In the late 1980s, a group of devoted academics and experts came together as they witnessed the quiet disappearance of historic urban textures across Anatolia. They said, “Nature and culture must be preserved together.” This sentence became the founding principle of the ÇEKÜL Foundation, established in 1990 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Metin Sözen. And for the past 35 years, this principle has taken root in dozens of cities across Turkey.
The story of the ÇEKÜL Foundation is actually all of our story: loving the cities we live in, protecting our collective memory, and approaching nature with deep respect… It is a network of solidarity built by those who believe that every stone has a story and every tree holds a memory.
Over time, we traveled across Anatolia under the motto “7 Regions, 7 Cities”; we stepped into a historic mansion in Safranbolu, met master stonemasons in Midyat, followed the traces of Mimar Sinan in Kayseri. Meanwhile, we documented urban memory by creating cultural inventories, helped establish city museums, created reforestation areas, and developed policies in collaboration with local governments to safeguard cultural heritage.
Through the ÇEKÜL Future Academy, we provided conservation training to a wide audience—from municipal employees to dedicated volunteers. We organized activities to help children reconnect with nature. With our “100,000 Trees” campaign, we brought life back to the soil in many cities.
The memory of all these efforts has been carefully preserved in the ÇEKÜL Information and Documentation Center. Housing archives, maps, posters, thousands of books and documents, the Center has become a vital reference hub for everyone working in the field of conservation. Through our publications, we multiplied and disseminated knowledge.
Today, when we look back, we see that the ÇEKÜL Foundation is not only a civil society organization, but also a movement of memory—one that protects Turkey’s natural and cultural heritage. And perhaps most importantly, this journey still continues…
For 35 years, with the same passion and persistence, we proudly say: “We exist through nature and culture.”
