Ceremonies mark death of Atatürk

The 73rd anniversary of the death of the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is being commemorated throughout Turkey, in northern Cyprus and at Turkish diplomatic missions worldwide.

The commemoration events start at 9:05 a.m., with traffic being stopped and sirens being blared for two minutes, and flags around the country lowered to half-mast, where they will remain until sundown to mark the moment Atatürk died at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul 73 years ago.

The first ceremony today will be held at Anıtkabir in Ankara. State officials under the direction of President Abdullah Gül will lay wreaths at Atatürk’s mausoleum at 9:05 a.m., the exact moment of his death in 1938.

Expected to attend were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin and Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel. Other commemoration events will be held all around Turkey during the day.