Project
Bark
Category
Best Project of Public Building or Facility
About the project (provided by the applicant)
The proposal reinterprets Turkic funerary traditions within a contemporary architectural language. Rooted in the cultural meanings of the term bark—denoting mausoleum or monumental tent in Old Turkic inscriptions—the design conceptualizes death not as an end, but as a transition to another dimension.
Symbolic rituals, particularly the yuğ ceremony where mourners circled the funerary tent seven times, inform the spatial organization of the design. Seven distinct staircases embody this ritual. The form synthesizes the monumental permanence of Seljuk mausoleums and Tree of Life as a metaphor for rebirth and eternity.
Situated within the Ankara Botanical Garden, the memorial integrates with the natural slope through amphitheater-like spaces and a processional platform, creating a landscape of commemoration. Ultimately, BARK functions not only as a monument, but also as a cultural memory space, a ritual experience, and a symbol of cosmic continuity, where each martyr is a part of universe.
Location
Botanic Garden, Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey
Project design year
2025
Applicants
Osman Ziyaettin Yağcı, Hasan Söylemez, Mustafa Haki Eraslan
Our working group was established by members of the Department of Architecture at Karabük University. We have gained experience through various national and international competitions. The project we are submitting to the Golden Trezzini Awards is a proposal originally prepared for the national design competition of the Monument and Memorial Space for the Martyrs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Türkiye.
Authors of the project
Osman Ziyaettin Yağcı, Hasan Söylemez, Mustafa Haki Eraslan
Visualization
Osman Ziyaettin Yağcı, Hasan Söylemez, Mustafa Haki Eraslan
Status of the project
Conceptual design
