Celebrating Ataturk

Do you know when George Washington died? Or the birth- or death-date of any of the 'Founding Fathers'?

Well, they do in Turkey. During our recent study tour trip, our tour bus was abruptly stopped with all other traffic in Izmir at 9:05am on November 10th among loud honking and people spilling out of buildings to stand in silence to honor the death in 1938 of the first President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This lasted a few moments across Turkey, to my understanding.

It seems like half of the statues of Ataturk are military
in nature, and half are of him as stateman

Now in the US, we have our Presidents' portraits on our currency and Presidents' Day and even the monument Mount Rushmore, but Turkey takes the honor of Ataturk to an entirely new level. Of course, his actual presence was much more recent as he and his colleagues founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923, after participating within the Turkish War of Independence with the Allies following WW I.

But his name, likeness and memory have been seen throughout our time and travels within Turkey from the capital of Ankara during our second week here to our home of Alanya to Gallipoli during our recent study tour. The nation's honoring of its hero is very much on display for citizens and tourist alike - Alan

Anitkabir, site of Ataturk's mausoleum

Memorial for fallen of Gallipoli

Trenches of Gallipoli where Ataturk
was famous for his military endeavors