Turkey’s 100-foot “Peace and Brotherhood” monument might have been intended as a symbol of friendship with neighboring Armenia when it was erected in Kars in 2006. But one person who didn’t see it that way was Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who panned the sculpture as “a monstrosity” and “weird” while bemoaning its location near an 11th century Islamic shrine.
As the BBC is reporting, the Turkish premier is getting his way, as demolition crews overrode widespread protests and began dismantling the sculpture on Tuesday. The entire process is expected to last 10 days. Still, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the statue’s impact may live on as an unlikely icon in Turkey’s election campaign.
There’s no telling what Erdogan might have done if artists had decided to erect an effigy of Peter the Great, Michael Jackson or even Sylvester Stallone as Rocky — all of which exist in spectacularly over-the-top glory elsewhere in the world — in his country.
‘Peace And Brotherhood’ — Turkey
Turkey began demolishing the 100-feet “Peace And Brotherhood” monument near its eastern border after the prime minister slammed it a “monstrosity.” The entire demolition process of the statue — dedicated to friendship with neighboring Armenia — is expected to take about 10 days, although sculptor Mehmet Aksoy is said to have vowed to re-build it elsewhere, the AFP is reporting.
via Turkey-Armenia Friendship Statue Dismantled: A Look At The World’s Ugliest Monuments (PHOTOS).
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