Naim Süleymanoğlu Memorial House opens in Bulgaria

The project, carried out in cooperation with Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), and the Municipality of Mestanlı, was officially opened with a ceremony attended by high-level officials. Among the participants were Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, Bulgaria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ivan Peshev, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Sofia Mehmet Sait Uyanık, TİKA President Abdullah Eren, senior Turkish parliamentarians, and local religious leaders including the Muftis of İskeçe and Gümülcine.

In his remarks, Minister Ersoy emphasized that Süleymanoğlu, a nine-time world champion who set six Olympic and 46 world records, is one of the greatest legends in sports history. “He not only won medals, he became a symbol of courage and freedom,” Ersoy said.

The newly opened memorial house displays original belongings and a curated museum design supported by TİKA. The ground floor features an ethnographic exhibition representing daily life in Mestanlı during the 1970s, while the upper floor showcases artifacts, medals, plaques, and video materials documenting Süleymanoğlu’s athletic career in both Bulgaria and Türkiye. Minister Ersoy expressed hope that the museum will inspire future generations.

Türkiye’s Youth and Sports Minister Bak highlighted Süleymanoğlu as “a pride of Turkish sports who left a permanent mark on world sporting history.”

TİKA President Abdullah Eren recalled that Süleymanoğlu became a symbol of identity struggle for thousands of Turkish compatriots in Bulgaria, noting that the memorial house stands in the very building where the champion lived before moving to Türkiye. He added that the house’s ground floor, measuring 54 square meters, reflects the typical style of a Turkish home in 1970s Mestanlı.

Mestanlı Mayor İlknur Kazım said transforming the home into a museum “spiritually brought Naim back to his city,” adding: “Naim, you did not only lift the weight of the barbell, you lifted our hopes, our rights, our freedom.”

After a performance by Eypio, musician of the film Naim, the ribbon-cutting ceremony took place, followed by a tour of the Memorial House. Officials later gathered in the courtyard to distribute school bags and stationery supplies to kindergarten students.

Hundreds of visitors from Mestanlı and surrounding regions attended the opening of the new museum.