State Medal of Distinguished Service (Turkey)

State Medal of Distinguished Service (Devlet Üstün Hizmet Madalyası) is one of the three civil state decorations of Turkey. The medal was established on October 24, 1983 with the Law on Medals and Orders, Act No. 2933. It is rewarded to Turkish citizens, foreigners and organizations for distinguished service in contribution to the emerge of Turkish State through generous action, self-sacrifice, accomplishment or merit at home or abroad.

The medal is bestowed by the President of Turkey upon cabinet's approval on the proposal of a government minister, the speaker of the parliament or the chief of general staff.

To the medal belong a lapel pin and a certificate.

Design
The medal has an oval form and is 45 mm long. It is of gold plated metal. The medal's front depicts the Turkish moon and crescent with the initials "T.C." (abbreviation of "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti" for "Turkish Republic") in relief. The reverse depicts relevant symbols and motifs with the inscription "T.C. Devlet Şeref Madalyası" (Turkish Republic Medal of Distinguished Service). The medal is attached to a ribbon

The medal's lapel pin is in a rectangular form of 10 x. It depicts a composition in red and white with the initials "T.C." made of enamel on gold plate.

The medal and the lapel pin are minted at the national mint and printer (Darphane ve Damga Matbaası).

Notable recipients

 * İzzet Baysal businessman 1996
 * Sakıp Sabancı, businessman - 1997
 * Rahmi Koç, businessman - 1997
 * Fatih Terim, footballer and coach - 1998
 * Ahmet Çalık, businessman - 1999
 * Aydın Doğan, businessman - 1999
 * Gazi Yaşargil, medical scientist and neurosurgeon - 2000
 * Galatasaray S.K. football team - 2000
 * Turkey national basketball team - 2001
 * Turkey national football team - 2002
 * Şenol Güneş, footballer and coach of the national team - 2002
 * Haluk Ulusoy, President of Turkish Football Federation  2002
 * Şakir Eczacıbaşı, businessman and fotographer