[The following description of the Monument was posted in April 2002. On 17 May 2004, the day before the 60th anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich unveiled the Monument in a ceremony held on the campus of the Crimean State University in Simferopol. --Ed]

 

 

Crimean Tatar Monument of Rebirth

The monument will be constructed next to the nine-story building of the Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy and will comprise five sections, each representing a meaningful symbol or idea.

At the main entrance of the forty meter long park, there is the reflecting pool of "purification." It symbolizes the traditional belief of moral purification of a nation who has gone through a great ordeal and suffering in asserting its identity. The surface of the water in the pool represents the transition from the past to the present, from suffering to hope. The Gates of Regeneration lead to the center of the park.

The central alley, lined with five trees on each side, gradually ascends to a fountain. Plans call for prominent scholars and politicians to plant these trees, marking the outstanding events in the history of Crimean Tatars. In the middle of the path is a long, narrow pool with thresholds, again water symbolizing the purity and aspirations of our people. There are also lights, plants, and benches for rest and contemplation.

The central alley leads to an open space with a fountain and a stone housing a time capsule that will bear a message for the descendants of the 22nd century. The fountain symbolizes the accumulated wisdom of past generations. At the edge of the fountain is the bronze figure of Arzu Kiz, who has come to get some water. She is slender and beautiful, and a symbol of innermost feelings of past generations as expressed in folk art. "The Future," a sculpture representing the hopes and aspirations of Youth, is mounted on the semi-circular wall that marks the culmination of the planned monument. It is the image of the Milky Way, crowned by a bright star that calls on future generations to attain the greatest achievements of mankind.

The idea of building the Monument of Rebirth was initiated by Fevzi Yakubov, President (Rector) of the Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy. The Monument was designed by sculptor A. Aliev, and architects I. Nagaev, Z. Nagaeva, and Sh. Khalilov.

Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy

Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy is an institution of higher learning in Simferopol, Ukraine. Established in 1994, it aims to provide the region with highly qualified engineering personnel and educators who will help rebuild Crimean Tatar society and promote the revival of their native language and culture in their ancestral land, the Crimea.

The University consists of three departments:

  • Engineering department with majors in car engineering, technical machinery, labor protection, and accounting.
  • Department of Pedagogy with majors in primary education, applied arts, music education, and painting.
  • Department of Philology with majors in Crimean Tatar, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian.
The University has five research laboratories, three computer classrooms, mechanic shops, a center specializing in the methodology of teaching different subjects, and a library with more than 30,000 books. Currently, over 4,000 students enrolled in the Institute, which employs 200 instructors. 80% of the students are Crimean Tatars.

Being a new developing establishment, Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy lacks adequate resources to carry out its mission fully. In the past, the Institute received financial support from the members of Crimean Tatar diaspora in Turkey, and maintains an exchange program of teachers at the university level. It continues to seek support in terms of technical equipment, computer programs, effective teaching materials as well as exchange programs for students and instructors.

To find out how you can contribute to the Monument of Rebirth or support the programs of the University, please contact:

Office of the President
Crimean State University of Engineering and Pedagogy
Sevastopolskaya St., Uchebniy pereulok, 8
Simferopol 95015
Crimea, Ukraine
E-mail: yakubov-f@ukr.net
Phone: 38 0652 249 495
FAX: 38 0652 241 506
or
Fauziya Ablyakimova
E-mail: afauziya@hotmail.com

The information about the Monument of Rebirth and the Crimean State University was provided by Fauziya Ablyakimova.