\u201cWe will continue to protect the values that made our nation what it is, values that reflect the spirit and legacy of our glorious past bearing the marks and seal of our ancestors,\u201d Erdo\u011fan said.<\/p>\n
The event, organized under the theme \u201cFoundation Civilization in Architecture and Elegance,\u201d brought together foundation representatives, officials and civil society members at the Presidential Complex.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan noted the concepts of architecture, elegance, foundations and civilization complemented and enriched one another, describing T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s historical foundation culture as unique in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe historical, cultural and identity heritage we inherited combined architecture with elegance, crowned elegance with foundation services and transformed the foundation tradition into a civilization feast unparalleled in the world,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
Foundations, known as \u201cvak\u0131f\u201d in Turkish and Islamic tradition, historically funded a wide range of public services across the Ottoman Empire, including schools, hospitals, mosques, libraries and social welfare programs.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan said the tradition embraced all aspects of social life and extended beyond human needs to include environmental and animal protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Ottoman era, a person would be born in a foundation-funded house, grow up in a foundation-supported cradle, study using foundation books and even be buried in a foundation cemetery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also referred to historical examples ranging from providing ink to students and restoring shrines to protecting migratory storks and caring for abandoned patients.<\/p>\n
The Turkish leader thanked charitable organizations and volunteers dedicating their time and resources to humanitarian work without expecting anything in return.<\/p>\n
The president also criticized unnamed groups he accused of targeting foundations and associations while remaining silent about corruption allegations elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose whose only political direction is money, rent and personal interests target our foundations and associations at every opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that foundations operating in areas such as youth education, humanitarian aid and social solidarity continue to serve as \u201ca source of pride\u201d for the Turkish nation.<\/p>\n
Foundations Week is marked annually in T\u00fcrkiye with events highlighting the country\u2019s charitable and cultural heritage rooted in Ottoman and Islamic traditions.<\/p>\n
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