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Bursa builder with Thessaloniki roots turns heads for his Atatürk likeness

İlhan Güven, 63, a builder in Bursa, is often stopped for photos because of his resemblance to Atatürk. His family came from Thessaloniki.

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A gray-haired 63-year-old craftsman smiling on a street in Bursa, Turkey, said to resemble Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Image: Hürriyet

İlhan Güven, 63, does painting, roofing and plumbing jobs in the Osmangazi district of Bursa. On the street, people often stop him for another reason: he looks strikingly like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

Güven's family has a link to Atatürk's birthplace. His great-grandparents came to Bursa from Thessaloniki during the population exchange, the 1923 deal signed in Lausanne that moved Muslims from Greece to Turkey.

He says the reactions are warm. Some people get emotional when they see him, and children hug him and ask for photos. At first he refused. Now he says yes to everyone.

"Resembling Atatürk in looks is one thing," Güven says. Resembling him in mind, he adds, is far more something to be proud of. His story comes on the 88th anniversary of Atatürk's death, remembered across Türkiye today.

#ataturk#bursa#thessaloniki#population exchange#resemblance
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Bursa man resembling Atatürk draws attention · 2 updates

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  1. Turkey and Greece sign population exchange convention in Lausanne
  2. Bursa builder with Thessaloniki roots turns heads for his Atatürk likeness

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