Gallipoli Peninsula keeps centuries-old war memories alive

ÇANAKKALE

With the help of restoration and conservation works, the centuries-old war materials used during the Çanakkale Wars (Gallipoli Campaign) and each of which tells a heroic story of Turkish soldiers are carefully looked after, keeping the memories alive for future generations.

The military clothing of that period and items used in daily life are exhibited in museums and preserved in warehouses, and the restoration works have been carried out to prevent corrosion in most of the materials such as rifles, pistols, swords and cannonballs.

Visitors to the historical area also have the opportunity to see the memories of Çanakkale heroes after more than a century since the war.

Turkey won the Çanakkale Naval Victory on March 18, 1915, against the allied states after a war that lasted eight and a half months in the northwestern province of Çanakkale, where one of the most violent wars in history took place.

The historical Gallipoli Peninsula, where the Gallipoli Campaign took place, welcomes its visitors as an open-air museum with its martyrdoms, monuments and veteran castles, while museums exhibit war materials, each of which has a heroic story of Turkish soldiers.

The Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historical Site Directorate has formed the Restoration and Conservation Laboratory in order to preserve the military clothing of that period and the items used in daily life, especially the materials such as rifles, pistols, swords and cannonballs against time and corrosion.

These items delivered by various collectors or relatives of the soldiers who fought in Çanakkale have been added to the inventory of the Gallipoli Historical Site Directorate. Military clothing and items used in daily life have been restored and conserved. Some of them are kept in storage, while some are on display in museums.

Centuries-old war materials cleaned in lab

Centuries-old war materials taken to the Restoration and Conservation Laboratory are carefully cleaned and maintained by restorer Emin Murat Özdemir and art historian Sinem Girgin.

Özdemir stated that these century-old war materials generally do not come to their hands in a very good condition, adding, “War materials come here with heavy corrosion and the need for intervention. We clean and conserve them. We try to display and store them with internationally accepted methods. We regularly check and monitor new corrosion formations in order to keep them for future generations.”

Stating that the war materials continue to come to light after 106 years in the historical Gallipoli Peninsula, Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historical Site Director İsmail Kaşdemir said: “We receive the relics of our martyrs and veterans. We also restore and conserve relics such as rifles, pistols, swords and cannonballs in our laboratory and deliver them to museums.”

Speaking about the importance of these materials, Kaşdemir said: “We know very well how precious the materials from this historic site are because our soldiers touched every war material that came out of here and they served in defense of the homeland. The moral value of these materials is very high for us and the nation.”

“We add such precious war materials to our inventory at the end of very meticulous studies. As the directorate, we are now specialized in this field. The historical site, where the Gallipoli Campaign took place, has not lost its naturalness and originality. These are our national treasures. We have a responsibility to transfer these historical treasures to future generations,” he added.