Turkey is an independent Turkic state (The Republic of Turkey was created after the overthrow of Sultan Mehmet VI Vahdettin by the new Republican Parliament in 1922) which has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE and the G-20 major economies. The beginning of 20th century has been for Turkey, still part of Ottoman Empire, a crucial moment: while fighting for independence, the Young Turk Revolution (July 3, 1908), as well as the Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912) and tensions with other European nations marked the end of the Empire.

Born in Costantinopoli, Leon Gurekian studied at Padri Mechitaristi Institute (Trebisonda ), and at Collegio Armeno in Venezia; he gained his degree in Architecture at Real Academy of Rome in 1895, when he also became Professor of Architectural drawing. In his early career, he designed and completed several works in Bulgaria, Costantinopoli and Prinkipo islands. In 1911, he designed the Ottoman Pavilion at the Exposition of Turin, and he is also nominated as representative of Ottoman Empire at the International Congress of Architects in Rome, but, because of the war Italy-Turkey in the same period, he decided to participate in the congress without any official duty.