The recently renovated Museum of Barbarism was reopened to the public on Wednesday with a ceremony attended by state and government officials.

The museum’s renovation was carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

It has been 59 years since the wife and three children of Major Dr Nihat İlhan who was stationed in Cyprus, were killed in the bathroom of their home by Greek Cypriots on December 24, 1963.

His wife Mürüvvet along with his three children, 6-year-old Murat, four-year-old Kutsi and six-month-old Hakan were gunned down in a night raid.

Since then, the home, later converted into a museum, remains a stark reminder of the Greek Cypriots’ brutal campaign to wipe out all Turkish existence on the island.

The museum was reopened to the public with a ceremony attended by President Ersin Tatar, the Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, the Turkish Minister for Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Ali Murat Başçeri, the Commander of the Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus Major General Sezai Öztürk, the Commander of the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces Zorlu Topaloğlu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu as well as other state and government officials.

Following a minutes silence and the reciting of the national anthem, speeches were delivered by President Ersin Tatar, the Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu and the son of the late Major Nihat İlhan.

During the speeches, the state and government officials said that the attack carried out on December 24, 1963 was a massacre.

They pointed out that the newly restored museum told the story of the Turkish Cypriot people’s just cause.

The support of motherland Türkiye to the Turkish Cypriot people in all fields was also emphasized during the speeches delivered.

Following the speeches, President Tatar and the accompanying state and government officials toured the museum.