Representatives of the Hungarian and Turkish governments have visited the 16th-century tomb of Gül Baba in Budapest, a shrine to be reconstructed in a project co-financed by the two countries. Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister, Zsolt Semjén, said “the background to the scheme is excellent Turkey-Hungary relations”. He noted that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had agreed on the renovation during the latter’s visit to Budapest in 2013. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak referred to Hungarians and Turks as two peoples with “some rivalry” in the past but also with “strong kinship and friendship”. That friendship, he said, was promoted by dervish Gül Baba, a poet and soldier who had been sent to Buda in 1541 by Sultan Suleiman to set up a Bektashi monastery. Gül Baba was “an advocate of peace and co-existence”, therefore reconstruction of the shrine and its gardens is equally important for both parties, Kaynak said. The event was attended by Minister of National Economy Mihály Varga, the district’s parliamentary representative, who voiced hope that the project, planned to be completed by 2017 for 2.5 billion forints, would result in a “facility with novel content” for both visitors and the local community. Surrounding streets and parks will be reconstructed, plus a new museum and cafe.
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