Zafer Anıtı
The Zafer Anıtı (Victory Monument) in Ankara , formerly also called hakimiyet-i milliye , is located on Ulus Square.
After a campaign by the daily newspaper Yenigün to erect a memorial for the heroes in the Turkish Liberation War , the Turkish government announced an international competition for the design of the memorial. The Austrian artist Heinrich Krippel was commissioned to create the monument in 1925. Krippel had the monument cast in the United Metalworks (Vienna). On November 24, 1927, the monument on Ulus Square was unveiled by Kazim Özalp in the presence of Ismet Inönü . The statue was funded with donations raised by Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu .
The monument shows Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as an equestrian figure in uniform. The horse bears the name of the place where a great battle was won: Sakarya . The bridle is on, the ears pointed and the nostrils wide open, all signs of the horse's readiness. At the request of Mustafa Kemal, the statue points in the direction of the then parliament.
The equestrian figure rests on a marble pedestal, on the walls of which various events are depicted in relief.
- North side: The upper relief shows the inspection of the army by Mustafa Kemal after the war. The lower one shows war conditions. A mother with an infant in her hand transports ammunition to the front with her son.
- East side: The east side shows a branch growing out of the earth. This branch has a broken end and a newly sprouting branch that grows into a tree (tree of life motif). The broken end symbolizes the decline of the Ottoman era, the newly growing part the young republic.
At the base of the pedestal stand the shortened verses of Namık Kemal : Vatanın bağrına düşman dayamış hançerini; Yok mudur kurtaracak baht-ı kara mâderini? (The enemy hugs his dagger on the people's breast, is there no one to save the unhappy mother?) And Mustafa Kemal's answer: Vatanın bağrına düşman dayasın hançerini; Bulunur kurtaracak baht-ı kara mâderini! (The enemy should nestle his dagger on the people's breast, he will find himself who saves the unhappy mother)
- West side: The relief on the west side consists of four rising suns and a framing wreath. Mustafa Kemal's resignation from the Ottoman army and his declaration that he wanted to fight among the people are written on the pedestal base.
- South side: The south side forms a scene of the Battle of Dumlupınar . The lower relief depicts Mustafa Kemal's famous order in Turkey: "The main forces of the enemy have been crushed, your next target is the Aegean!" ( ilk hedefiniz akdenizdir ). The upper relief shows how Turkish soldiers are driving Greek soldiers into the sea.
There are three other, smaller figures at the corners of the monument. Two of them show Turkish soldiers, one with emaciated chests waving to recruits, the other looking for enemies in the distance. The third figure represents a Turkish woman transporting ammunition to the front. This woman is seen by the people as the national heroine Kara Fatma , who fought in the war of liberation.
Distant view
Side profile. In the background is the main Sümerbank building designed by Martin Elsaesser and completed in 1937.
Close up view
swell
Web links
Coordinates: 39 ° 56 '30.3 " N , 32 ° 51' 17.1" E