In the late 19th century conservatives in the Ottoman Empire were strongly opposed to the Tanzimat reforms (which had begun in 1839) and other liberalisation processes and hoped to re-affirm Sultan Abdulhamid II's powers as an absolute monarch.

An uprising that began on April 13, 1909 (March 31, 1325 AH in the Rumi calendar) caused the democratic process to be interrupted once again although the forces of the Hareket Ordusu (Turkish for "Army of Action") that came from Rumelia, under the command of Mahmud Șevked Pasha, suppressed the countercoup on July 23, 1909.

Abdulhamid II was deposed by the Committee of Union and Progress ("Young Turks"), the foremost constitutionalist party, and sent into exile in Salonica (modern Thessaloniki), which was at that time one of the largest cities of the Ottoman Empire.

Seen today as a symbol of modernity, democracy, and secularism in Turkey,[2] the monument now serves as a venue for some official ceremonies and public gatherings.

Remains of four high-ranking officials of the Ottoman Empire were later buried here too: The monument serves as a meeting point for democracy and civil rights demonstrations in Istanbul.