Sivas is a city that stands out with Turkey's historical and cultural heritage. However, the Madımak Massacre, which took place in Sivas on July 2, 1993, is a painful event that plunged this beautiful city into darkness. The Madımak Incident is the event that resulted in the burning of the Madımak Hotel by a radical Islamist group during the Pir Sultan Abdal Festivals held in Sivas, resulting in the death of 33 writers, poets, thinkers and 2 hotel employees, mostly Alevi, by burning or suffocating from smoke.
The Madımak Hotel was the place at the center of the event. On July 2, 1993, a racist and radical group gathered in Sivas set the hotel on fire. Intellectuals inside were unfairly accused and declared enemies. These people had gathered for the sole purpose of expressing their ideas and displaying their artistic work. However, these aggressors with dark thoughts committed an insane act of violence.
This horrific event that took place in Sivas was an attack not only on intellectuals but also on democracy, freedom of expression and tolerance. The Madımak Massacre is one of the darkest pages in Turkey's modern history. This event is a reflection of the polarization and separation environment that the country is in.
The Madımak Massacre left a deep mark on Turkey's memory. Intellectuals, artists and thinkers lost their lives as a result of this brutal attack. These people defended the importance of freedom of knowledge, art and thought. Their destruction should be regarded as a collective loss of society.
Today, it is important to remember the Madımak Massacre and to learn lessons from the dark atmosphere of those days. This sad event highlights the need to protect democratic values, tolerance and freedom of expression. The existence of intellectuals and thinkers is critical for the progress and development of society.
The Madımak Massacre is a source of shame for humanity. We should not forget this sad event and pass it on to future generations. Only in this way can we prevent similar disasters from happening again. We should not forget that everyone has the right to express their opinions freely and this right is sacred.
The Madımak Massacre will remain as a deep wound in Turkey's collective memory. We hope that such dark events will never happen again and our society will unite on the basis of tolerance and respect. Overshadowed by the death of intellectuals, the Madımak Hotel will always live as a memory in our memories.
Those Who Lost Their Lives in the Madımak Massacre
- Muhlis Akarsu – 45 years old, artist
- Muhibe Akarsu – 44 years old, wife of Muhlis Akarsu
- Gülender Akca – 25 years old
- Metin Altıok – 53 years old, poet, writer, philosopher
- Mehmet Atay – 25 years old, journalist, photographer
- Sehergül Ateş – 29 years old
- Behçet Sefa Aysan – 44 years old, poet
- Erdal Ayrancı – 35 years old
- Asım Bezirci – 66 years old, researcher, writer[12]
- Belkis Cakir – 18 years old
- Serpil Canik – 19 years old
- Muammer Cicek – 26 years old, actor
- Nesimi Çimen – 62 years old, poet, artist
- Carina Cuanna Thuijs – 23 years old, Dutch academic[13]
- Serkan Dogan – 19 years old
- Hasret Gültekin – 22 years old poet, artist
- Murat Gunduz – 22 years old
- Gülsüm Karababa – 22 years old
- Uğur Kaynar – 37 years old, poet
- Asaf Koçak – 35 years old, cartoonist
- Koray Kaya – 12 years old
- Menekse Kaya – 15 years old
- Handan Metin – 20 years old
- Sait Metin – 23 years old
- Huriye Ozkan – 22 years old
- Yeşim Özkan – 20 years old
- Ahmet Ozyurt – 21 years old
- Nurcan Şahin – 18 years old
- Ozlem Sahin – 17 years old
- Asuman Sivri – 16 years old
- Yasemin Sivri – 19 years old
- Edibe Sulari – 40 years old, artist
- İnci Türk – 22 years old, Gazi University Faculty of Pharmacy student