Türkiye on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the defeated July 15 coup attempt with commemorations stretching from Istanbul and Ankara to cities across the country, as citizens, officials, veterans and families of martyrs gathered for prayers, cemetery visits and public events honoring those killed while resisting the coup.
The nationwide commemorations paid tribute to the 253 people killed and thousands wounded during the coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), while ceremonies repeatedly emphasized national unity, democratic resistance and the need to preserve the memory of July 15 for future generations.
In Istanbul, one of the main centers of resistance on the night of the coup attempt, prayers were held for the victims at mosques across the city.
Under the coordination of the Istanbul Governor's Office and in cooperation with the Presidency's Directorate of Communications and the July 15 Association, mawlid ceremonies, religious gatherings featuring the recitation of prayers and devotional poetry in praise of the Prophet Muhammad and held in remembrance of the deceased, were organized before noon prayers.
Large numbers of worshippers gathered at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the Blue Mosque, Fatih Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Taksim Mosque, and Büyük Çamlıca Mosque, as well as mosques in districts across the city.
Verses from the Quran were recited, and religious songs were performed in memory of those killed during the resistance. At Taksim Mosque, worshippers joined prayers for the July 15 martyrs before Turkish delight was distributed in the mosque courtyard.
Elsewhere in the city, 253 taxi drivers marked the anniversary with a convoy from Istanbul Airport to Atatürk Airport, a symbolic location in the events of July 15.
The vehicles, decorated with Turkish flags, traveled together to Atatürk Airport, where citizens had gathered a decade earlier following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call to resist the coup attempt.
Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sülün said Atatürk Airport remained one of the symbolic locations of July 15 and recalled the role played by taxi drivers in mobilizing against the putschists.
"Not forgetting July 15 is not only about remembering the past, but also protecting our future," Sülün said.
Fatih Tuna, a board member of the July 15 Association, described the coup attempt as a historical turning point at which the nation defended its democratic will, recalling that taxi drivers were among those who joined the resistance at the airport.
In the capital Ankara, commemorations centered on Parliament, which was bombed by coup plotters.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş attended a Mawlid program at the Parliament Mosque, where Quranic verses and devotional poetry were recited in memory of police officers, soldiers and civilians killed while resisting the coup attempt.
Kurtulmuş and senior officials later laid carnations at the July 15 Martyrs Monument and the July 15 Memorial Stone, marking the sites where bombs struck Parliament during the coup attempt.
Across the Marmara region, commemorations centered on martyrs' cemeteries, mosques and historically significant sites, where officials and citizens laid carnations at graves and joined religious ceremonies.
Similar remembrance events were held across western Türkiye, bringing together martyrs' families, officials and citizens at cemeteries and mosques to honor those killed while resisting the coup attempt.
In southeastern Türkiye, communities gathered for memorial and religious programs, while Mediterranean provinces also marked the anniversary with prayers and remembrance events. In one of the day's largest religious tributes, 2,520 full Quran recitations were completed in memory of the July 15 martyrs.
