Tag: Gallipoli

  • TURKISH FORUM’S NEW INITIATIVE: E-JOURNAL

    Turkish Forum, ever since its inception in 1993 and in line with its mission and policies, has always been trying to come up with innovative ideas and lead the way to or be the mouthpiece of  the Turkic  peoples all around the world. 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Victory, the war that was nowhere like any other: “There’s nowhere on the Western Front where there’s a continuous line like this. It’s the best-preserved World War I battlefield anywhere in the world.” Gallipoli marked the emergence of the man who would shape modern Turkey, Colonel Mustafa Kemal who would later take the name Ataturk.

    Gallipoli proved to be the Turks’ greatest victory of the war. In London, the campaign’s failure led to the demotion of Winston Churchill and contributed to the collapse of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith’s government. The fighting at Gallipoli proved a galvanizing national experience for the Turks . Hence it carries a lot of significance in Turkish History. To make this historical day and event more memorable, Turkish Forum has launched a new project: the E-Journal. The first issue will be dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Victory.

    To materialize our project we would like all the writers, researchers, academics to submit articles to be published in the first issue of the e-journal.

    Please find the details in the attached announcement.

    We look forward to receiving your articles. And please do spread the word around.

    Thank you.

    Respectfully,

    Dr. Kayaalp Buyukataman, President

    Turkish Forum and World Turkish Alliance

    ENGLISH CALL FOR ARTICLES

  • Turkey to ban alcohol at Gallipoli

    Turkey is looking to crack down on boozy Aussies and Kiwis at Gallipoli by banning alcohol in the historic area.

    Turkish politicians have backed plans to ban alcohol for Aussies and Kiwis at the Gallipoli site. (AAP)

     

    Turkish politicians have backed plans to ban alcohol for Australians and New Zealanders who come every year to honour those killed in the World War I Gallipoli campaign.

    Thousands of Antipodeans, many of them young backpackers, gather every April at the historic Gallipoli peninsula to honour their ancestors killed in the 1915 battle of Gallipoli.

    A parliamentary committee on Wednesday voted in favour of a bill introduced by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) that would change the status of the Gallipoli peninsula from a national park to a historical area, where consuming alcoholic drinks is strictly banned.

    The bill still needs to be passed by parliament, but the AKP holds a comfortable majority there, a parliamentary source told AFP.

    The dawn ceremony on April 25 marks the first ANZAC landings at the Gallipoli peninsula in the ill-fated Allied campaign to take the Dardanelles Strait from the Ottoman Empire.

    In the ensuing eight months of fighting, about 11,500 ANZAC troops were killed, fighting alongside British, Indian and French soldiers.

    Close to 4500 people made the journey this year for the commemorations, with many spending a boozy night on the beach as they waited for the moment the first shots were fired.

    The proposed bill imposes a fine of 5000 Turkish liras ($A2600) against offenders who drink alcohol outside licensed venues.

    The AKP, which has angered secular Turks by restricting alcohol sales, said the move was in keeping with global standards.

    “We just want to follow the international standards in the ceremony, which is attended by the leaders of 39 countries every year,” Culture Minister Omer Celik said, without elaborating.

    But Ali Saribas, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accused the government of not respecting the culture of people “who come all the way from Australia”.

    “Drinking wine is part of their culture, it’s their heritage. But the government has no respect for it,” he told AFP.

    “I am sure they can find a way of allowing people to make their commemorations as they want, but I doubt they will.

    “These people have been coming here for years and have never bothered the locals. They will either stop coming or try to cover their wine or beer bottles, which will make Turkey look very ridiculous,” he said.

    via Turkey to ban alcohol at Gallipoli | SBS News.

  • Turkey rejects more for Gallipoli 100th

    Turkey rejects more for Gallipoli 100th

    • From: The Australian
    • October 23, 2013 12:00AM

    ANZCoveBig

    TURKEY has rejected an Australian request to increase the number of Australians and New Zealanders visiting Gallipoli for the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings.

    The Turks insist that for safety reasons no more than 10,500 Australians and New Zealanders may attend the commemoration on April 25, 2015. And the Abbott government will press on with the plan for a national ballot to allocate those places to those who want to attend.

    When the ballot plan was announced by the Labor government last year, battlefield tour operators and some of those who had booked places reacted angrily to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ plan to limit the number able to attend the dawn service. The Coalition undertook to review the planning for the centenary if it won government.

    The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac, Michael Ronaldson, said he had discussed the numbers with the Turkish government. “It’s been made very clear to me . . . that they view 10,500 as the maximum figure. They are our hosts. They are very generous hosts and if that’s the figure they believe is appropriate then that’s the figure we will work on.”

    He said he would make announcements about the ballot process in the next month. The previous government’s estimates of the numbers of people eligible for the various categories in the ballot were reasonable.

    But large numbers of Australians wanted to make the journey and there had to be a way to ensure that those who entered the ballot actually intended to go, Senator Ronaldson said.

    “It’s important that people have thought long and hard about whether they want to go, whether they can go and whether they will go,” he said.

    To take some of the pressure off the anniversary of the Anzac landing, Senator Ronaldson is considering a proposal for commemoration ceremonies marking other key dates.

    “I’m looking at how we might be able to have some smaller, but no less important for the families involved, commemorative activities through the campaign.”

