Monument to Humanity

Monument to Humanity (Turkish: İnsanlık Anıtı, Armenian: Մարդկության հուշարձան, romanized: Mardkut'yan hushardzan, lit.'Monument of Humanity') was a nearly completed statue in Kars, Turkey. Created by Turkish artist Mehmet Aksoy, the 30-metre-tall (98 ft) monument stood atop Kazıktepe, across from the ancient Castle of Kars. Visible from neighboring Armenia, the statue depicted two halves of a man, each reaching to hold the other's hand. The monument was demolished in April 2011, only months after being criticized by then–prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "freak" or "monstrosity".