We have lost the doyen of cultural heritage, Prof. Dr. Metin Sozen...

It is with deep sorrow that we have learned of the passing of our esteemed mentor Prof. Dr. Metin Sozen, who devoted his life to Turkiye's cultural heritage, waged a great struggle to make the historical, cultural and spatial accumulation of cities visible, and with whom we at TUROB always maintained close cooperation.

Throughout his life he carried out numerous studies and publications documenting the regional characteristics of Turkish architecture, and played a pioneering role in the inclusion of Safranbolu on the UNESCO World Heritage List. By founding the CEKUL Foundation, he became one of Turkiye's leading figures in the field of cultural heritage conservation.

A recipient of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye Distinguished Service Award and the Culture and Art Award, Prof. Dr. Sozen was not merely an academic; he was Turkiye's cultural conscience, historical memory and shared remembrance. In many cities of Anatolia, he was a man of culture who spoke in the language of the stone, the tree, the street, the region and the bazaar.

The funeral of our late mentor will be held following the afternoon prayer at Zincirlikuyu Mosque on Sunday, 3 August 2025.

We will continue to keep our cultural values alive, to protect them and to pass them on to future generations along the path he showed us. We pray for God's mercy upon our mentor; and we extend our condolences and wishes of patience to his family, his loved ones, his colleagues and the entire cultural heritage community.

Respectfully,
TUROB - Turkish Hoteliers Association

Muberra ERESIN
President