Türkiye bids farewell to unparalleled intellect Alev Alatlı
The writer Alev Alatlı bid farewell after the funeral prayer performed at Eyüp Sultan Mosque following the midday prayer, Istanbul, Türkiye, Feb. 3, 2024. (AA Photo)


The writer and thinker Alev Alatlı, who underwent treatment in the hospital due to multiple organ failure, was laid to rest on her final journey on Saturday.

The funeral prayer, performed after the midday prayer at Eyüp Sultan Mosque, was attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan, as well as Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy, numerous high-ranking bureaucrats and prominent figures from the culture and arts community.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attends the funeral ceremony of the writer and intellectual Alev Alatlı, Istanbul, Türkiye, Feb. 3, 2024. (AA Photo)

Former Religious Affairs President Mehmet Görmez, who performed the funeral prayer, stated that Alev Alatlı was always a person with beautiful words and a melodious voice. He emphasized that she was a fellow thinker sharing the concerns of our nation and civilization. He described her as an intellectual who did not succumb to intellectual arrogance, always being a sister to every thinking individual and each new generation.

First lady Emine Erdoğan attends the funeral ceremony of the writer and intellectual Alev Alatlı, Istanbul, Türkiye, Feb. 3, 2024. (AA Photo)

Presidential Culture and Arts Policies Board Acting Chairperson professor Iskender Pala also described Alatlı as a person beneficial to Türkiye and the world. "With her actions, she presented an exemplary model of Turkish women. All her efforts, conscience and even her book 'Batıya Yön Veren Metinler' ('Texts Guiding the West') alone have contributed to an elevation in the mindset of the Turkish intelligentsia. She was deeply involved in education. Even though she would start her writings with 'Fesüphanallah' ('God forbid'), she always wished for the well-being and beauty of society. We worked together for many years on the Culture and Arts Policies Board," he said.

The funeral prayer was attended by professor Iskender Pala, the acting chair of the Presidential Culture and Arts Policies, Istanbul, Türkiye, Feb. 3, 2024. (AA Photo)

After the funeral prayer, Alev Alatlı's body was laid to rest in the Mihrişah Valide Sultan Cemetery in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district.