Historical site of Gallipoli Peninsula to be better promoted

The Gallipoli Peninsula will be converted into an open-air museum as a part of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

The president of the Gallipoli Campaign and the History of Gallipoli Division of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Gürkan, told an Anadolu Agency correspondent that the region will undergo a make-over within the scope of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Gallipoli. He announced that the "national park" status of the region will be removed and they will make new arrangements to increase the recognition of the peninsula as well as help visitors gain a better understanding of the importance of the great victory. Gürkan also heralded that the historical peninsula will be introduced to tourism as an open-air museum.

The trenches and emplacement in the region will be excavated, similar to archaeological excavations in accordance with Gürkan's report. "I believe that we will gather more details about the battle once the excavations begin and all the preparations for the open-air museum are finished. I am certain that we will acquire new documents and information and they will help us reach more details in to the history of the peninsula as well as the Battle of Gallipoli," he said. He claimed that once the region is converted into an open-air museum, the visitors will not need anybody to inform them about the history as they will be able to understand it all from the surroundings. "They will directly be informed about the region via the museum, the documents and signboards. The visitors will be able to comprehend the spirituality and the importance of the region. That is our primary target for now," he said.

Gürkan informed that they will complete all plans and projects following the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli and commence the construction of the museum after they consult all segments of the society. Stating that the museum will display animations and models and enable visitors to examine the open trenches, Gürkan noted the excavations will reveal the places which are depicted in the photographs taken during the war.