Today in History – 21 December

A new manège for İstanbul

İsmet İnönü was passionate about horses since early days of his childhood. Therefore, he did everything in his power to help encourage horseback riding in Turkey and create opportunities for equestrians to improve their skills. The allocation of the Ayazağa Pavilion in Maslak to the Equestrian School for the construction of a new manège that was even unprecedented in the entire Balkan region was a perfect example of this support.

According to newspapers from that period, this initiative had revived the Ayazağa Pavilion, which had become a home to thousands of crows with its dilapidated walls. Construction began at once in the area allocated to the Equestrian School; the existing stables were expanded, changing rooms for horseback riders were prepared, and a club building was constructed. The inauguration of the manège was deliberately coincided with August 30th Victory Day.