Monument of the Republic

In Istanbul, there is a known landmark in the middle of Taksim Square called the “Monument of the Republic”. It is a statue that honors the Turkish Republic in 1923. There seem to be many protective element that ward off superstitious evil in Turkey, but this statue, like the Nazar (or evil eye) is thought to ward off reminent taboos from the Ottoman empire. The statue stands at 36 feet high and shows the founders of the Republic such as the well known Kemal Ataturk who faces northward. This side depicts he and his comrades in the earlier days looking toward the popular shopping street, Istiklal Caddesi.