Tevfik Sırrı Gür, the governor of Mersin Province in office between 1943 and 1947, was instrumental in building the monument.
It was erected in 1944 on 23 April, the 24th anniversary of the foundation of Turkish parliament. Its creator was Turkish sculpture professor Kenan Yontunç, who had created a number of Atatürk statues before.
Technical details
The monument is a composed of a marble dais and a bronze statue of Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey in military uniform. The height of the statue is 3.3 metres (11 ft).
The dais is a raised platform which is situated in front of the statue.