The Statue of Diogenes () is a monument to the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

philosopher

Diogenes of Sinope Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope (c. 413/403–c. 324/321 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism. Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critiques of social conventi ...

, who was born in

Sinop Sinop can refer to: * Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea ** Sinop Nuclear Power Plant, was planned in 2013, but cancelled in 2018 ** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port *** Russian ship ''Sinop'', Russian ships named after the ...

, ancient Asia Minor,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in about 412 BC. Sinop (then known as Sinope) is the birthplace of Diogenes in the 5th century BC. Sinop municipality decided to erect a statue of Diogenes. Its creator was Turan Baş of the

Ondokuz Mayıs University Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) is a major state university founded in 1975 in Samsun, Turkey. The university bears the name “19 May”, which marks the date when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, came to Samsun in or ...

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

. The statue was erected in 2006. It is situated at the center of the narrowest point of Sinop Peninsula isthmus. Other historically notable places of the city (like

Sinop Fortress Prison Sinop Fortress Prison () was a state prison situated in the inside of the Sinop Fortress in Sinop, Turkey. As one of the oldest prisons of Turkey, it was established in 1887 within the inner fortress of the centuries-old fortification located on ...

) are close to the monument. The tall statue depicts Diogenes the Cynic standing with his dog on his dwelling barrel and searching for an honest man in the far with his lamp in the hand. According to the Turkish daily newspaper ''

Milliyet ''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. History and profile ''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950 ...

'', some politicians criticized the decision of the municipality on the ground that Diogenes searched for an honest man and thus insulted the honest people of Sinop. However, that legend had been originated in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and not in Sinop.

References

{{commons category, Diogenes statue in Sinop Buildings and structures in Sinop, Turkey Statues in Turkey Buildings and structures completed in 2006 Tourist attractions in Sinop, Turkey Cultural depictions of Diogenes Sculptures of men in Turkey 21st-century architecture in Turkey