="justify">Kars is the city which is closest to Armenia from Turkey. Mehmet Aksoy, a prominent Turkish artist, designed a sculpture and called it the ‘Paragon of Humanity.’ A 130-m high monument will be erected on top of Kaz?ktepe Hill situated just across the ancient castle of Kars. It will be a symbol of peace

2eastern province of Kars, a call for peace and friendship will reach, wave after wave, the Republic of Armenia, and from there to every corner of the Caucasus.

    Kars is the closest point in Turkey to Armenia. From Kars, the two countries are only a half hour apart. Despite that, the people of the two countries do not know each other and, because of that, mutual prejudices can never be overcome. This is because close contact is not possible between the two peoples, Turks and the Armenians. Leaving aside the diplomatic and political problems between Turkey and modern-day Armenia, the largest problem between the two societies is an absolute failure to establish a dialogue between Turks and Armenians. At this point, civil society initiatives and artists from both countries have much to do.

  Mehmet Aksoy, a prominent Turkish artist, arguably one of the world's greatest sculptors, is readying what he calls the “Paragon of Humanity,” a 130-meter high monument to be erected atop Kaz?ktepe Hill situated across from the ancient castle of Kars. About 14 meters of the monument has so far been completed. A “V” symbolizing peace will rise toward the sky from a spot four meters from the monument. Tears, symbolizing pain, will fall from the eyes of the Paragon and will be visible from all of Armenia and the Caucasus. These teardrops will glitter with the help of laser lights at night.

  Aksoy, speaking to the Turkish Daily News, said, “we Turks and Armenians are sisters and brothers. Now, it is time for both of us to open our hearts to each other and heal our traumas.” Aksoy's greatest dream is to see yet another peace and friendship monument rise from Armenian side, opposite the “Paragon of Humanity.”

  The opening ceremony for the “Paragon of Humanity” will be held on Sept. 1,World Peace Day. “I would like to invite my family and world-famous musician Bob Dylan, whose ancestors migrated from the Ka??zman district of Kars a few generations ago, to the opening ceremony for the Paragon,” said Aksoy and added, “Dylan is also from a family of Armenian descent.”

 

Hands to reach peace

  The idea of a Paragon first appeared on the agenda three years ago. Then it became a project with the initiative of Kars Mayor Naif Alibeyo?lu. Aksoy said the project was suspended for a period due to prejudices and opposing views of some groups. Despite that, Aksoy did not suspend his studies and continued to produce projects regarding the Paragon, even though he thought turning his idea of the “Paragon of Humanity” into reality was no more than a dream. Aksoy explained his attitude; “Brothers have been enemies to each other since the time of Abel (Habil) and Cain (Qabil). Now, it is time for peace between the brothers.”

  Aksoy designed the “Paragon of Humanity” in the form of a human body divided in half. Two halves of the same body will be positioned to look at each other face to face and a wall will rise in the middle. A hand will reach out to the sky. “The hand will serve as a call for amity and humanity,” he said and added that he has faced problems from some circles that have speculated about the Paragon's hand. Aksoy said, replying to negative comments about it, “the extended hand belongs to the body divided into two halves. That is to say, the hand belongs to neither of the parts. It is the part of a single body.”

  Gender of the huge sculpture will be uncertain. Aksoy said his aim in doing that was to attract attention to the phenomenon of “human.” A teardrop, nine-meters in diameter, will fall from the Paragon's eye. “Teardrops are falling down from the eyes of God for the cruelty that one brother commits against another,” said Aksoy and noted that holy books were the source of his inspiration.

 

‘I am tied from the bottom of my heart to people of this land'

  “Hostility between Turks and Armenians has been perpetually fuelled,” said Aksoy, and he hoped for a victory of “love” soon. Living in Berlin for many years, the artist said, “Rums [Greeks with Turkish nationality] and Armenians were my best friends during all those years that I was far away from my home country. Those people are still tied from the bottom of their hearts to Turkey. And so am I.”

  For Aksoy, problems similar to those between Turks and Armenians can also be seen all around the world. He said the basic reason for those problems is a lack of belief and love and added, “Man has produced incredible technology but has failed to take even a tiny step in the name of humanity and love.” External interventions further fuel the problems between Turks and Armenians, said Aksoy. “If they leave us alone with each other, we would definitely overcome our problems. But this does not suit some people's interests.”

  Aksoy has already begun talking with local residents about his sculpture. “I tell them about love and friendship, that we have lived on the same land for centuries.” He concluded, “let's embrace each other, no matter who is Turk, who is Armenian or who is Kurd. As an artist, I just would like to hope. It is impossible for me to live without hope.”

  Mehmet Aksoy was born in Hatay in 1939. In 1969, he attended the Istanbul Fine Arts Academy Sculpture Department. With a state scholarship, he went to London to continue his education in 1972. Between 1972 and 1978, he served as a founding member and president of the Berlin Association of Turkish Academician Artists. Aksoy is the recipient of several national and international awards, such as the second-place prize in the Luthar Platz Sculptural Competition (1982), the second-place prize in the Bundengartenschen Sculptural Competition (1985) and the Rumi Peace Award.