “Palestine from Above” exhibition, guided by Ms Arzu Beril Kırcı. 

As part of our visit, we also visited the VEKAM Library and Archive.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone involved in the programme, particularly VEKAM Director Prof. Yenişehirlioğlu.