I had just been appointed Consul General to Istanbul.
They said that Professor İbrahim Yıldırım wanted to visit me.
He arrived, and as soon as he sat down, he said: “We are relatives, do you know?”
“All Qazakhs are relatives,” I replied with a smile.
He adopted a serious demeanor and listed the names of all our ancestors, spoke about who married whom, from four or five generations ago up to the present day…
He was a living encyclopedia.
He had a large folder in his hand.
A problem had arisen concerning Azerbaijani medical students.
“You handle the Baku side, and I will handle the Istanbul and Ankara sides,” he said as he left.
We solved the problem together.
İbrahim Yıldırım was one of Turkey's first plastic surgeons.
He had graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. Since 1975, he had worked at St. Andrews Plastic Surgery Centre (Essex) in Great Britain, the Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at Edinburgh University, Canniesburn Plastic Centre in Glasgow, and St. Thomas Hospital in London, gaining extensive experience.
İbrahim Hoca had also attended courses at various hospitals and plastic surgery centers in Europe, such as Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Bochum, Nancy, and O'Toole.
In the early 1990s, he rendered exceptional services in the training of young Azerbaijani doctors in Turkey. Prof. İbrahim Yıldırım laid the foundation for cooperation in the medical field between the two countries by providing significant financial and organizational support for Azerbaijani students to receive professional education in Turkey. Today, İbrahim Yıldırım holds great credit for the development of dozens of renowned doctors working in Azerbaijan's healthcare system.
İbrahim Hoca's wife, Ms. Figen, is a descendant of Molla Vəli Vidadi.
When he spoke, he would mention dozens of colossal figures, from Vaqif, Vidadi, Seyid Nigari, Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi, the Qayıbovs, and the Vəkilovs, to those resting in their eternal abodes in Turkey today, and his small eyes would well up. He was proud of the blood flowing in his veins.
He was a true nobleman whom I knew. He was a patriot. His greatest wish was the return of our historical lands located on the border with Qazakh in present-day Armenia. When he said, “One day I will go with you from Qaraqoyunlu valley towards Göyçə,” I asked, “Hocam, isn't that a bit of a utopia?” His mood changed, he was about to say something, but then he refrained…
I last saw him in October 2024 at the presentation of the book “Azerbaijanis Whose Final Destination is Istanbul.” After the presentation, Ms. Nigar Axundova went to the piano, saying to İbrahim Yıldırım, “Especially for you.” İbrahim Hoca then said: “Come, let's take a picture with Ms. Niyar” (on our side, Nigar is called “Niyar”)…
Today, İbrahim Yıldırım himself became one of “Azerbaijanis Whose Final Destination is Istanbul.”
We lost a great Patriot and a great Ataturkist.
I share this heavy loss with deep sorrow, and I pray for God's mercy upon the deceased, and for patience and condolences to his family, relatives, and the medical communities of both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
