Sultan Abdulhamid II, the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was not only a ruler during the difficult period he ruled between 1876 and 1909; He also distinguished himself as a strategist, reformer and visionary statesman. Although he was subjected to black propaganda by the imperialists and their extensions as the ‘Red Sultan’, he was referred to as the ‘Great Hakan’ and ‘Sky Sultan’ by the Turkish-Islamic world.

Sultan Abdulhamid II, who was on the throne during the most difficult periods of the Ottoman Empire and ruled the state with great mastery for 33 years within a ring of fire, is commemorated with mercy on the 108th anniversary of his passing into eternity. Sultan Abdulhamid II, who reigned for 33 years during one of the most turbulent periods of the Ottoman Empire, went down in history as the last great ruler who kept the empire alive with his diplomatic intelligence, state mind and reforms. Sultan Abdulhamid passed away on February 10, 1918.

HE ATTACHED IMPORTANCE TO EDUCATION

Sultan Abdulhamid, who gave special importance to education during his reign, laid the foundations of the modern Ottoman education system. During his reign, high schools, sultans, teacher training schools and vocational schools were opened. Hejaz Railway Project is not just a transportation line; It went down in history as a strategic step that connected the Islamic world. Speaking to SABAH, Prof. Dr. Necmettin Alkan said, “The 33-year period of Sultan Hamid was recorded as a period of breakthrough for the state. The groundwork created by this breakthrough made serious contributions to the process of establishing modern Türkiye.” Noting that education has also been expanded, Alkan said, “Many vocational schools have been opened in agriculture, finance, law, veterinary medicine, commerce, agriculture and many other fields. Thus, primary and secondary education in the ‘Western style’ spread throughout the country under the supervision and with the help of the state. Abdulhamid II was instrumental in Türkiye’s introduction to constitutional government.”

In order to reach more foreign students with the Turkey Scholarships given by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), the YTB Cultural Ambassadors Meeting program was organized at Ibn Haldun University (IHU) Başakşehir Campus between 8-11 February. Within the scope of the program attended by 40 international students and 10 graduates from universities in Türkiye, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ibn Haldun University Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Rector of Ibn Haldun University Prof. Dr. Atilla Arkan and YTB President Abdulhadi Turus met with international students in the panel titled “Türkiye’s international education vision”.

THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS

Speaking at the panel, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ibn Haldun University, said, “While these turbulent processes are going on in the world, we see that Western civilization, which we see as the dominant power of the system with issues such as wars, genocides, conflicts, injustices, the rising right, fascism and radicalism, is no longer interested in these problems. Let alone producing these problems, it does not even take these problems into its agenda anymore.” Pointing out that Türkiye does not grant scholarships because they are a commercial source of income, Erdoğan said, “Therefore, it is very critical for us that our guest students and international students are individuals who know and promote Türkiye correctly in the countries they visit. This is a gain for our country.”

WE ARE DIFFERENT FROM WESTERN ORGANIZATIONS

Stating that Western aid organizations focus on the understanding of influencing the politics of the aided country and shaping its fate according to themselves, Erdoğan said, “Türkiye does not have such a problem. We provide aid to many countries without any real expectations.”

Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) announced the “Address-Based Population Registration System 2025 Results”. Accordingly, the country’s population, which was 85 million 664 thousand 944 as of 2024, increased by 427 thousand 224 people last year, reaching 86 million 92 thousand 168 people.

While the annual population growth rate was 3.4 per thousand in 2024, this rate increased to 5 per thousand in 2025. Although the increase rate increased compared to the previous year, the proportion of the population in the 0-14 age group decreased from 26.4 percent to 20.4 percent.

The rate of people residing in provincial and district centers was 93.4 percent in 2024 and 93.6 percent in 2025. The proportion of people living in towns and villages decreased from 6.6 percent to 6.4 percent.

The rate of the male population was recorded as 50.02 percent, and the rate of the female population was 49.98 percent.

The foreign population residing in Türkiye increased by 38 thousand 968 people compared to the previous year and was recorded as 1 million 519 thousand 515 people.

Within the scope of foreign national population, the highest number of people of Turkmenistan origin in Türkiye was (170 thousand 411), followed by Iraq (147 thousand 469), Afghanistan (132 thousand 707), Germany (111 thousand 218), Azerbaijan (92 thousand 830), Iran (91 thousand 672), Russia (75 thousand 914) and Syria (75 thousand 202). In Türkiye, where people from 143 different countries live, it was observed that there are 464 people living in Turkey who are not affiliated with any state through citizenship. ANKARA

ESENYURT EXCEEDED 1 MILLION

The population of Istanbul increased by 52 thousand 451 people compared to the previous year, reaching 15 million 754 thousand 53 people. When the population distribution by districts was examined, Istanbul’s Esenyurt district ranked first with 1 million 3 thousand 905 people. Thus, for the first time in Türkiye, the population of a district exceeded 1 million. Esenyurt was followed by Gaziantep’s Şahinbey district with 957 thousand 792 people.

THE RATE OF NEVER MARRIED IS HIGHER FOR MEN

When the distribution of marital status by gender in 2009 and 2025 in Türkiye was examined, it was seen that the rate of never-married men was higher than women, and the rate of women whose spouses died and divorced was higher than men. The rate of the population in the 15-64 age group was 66.5 percent in 2007 and 68.5 percent in 2025. The proportion of the population aged 65 and over increased from 7.1 percent to 11.1 percent.

