6,000 people honor Atatürk’s memory by forming his portrait

ANKARA

AA Photo

Some 6,000 people formed a giant portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, with their bodies on Aug. 26, the anniversary of the 1922 Battle of Dumlupınar, one of the final battles in Turkey’s War of Independence.

The record-breaking gesture of respect took place in the courtyard of Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, in the Turkish capital city of Ankara.

This week is marked as the Victory Week and Victory Day is marked on Aug. 30, in respect to the final battle before the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923.

People over the age of 13 were called on to wear black and join the event at Anıtkabir, with the organizers saying the event would mark a new world record. An official crew from Guinness World Records was present to adjudicate the attempt.

Participants were allowed to take part in the event, which took three-and-a-half hours, upon permission from the General Staff, which also provided their needs during the event.

Similar attempts took place with 2,400 people in İzmir on Nov. 10, 2012, the anniversary of Atatürk’s death, and with 5,990 people in Bursa on Oct. 29, 2013. However, neither event was registered as a world record.