Birkan Uzun’s name will live on at the highest peak of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Selvili Tepe or Mount Selvili, which is the highest point of the Five Finger Mountain range, was renamed on Wednesday as Birkan Uzun Selvili Tepe in memory of the Turkish Cypriot mountaineer who passed away in a tragic accident two years ago.

A ceremony was held at Selvili Tepe where signs with his name were placed.

In late 2021 Birkan Uzun had placed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) flag on the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest point in Antarctica.

Uzun, a 28-year-old investment consultant in Washington state, was on a mission to complete the Seven Summits, a mountaineering challenge that includes climbing the highest mountain peaks on each of the seven continents.

His life was cut short due to a skiing accident in the US in 2022.

Signs with the peak’s new name were placed with a ceremony held on Wednesday attended by Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı, family and friends.

Speaking first at the ceremony, Birkan Uzun’s father Cengiz Topel Uzun said that they were experiencing a very emotional day.

He thanked the Council of Ministers over its decision to rename the peak after his son.

“My son’s last words after making it to the top of Mount Vinson were that you can succeed in achieving anything you set your mind to. No one can prevent you, the embargoes cannot prevent you. Everything is in the mind and in the heart,” Cengiz Topel Uzun said.

Also speaking, the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı said that the late Birkan Uzun who was successful both in his academic and work life was one of the most important successes for the TRNC.

“Birkan Uzun worked to promote his flag, his country and his people wherever he went. His goal was to climb the highest mountain peaks on each of the seven continents. His death was a great loss to all of us,” he said.

Delivering the final speech, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that Birkan Uzun’s name and memory will be kept alive in maps and geography books, his ideals, goals and successes passed onto future generations.

Üstel pointed out that Turkish Cypriot youth were working hard to break the embargoes imposed on them.

“Birkan Uzun was one of those young people. He had come very close to achieving his goal of climbing the highest peaks of the seven continents,” Üstel said, calling on the new generations to take Birkan Uzun as an example.