Thousands to form giant Atatürk portrait to mark Turkish Victory Day

ANKARA

The organizers say the event will mark a new world record, with an official crew from Guinness World Records present. AA Photo

Thousands of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk fans will form a giant portrait of the Turkish Republic’s founder, to mark the country’s national Victory Day, celebrated on the anniversary of the 1922 Battle of Dumlupınar, one of the final battles in Turkey’s War of Independence.

People over the age of 13 have been called on to wear black and join the event at Anıtkabir, the site of Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara.

The organizers say the event will mark a new world record, with an official crew from Guinness World Records present. The planned number of attendees is 6,000.

The attempt to set the new world record will begin at 1 p.m., at which point the attendees must stand still for 30 minutes.

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.