A small crowd including dignitaries donning masks paid tribute to fallen soldiers on Thursday, in Çanakkale, a western province where the greatest victories in Turkish history took place. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic scaled back ceremonies to mark the 106th anniversary of the World War I victory but emotions ran high on the day which is formally known as Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Day. The ceremonies culminated in Çanakkale but many people paid visits to the graves of soldiers fallen in World War I and recent counterterrorism operations on the occasion.
The day originally marks the decisive victory of outnumbered Ottoman troops on Mar. 18, 1915, against British and French warships which sought to cross the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) Strait, a major waterway to reach Istanbul, the then capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Parliamentary Speaker Mustafa Şentop joined the Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy as they placed wreaths at Martyrs’ Monument erected in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in (Gelibolu) Peninsula, on the occasion. An actor recited the iconic poem “Çanakkale Şehitlerine” (To The Martyrs of Çanakkale) penned by Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who also wrote the country’s national anthem, at the event while religious officials recited verses from Quran in memory of fallen soldiers. The group later visited the graves of soldiers nearby.
Turkish Armed Forces organized a naval parade across Çanakkale Strait and a branch of the Turkish Air Forces performed aerial stunts to mark the occasion.
