Türkiye marks Çanakkale victory on 110th anniversary
ÇANAKKALE
The Gallipoli Peninsula in the northwestern province of Çanakkale is ready for the grand ceremonies commemorating the 110th anniversary of a pivotal victory in the Gallipoli Campaign, set to take place on March 18.
The campaign marks a turnaround in favor of the Turks against the Allied forces during World War I, remembered as the Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Day. Every year, thousands gather to remember the fallen Turkish troops of the campaign on this date.
For this year’s preparation for the commemoration festivities, teams meticulously completed the work at the ceremony venues in the historic peninsula in a bid to celebrate the landmark victory with major events and great enthusiasm.
The restoration and maintenance efforts focused on key memorial sites, including the martyrdoms and the Martyts’ Memorial. As part of the beautification efforts, teams planted around 20,000 peony seedlings and 40,000 tulip bulbs in red and white, symbolizing the Turkish flag, near the iconic memorial.
Authorities landscaped and cleaned the entire site, including the seating stands for the official program, and deemed the historic island entirely ready for the ceremonies.
Gallipoli Historical Site director İsmail Kaşdemir emphasized the significance of the occasion, noting that the noble fight waged in the pivotal triumph will be remembered with great respect at the 110th-anniversary ceremonies.
"The Çanakkale Victory is a breaking point not only in Turkish history but also in world history. It marked the end of a long period of decline and ignited the spirit of national struggle for Turkish history, paving the way for our republic,” Kaşdemir explained.
This great victory against the Allied forces boosted the morale of the Turkish side at the time, which then went on to wage a war of independence between 1919 and 1922 with the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding leader of modern Türkiye, and eventually formed a republic in 1923 from the ashes of Ottoman Empire.
"On March 18, we will once again remember this great heroism. We hope to have a greater understanding of how these regions became our nation, how Çanakkale rendered insurmountable and the sacrifices made to achieve victory,” the director underlined, noting that they strive to commemorate such momentous occasions, remind the nation of them and preserve them for future generations.
As part of the 110th-anniversary events, symbolic soil, seawater and a Turkish flag from the Gallipoli Peninsula were ceremonially transported to the central city of Eskişehir as part of the 28th Victory Run from Çanakkale to Ankara on March 15.
Young athletes from the northwestern province of Bilecik handed over the symbolic items to athletes in Eskişehir in a special ceremony held in the Tepebaşı district.
The items arrived in the capital Ankara to be presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 18.
