The ground plan for the Presidential Complex started in 2011. The
Council of Ministers decided that the Gazi compound should be turned into an "Urban Transformation and Development Project Area" for the purpose of constructing a
Prime Ministry Building in 2012. Soon after, the construction of the project started with the cooperation of the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the
Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the
Ministry of Forestry, the
Housing Development Administration TOKİ,
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and the Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board. On September 2, 2014, it was announced that the complex will function as the
official residence of the
Turkish Presidency, and that the
Çankaya Mansion (the previous Presidential residence) will serve as the official residence of the
Prime Minister. The inaugural opening of the complex was on the 91st anniversary of the founding of the republic of Turkey on October 29, 2014. The complex was bombed on 15 July 2016 as part of the
failed coup d'état attempt.
Design influences The buildings inside the complex are designed in accordance with
Seljuk and
Ottoman architectural traits, forming a synthesis.
Construction The building was constructed inside the
Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ), which was established by
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1925. In 1937, President Atatürk, acting as the
Mareşal, donated the farm to the state. In 1992 the farm was designated a first-degree protected site meaning that no construction should be done within its territory. On 4 March 2014, an administrative court in Ankara ordered the suspension of the palace's construction. The suspension order was supported by the
Turkish Council of State on 13 March. Erdoğan ignored the decision, saying "Let them tear it down if they can. They ordered suspension, yet they can't stop the construction of this building. I'll be opening it; I'll be moving in and using it". Finance minister
Mehmet Şimşek, quoted by Turkey's
Hürriyet newspaper, said the construction cost of the palace would be 1.37bn ($615m), most of which had already been spent, but another $135m had been budgeted for it in 2015. The complex was pejoratively called
Ak Saray (meaning "White Palace") as a reference to Erdoğan's
Justice and Development Party (AKP). Due to its construction being barred by the courts yet continuing regardless and alleged corruption, it is regularly referred to by some opposition politicians and supporters as the
Kaçak Saray (meaning "Illegal Palace"). According to the Ankara branch of the Chamber of Architects, the cost of the imported window glass is more than TL 700 million. The figure, based on estimates provided by glass suppliers on the cost of glass with similar qualities, is about half of the total official cost of the entire palace, TL 1.37 billion. There was also controversy due to the extensive use of imported marble at Euro 3,000 per square meter. According to a statement released by the Ankara branch of the
Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Bizassa marble imported from Italy will be used to decorate pools, bathhouses, saunas, and spas within the palace. The presidential palace had a natural gas bill of TL 2.4 million between October 2014 and May 2015, according to records released to the public. TMMOB also claims that 63 elevators and a number of carpets in the palace cost a total of TL 31.2 million, while gold-inlaid glasses found at the palace reportedly cost TL 1,000 each. Critics call the lavishness a waste of budgetary funds while Erdoğan has shrugged off the criticism, insisting that the palace, which he said will be called the "Presidential Complex", boosts Turkey's reputation. As of 2023, the Turkish Presidential Complex spent 1.08 billion Turkish liras ($39 million) in the first six months of 2023 for public procurement, 20 times more than the entire year of 2022. On 10 July 2015, the Turkish Council of State found that the construction of the palace violated the law and ordered it to be vacated. However, the Presidency has stated that the decision is
ultra-vires, citing Article 105(2) of the
Constitution, which reads "No appeal shall be made to any judicial authority, including the
Constitutional Court, against the decisions and orders signed by the President of the Republic on his/her own initiative".
First guests The inaugural opening of the presidential residence was on the 91st anniversary of the Republic. On the occasion of the celebrations of the
Republic Day, the president welcomed
officials of all branches of the government. Erdogan is well known to be an anti-smoking activist and compelled politicians to quit smoking as well as ordinary people he met on the street. In it, about 800 scissors Erdogan had used in inauguration ceremonies were on display. Erdogan began to collect inaugurational scissors in 2007, older ones were provided by project administrators. ==Buildings in the Presidential Complex==