The 107th anniversary of Turkey's Çanakkale victory during World War I was celebrated on Friday. However, the day, officially called Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs' Day, was a solemn occasion. All across the country, people visited the graves of soldiers and others killed in action, either during counterterrorism operations or in World War I.
The culmination of ceremonies and remembrance was in Çanakkale, where the Ottoman troops fought notable battles against invaders in the western province more than a century ago. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other dignitaries attended the events in Çanakkale, on a patch of the Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Peninsula where troops, including patriotic volunteers from all corners of the Ottoman Empire, fought against the Allied forces.
Erdoğan was joined by Parliamentary Speaker Mustafa Şentop, several ministers and Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), as his helicopter landed near the enormous Martyrs’ Memorial next to the graves of soldiers killed in World War I.
The president greeted a small crowd, including army veterans, and attended a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of the fallen. A row of naval vessels held a parade at sea, while an aerial stunt team of the army flew above to honor the fallen. Ministers presented the standard of an Ottoman unit to the president during the ceremony. Erdoğan kissed the standard before handing it to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and delivered an emotionally charged speech to mark the day.
The president said that the Çanakkale battles were a great saga of sacrifice, bravery and patriotism of the Turkish nation, “a glorious page of our history.” “We remember with respect and gratitude the martyrs who made the saying ‘Çanakkale cannot be passed’ real,” Erdoğan said.
Saying that the victory in Çanakkale is significant not only for Turkey but also for far-flung regions of the Balkans, the Middle East and other places, Erdoğan said: "Çanakkale expresses our shared fellowship." "Along with our own children, I would like to see the youth of the Balkans and Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia all come along here to get to know about their ancestors," Erdoğan added.
March 18 is the day when the Allied forces charging through the sea were defeated in 1915 by the resilience of outnumbered Ottoman troops who faced modern naval vessels with primitive artillery. They demonstrated remarkable feats of bravery during the clashes. Their victory stopped the naval campaign through the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) from reaching Istanbul, the then-capital of the Ottoman Empire, but the Allied Powers made another push over land to defeat the Turkish army, only to face a stronger resistance and a more fierce battle. The battle fought in Çanakkale was disastrous for both sides, with huge losses of life, but it was also the last great victory of an empire already in its death throes. More importantly, it inspired a nation struggling in the post-World War I period to unite under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and fight a War of Independence that ultimately lead to the creation of the modern Republic of Turkey.
Atatürk, then known simply as Mustafa Kemal, had demonstrated his military skills in Çanakkale with his tactics and resolution while facing the enemy forces.
Erdoğan said they also honored the martyrs who lost their lives in other battles, including during the War Of Independence, the Cyprus Peace Operation and counterterrorism operations, as well as while fighting against the July 15, 2016, coup attempt of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). “May Allah bless them and take them to his heaven,” Erdoğan said. “I also pay my respects to soldiers of other nations who fought here and sought to occupy these lands. They were here to occupy our soil, but they became our guests the moment they were buried here,” he said.
Commemoration ceremonies for fallen soldiers from Australia and New Zealand are traditionally observed in April, in another part of the Gallipoli Peninsula, where they made their landings in 1915.
The president quoted a poem by Mehmet Akif Ersoy, author of Turkey’s national anthem, honoring Çanakkale martyrs during his speech and said a nation “with faith, the will to die for its faith and a love for independence changed the course of history here 107 years ago.” “They proved that no force or gun is enough to stop a resolute nation ready to sacrifice themselves for their land and freedom.” He noted that Çanakkale and the ensuing War of Independence also inspired people in other countries under the yoke of colonial powers to fight for their freedom.
