Çanakkale Şehitleri Anıtı
The Çanakkale Şehitleri Anıtı ( Eng . Monument to the Martyrs of Çanakkale ) is a war memorial that commemorates the 253,000 Ottoman soldiers who fought against British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops in the Battle of Gallipoli . The battle of the First World War lasted from April 1915 to December 1915. The monument stands at the southern end of the Gelibolu peninsula on Mount Hisarlık in Morto Bay in the Turkish province of Çanakkale .
A picture of the memorial adorned the back of the 500,000 lira bank note from 1993 to 2005 .
Planning and construction
As early as 1927 there were first ideas to build a memorial for the fallen soldiers of the Battle of Gallipoli. In the years 1931 to 1933 there were also attempts to secure the financing for the construction, but all failed. At this point, the opposing allies had already erected monuments to their fallen. In 1933 the Turkish Student Union (Milli Türk Talebe Birliği) tried unsuccessfully to push ahead with the construction. In 1944, the Turkish Ministry of Defense finally announced an architectural competition for a monument on the Gallipoli peninsula. 37 competition entries were submitted. The architects Doğan Erginbaş , İsmail Utkular and the civil engineer Ertuğrul Barla won. However, the decision to build the monument was not made until 1952 because there was a lack of funds and donations had to be collected by a committee chaired by Emin Nihat Sözeri.
Initially, the monument was to be erected near Alçıtepe, but due to the difficult soil conditions, it was necessary to switch to the current location. 1.6 million Turkish lira were estimated for the construction. The foundation stone was laid on April 19, 1954. But construction soon stalled. Investigations found that the contractor had saved on the foundation and that the materials used were of poor quality. Investigations by the public prosecutor found that 42 tons of iron and 122 cubic meters of wood were missing and had been sold on the black market. One of the contractors was later sentenced to 18 months and 6 days in prison and another to 16 months in prison. The construction had to be stopped and put out to tender again. In July 1958 Osman Gencal and Muammer Yeşildağ were awarded the contract to continue building for 1.7 million lira.
In the meantime, however, the project had again run into financial problems due to the additional costs. The daily Milliyet started a national support campaign in January 1958 and wanted to collect 100,000 lira. By March 18, they had collected more than 1.6 million lira. On March 15, 1958, construction could continue. The monument was inaugurated on August 21, 1960.
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's mosaic intended for the ceiling was never realized. Instead, a Turkish flag was painted on. The bas-reliefs on the outside of the columns were also made later.
architecture
The 41.7 meter high monument consists of four square 7.5 meter wide concrete columns over a square floor plan. They carry a 25 by 25 meter concrete slab. The huge structure can be seen from afar during the passage through the Dardanelles . On the outside of the pillars clad with granite stone slabs, there are reliefs with battle scenes.
On the side is the poem "Çanakkale Şehitlerine" by the creator of the Turkish national anthem Mehmet Akif Ersoy , which admonishes the visitor.
War museum
Under the monument there is a museum that was opened later. The museum is dedicated to the history of the battle and illustrates what happened with information and historical exhibits. Personal and military items such as cutlery, bits, buttons and belt buckles and photographs found on the battlefield are on display. In addition, multimedia shows and dioramas should bring the events closer.
Memorial to the 57th Infantry Regiment
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On the north side of the monument there is a memorial cemetery with the remains of 600 Turkish soldiers, which was established in 1992. There is a memorial to the soldiers and officers of the 57th Infantry Regiment of the 19th Division, all of whom were killed. It is a three-story tower with an inscription in relief. The inscription gives Mustafa Kemal Pascha's famous command to his soldiers, who had no more ammunition and on the morning of April 25, 1915 only fought with their bayonets against the attacking Australian and New Zealand troops on the hill of Chunuk Bair ( Conk Bayırı in Turkish ) could:
"I don't order you to attack, I order you to die."
The Ottoman troops were able to repel the attack. To this day, as a sign of respect, there is no 57th regiment in the Turkish army .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Celil Bozkurt: Çanakkale Şehitleri Abidesi'nin İnşaatı ve Türk Kamuoyundaki Yankıları . In: Turkish Studies. International Periodical For The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic . Volume 10/5, spring 2015, pp. 79–94
- ↑ "I command you to die" , Der Spiegel, March 15, 2015
Coordinates: 40 ° 2 '58.8 " N , 26 ° 13' 5.8" E