Turkey to mark 81st anniversary of modern Turkey founder Atatürk’s death

ANKARA

Photo: Alamy

Turkey will commemorate the 81st death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, on Nov. 10.

The country will come to a standstill, sirens will blare and cars will honk for two minutes of silence on that day at the exact time of his death: 9:05 a.m.

Flags will fly at half-mast across the country.

Atatürk died at the age of 57 in Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul due to health problems.

As is customary, thousands of people from all walks of life are expected to flock to Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum in the capital Ankara, where an official ceremony will be held with the attendance of senior political and military figures.

Ataturk was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led forces to repel the allied invasion in Çanakkale, known in the West as the Dardanelles.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the World War I, Atatürk led the Turkish War of Independence, which defeated European powers. When he became president, Atatürk transformed the former empire into a modern and secular country.