Series of historical documents, photos from key battle seized

ISTANBUL

A 147-piece series of historical documents and photographs from the Turkish War of Independence has been sent to a military museum in Istanbul for a comprehensive examination after authorities confiscated them just before they go up for auction.

Scheduled to be offered for sale with a starting price of 30,000 Turkish Liras ($2,200) at the auction, the documents feature correspondence from the Battle of Sakarya, the turning point of the bloody four-year war.

The file consists of more than 100 written orders, reports, due diligence and requests belonging to the 26th Regiment, which was under the command of General Selahattin Adil during the battle.

Complaints had been raised on social media recently after the content of the auction was announced, that such documents should not be sold and should be in the state archives. Some even had appealed to the authorities, saying that the sale should be banned.

Evaluating the complaints and appeals, police teams seized 147 documents and sent them to a military museum for examination.

According to İhsan Yılmaz, the culture and art columnist of Hürriyet daily, there is a procedure to be followed in the sale of such historical documents, which requires approval of relevant museums or cultural directorates on whether they are suitable for sale.

The 1922-dated Battle of Sakarya has been hailed as the penultimate push to drive out occupying forces from post-World War I Turkey and a milestone on the path of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic.