Kadir Topbaş

Kadir Topbaş was born on 8 January 1945 in Altıparmak village of Yusufeli, Artvin, and came to Istanbul with his family when he was only a few months old. His childhood and youth were shaped within his family’s life around Kasımpaşa and Beyoğlu. The pudding shop opened by his father Hüseyin Topbaş in Kasımpaşa in the 1930s later became Saray Muhallebicisi, one of the well-known establishments of Beyoğlu.

After Istanbul Imam Hatip High School, he studied at Marmara University Faculty of Theology and Mimar Sinan University Department of Architecture. He completed his doctoral work at Istanbul University Department of Art History and Archaeology on “Hidiv Kasrı and its place in Bosphorus civil architecture.” This educational background brought architecture, urban history and cultural heritage to the forefront of his professional life.

Kadir Topbaş worked for a time as an independent architect and served as deputy chairman of the Istanbul No. 1 Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Assets under the Ministry of Culture. His work on the protection and restoration of historical buildings and Istanbul’s architectural heritage formed an important part of his professional background before his mayoralty.

In 1999 he was elected mayor of Beyoğlu. In 2004 he became Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and continued in this office after the 2009 and 2014 elections. His mayoralty of Istanbul continued until 2017. This long period in office is remembered especially for transport investments, cultural centres, square and infrastructure arrangements, and the maintenance and restoration of historical buildings.

Kadir Topbaş also represented Istanbul municipal experience in international local government circles through offices such as president of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey and president of United Cities and Local Governments. His urban management experience thus gained visibility not only at the scale of Istanbul but also within global municipal networks.

He died in Istanbul on 13 February 2021. After the funeral prayer at Fatih Mosque on 14 February 2021, he was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.