Türkiye’s Koc Holding eyes Ottoman villa in Greece for cultural initiative
Exterior view of Villa Allatini, a three-story Baroque building constructed during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II of the Ottoman Empire. (Photo via wikipedia.org)
Koc Holding, Türkiye’s largest conglomerate, is reportedly planning to purchase the historic Allatini Villa in Thessaloniki, Greece, with the intention of transforming it into an institute focused on Turkish-Greek relations, according to Turkish media reports.
Omer Koc, chairman of Koc Holding, recently visited Thessaloniki to inspect the villa, which was originally constructed during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II.
The Turkish newspaper Analiz reported on Saturday that Koc Holding, which currently owns the historic Abdulmecid Efendi Mansion in Istanbul, aims to repurpose the Allatini Villa, currently serving as the Macedonian Governorate, as a center for fostering Turkish-Greek dialogue and collaboration.
Villa Allatini: House of an exiled sultan
Sultan Abdulhamid II was exiled to the Allatini Villa in 1909 following the uprising known as the 31 March Incident, during which the “Action Army” seized control of Istanbul. He spent his exile there alongside 38 members of his family.
The three-story building, commissioned by Moise Allatini and designed by architect Vitaliano Poselli, hosted Sultan Abdulhamid and his family until 1912.
