The childhood home of legendary Turkish weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu — the “Pocket Hercules” who rewrote Olympic history — will open as a museum in Bulgaria on Nov. 18, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the early life of one of the sport’s greatest champions.
Located in the town of Momchilgrad, where the triple Olympic champion grew up, the house has been transformed into a memorial museum with support from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the move, adding that the site now stands as “a place of remembrance that will keep his struggle and determination alive for future generations.”
According to the ministry, the opening ceremony will be attended by Ersoy and Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak. On the same day, they will also inaugurate the newly completed Kırcaali Mosque, which is notable for being the only mosque in Bulgaria with a full religious complex.
Born on Jan. 23, 1967, in the Ahatlı village of Momchilgrad, Süleymanoğlu began weightlifting at the age of nine.
He emerged as a prodigy, winning two gold medals at the World Junior Championships at just 15. His extraordinary strength for his small stature earned him the nickname “Pocket Hercules.”
Süleymanoğlu became a symbol of resistance for Bulgaria’s Turkish minority during the country’s forced assimilation campaign in the 1980s.
After his name was changed to “Naum Shalamanov,” he defected during the 1986 World Championships in Melbourne and sought asylum at the Turkish consulate. With the support of then-Prime Minister Turgut Özal, he arrived in Türkiye, where he was greeted as a national hero.
Years later, Süleymanoğlu’s family home in Bulgaria — an original two-storey stone structure with 104 square meters of indoor space and a garden of 390 square meters — has undergone extensive restoration.
TİKA began working on the project in 2021, collecting personal belongings, awards, photographs and memorabilia from Süleymanoğlu’s family and close circle. The house was then restored in 2023, with doors, windows, floors and ceilings renewed in line with the original materials.
The ground floor has been arranged as an ethnographic display reflecting the years the Süleymanoğlu family lived there.
It includes original household items, traditional furniture, village-life objects and silicone figures of his parents, Hatice and Süleyman, and their three children.
The upper floor features two rooms dedicated to the athlete’s career.
One room focuses on his early years in Bulgaria, displaying medals, certificates, his primary school bag, items from his first weightlifting training sessions and a screen presenting his life story in his own words. It also includes a small corner designed for young visitors.
The second room highlights his sporting journey after seeking asylum in Türkiye, with a silicone figure of the athlete and displays of his training equipment, replica Olympic medals, competition outfits and state honors.
Over his career, Süleymanoğlu set 46 world records and dominated weightlifting for more than two decades. He died in Istanbul on Nov. 18, 2017, at the age of 50.