In the operation carried out by Istanbul Public Order Branch Directorate Fraud Bureau teams, 40 members of the network who committed fraud with the promise of investment via Instagram were arrested. Within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 154 suspects were identified, including 50 companies that were established as fronts for the suspects, managers affiliated with these companies, 3 jewelery companies that were determined to be intermediaries in money laundering, 45 people who used their bank and crypto accounts for money transfers, and the suspects identified through TAPE records. It was learned that 44 of these people are currently in prison.

As part of the investigation, 68 suspects were detained in a simultaneous operation in 16 provinces centered in Istanbul. The suspects were sent to the courthouse after their procedures in Gayrettepe. Following their statements at the prosecutor’s office and the criminal judgeship of peace, 40 suspects were arrested and sent to prison. The other suspects were released with a judicial control order.

During the technical and physical monitoring, it was determined that the network members introduced themselves as “investment advisors” on social media and trapped citizens with the promise of high profits in a short time. It was determined that the money collected through the application named “IN.Pro” was transferred to 50 shell company accounts, and then sent to crypto platforms through different bank accounts and its traces were lost. According to initial findings, 5 victims suffered losses of approximately 120 million lira.

COMMISSION FOR IBAN

During the operation, people who were determined to have used their bank IBAN and crypto accounts to the fraud network were also detained. It was determined that these people received regular commissions, such as salaries, in exchange for using their accounts. It was learned that some of them claimed that they used their accounts at the request of their friends and did not receive any money.

After the February 6 earthquakes, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) went to the field to repair not only the destroyed buildings but also the souls of millions who were traumatized. The “Effort of the Century: The Healing Power of Education” report prepared by the Ministry of Education’s Strategy Development Directorate revealed the scope of psychosocial support studies carried out in the earthquake region for the first time in aggregate figures.

According to the report prepared by the Ministry of Education, 400 thousand people in the region benefited from individual and group-based supports with the participation of 44 thousand personnel in order to adapt to the normalization process. These supports; It included students, teachers and citizens affected by the earthquake.

Psychosocial supports for teachers were also discussed under a separate heading in the report. Psychosocial support services were provided to at least 16 thousand teachers. Teachers were supported in coping with post-traumatic stress, classroom adaptation and crisis management.

SCHOOLS BECAME PSYCHOSOCIAL RECOVERY CENTERS

According to the report, schools went beyond classical education areas in the post-earthquake period and became centers of psychosocial recovery. Guidance services were strengthened, psychological support rooms were created, group studies and adaptation activities were expanded. Game, art and sports-based activities came to the fore, especially for younger age groups. These methods aimed to help children express their emotions and regain their sense of confidence.

72 BILLION TL FOR BUILDING WORKS

The MEB report, consisting of 161 pages and 13 chapters, discusses in detail the aid activities carried out by the central and provincial organizations in the provinces directly affected by the earthquake. Within the scope of the work carried out in these provinces, 915 projects worth approximately 72 billion TL and the construction of 14 thousand 202 classrooms were completed. Approximately 85 thousand classrooms with minor damage were repaired, 233 schools with moderate damage and 2 thousand 965 classrooms were strengthened.

Participating in the ‘Building of the Century: Strong Türkiye’s Revival Vision Panel’ organized by the Directorate of Communications, Minister Kurum emphasized that CHP continues its policy of lies despite not hitting even a nail in the earthquake zone. The institution said, “They brag about sending garbage bins, but they do not like the 455 thousand houses we work day and night.” The following messages came to the fore in Minister Kurum’s speech:

‘WE GAVE THE ANSWER WITH 455 THOUSAND HOUSES’

Those who rubbed their hands saying ‘the government will be buried under this rubble’ pumped up fear with lies. They sabotaged our work by spreading false information. At this point, we have responded to all these lies with our 455 thousand houses standing tall. They still continue to lie. They brag about sending garbage bins, but they don’t like the 455 thousand residences we work day and night for.

He knows very well that there is no interest in disaster housing, and he persistently, knowingly, continues to lie, looking our nation in the eye. We say and explain, ‘As in all disasters, housing will be interest-free and at fixed prices,’ but they continue with the same lies. Supposedly, he will come out later and say, ‘I said so and they did it.’ No one will swallow this, Mr. Özgür. Don’t play with people’s minds.

‘THEY COULD NOT EVEN BUILD THE MOSQUE THEY PROMISED’

CHP Chairman: ‘Why are you thanking the minister?’ He scolds MPs and mayors. Here is the Grand Mosque in the middle. It’s still in its foundational stages. Rest assured, if the earthquake zone were at the mercy of CHP, all 11 of our provinces would be at the foundation stage today.

‘WE DID WHAT WAS SAID CANNOT BE DONE’

Speaking at the panel, Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran stated that the state and the nation wrote a strong revival story hand in hand after February 6, and said, “Turkey has done what was said to be impossible in this process. It has presented a new standard to the world with its human-centered approach.” Duran also stated that 366 journalists from 26 countries were hosted in Türkiye on the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake and that he saw the revival works in the earthquake region.