Nation marks 100th year of Dumlupınar Victory

ISTANBUL

Official and unofficial ceremonies were held across the country yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of a victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, which paved the way to the success of Türkiye’s War of Independence.

Thousands of people gathered in the western province of Kütahya’s Dumlupınar district, which was the scene of the victory in 1922 against occupying Greek forces, to mark the occasion.

The Kütahya Dumlupınar University formed a 3,743-meter-long Turkish flag on the occasion of Victory Day. Hundreds of people carried the flag, which could only be photographed by drones.

Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was the main spot for ceremonies in the capital Ankara.

Thousands of people paid respects to Atatürk, who led the Turkish forces to victory in the battle, also known as the Field Battle of the Commander in Chief.

Concerts and illuminated processions were scheduled for the evening in several cities to mark Victory Day.

The Vatan Avenue in Istanbul was the place where the most comprehensive military parade was held. Hundreds of servicemen marched with military vehicles forming convoys.

Cadets read poems depicting the Independence War in presence of spectators who came to watch soldiers march.

Some 120 athletes from 16 provinces flew over the summit of the Taurus Mountains amid a campaign called “fly with the spirit of victory.”

The date Aug. 30 has been celebrated as “Victory Day” for 100 years to mark the biggest battle of Türkiye’s Independence War that led to the birth of the Turkish Republic a year after. It was declared an official national holiday in 1926.

Türkiye was occupied by allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918). The occupation prompted Türkiye’s War of Independence in 1919, during which Turkish forces, led by Gen. Mustafa Kemal, eventually ousted the occupiers from Anatolia.

Turkish forces fought the last battle, Dumlupınar, from Aug. 26 to 30 in 1922, when Greek forces were decisively defeated, which was later legitimized by the Treaty of Lausanne. By the end of the year, all foreign forces had left the territories that would collectively become the new Republic of Türkiye in 1923.