    In April, former defence force chief Angus Houston told The Australian that being at Gallipoli in August for the anniversaries of the battles such as Lone Pine and The Nek or the evacuation would give visitors the space to contemplate the Anzac sacrifice without battling the crowds expected to mark the 100th anniversary of the landing.

    Mr Houston, who headed the inquiry into how the Gallipoli centenary should be commemorated, said it could be dangerous to allow unlimited numbers to visit. “I think if you just have a free-for-all, it will be a shambles. The simple fact is that the site will not take more than 10,500 people,” he said.

    He said it might be possible to have a small team including a chaplain and a bugler at Gallipoli to carry out services daily during the anniversary period.

    Senator Ronaldson said a key priority for him as minister would be caring for those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and other conflicts.

    He said he wanted the next generation of Australians to come out of the Anzac commemorative period with a clear understanding of a century of sacrifice, from World War I to Afghanistan, knowing where their forebears fought, when they fought and the values they were fighting to defend, as well as what 102,000 names on the Australian War Memorial meant.

    via Turkey rejects more for Gallipoli 100th | The Australian.

    • From: The Australian
    • October 23, 2013 12:00AM

    – See more at:

  • Gallipoli pics do battle in Turkey

    Gallipoli pics do battle in Turkey

    Gallipoli pics do battle in Turkey

    Centenary births dueling adaptations

    By Josh Carney

    gallipoli

    ‘Conquest 1453’

    ISTANBUL — With the centenary of the battle of Gallipoli just around the corner, Turkish audiences who want to relive the event onscreen will have options, with at least two adaptations of the 1915 WWI campaign set for release.

    On Sept. 28, the nation-forging struggle between Ottoman and Allied forces over the straits of the Dardanelles, or what Turks call Canakkale, will first be brought to life in Sinan Cetin’s “Children of Canakkale.” Detailing the story of two brothers who fight on opposite sides in Gallipoli, the $5 million Plato Film project is set to premiere on 400 screens across Turkey.

    On Oct. 18, Yesim Sezgin’s “Canakkale 1915,” based on the bestselling historical fiction by Turgut Ozakman, will be released on 1,000 screens across Turkey and Europe. Also boasting a $5 million budget, this Fida Film production focuses on the battle as a foundation for the Turkish Republic.

    Both films should benefit from a recent surge in interest among Turks for historical dramas. This year’s “Conquest 1453,” detailing the conquering of Istanbul, grossed $31 million, to become the biggest film in Turkish history, and is being turned into a TV series. Historical series draw high ratings on Turkish TV, including “Magnificent Century” (dealing with the court of Suleyman the Magnificent), “Law of the Wolf” (covering the early Turkish Republic) and “Ottoman Mutiny” (relating the middle Ottoman period).

    “Children of Canakkale” distinguishes itself from many Turkish war films by its antiwar stance. The film has already stirred controversy for its tagline, “Long live the children, too,” a likely reference to the popular nationalist chant “Long live the homeland.” Roughly a third of the dialog is in English, a choice the producers say highlights the shared horror of war on all sides.

    “Canakkale 1915” marks out quite different territory with the tagline: “No enemy, army or weapon can be mightier than the love for a nation.” Producers stress the realism of the film, noting the authentic arms, costumes and locations, including the actual battlefields of the Dardanelles, for which they received special shooting permission.

    Playing to an audience that enthusiastically embraces local product, these takes on the battle may be just the beginning of films on the subject, with at least three other major productions pegged at various stages of development.

    So whatever the most appropriate tagline for all these works may be, it’s certain Turkish filmmakers are crying, “Long live the battle of Gallipoli.”

    via Gallipoli pics do battle in Turkey – Entertainment News, Weekly, Media – Variety.

  • International Gallipoli Symposium will be held in İstanbul

    International Gallipoli Symposium will be held in İstanbul

    International Gallipoli Symposium will be held in İstanbul

    canakkale

    Academics, scientists and researchers from Turkey, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany and Britain will attend the conference.

    The 3rd International Gallipoli Symposium will be held in İstanbul in April, which many academics, scientists and researchers studying various aspects of the Çanakkale War are scheduled to attend.

    The symposium, sponsored by İstanbul Culture University, the Australian National University (ANU), Çanakkale 18 Mart University and the Çanakkale Health, Education and Culture Foundation, is scheduled to be held on April 20 and 21 in İstanbul. Academics, scientists and researchers from Turkey, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany and Britain will attend the conference.

    The experts will make presentations on various subjects such as “Military Strategy and Techniques Used in the Çanakkale War” and “Reflections of the Çanakkale War in the press and cinema.”

    An academic from İstanbul Culture University, associate professor Dr. İbrahim Güran, told Cihan the aim of the symposium is to encourage more scientific studies on the Çanakkale War and to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of Çanakkale because people will be more inclined to visit Çanakkale, thus contributing to its betterment. Güran added that those giving sessions are experts in their fields and all aspects — social, military and economic — of the Çanakkale War will be handled at the symposium.

    The 1st International Gallipoli Symposium was held in March 2006 in both İstanbul and Çanakkale.

    Cihan

  • Gallipoli – Why we cross the world for Anzac Day

    Gallipoli – Why we cross the world for Anzac Day

    Dave O’Neill joins the thousands of Aussies and Kiwis in Gallipoli to commemorate Anzac Day.

    anzac day gallipoli

    Anzac Day at Gallipoli

    In the last warmth of a setting sun I finally start to understand Anzac Day. Sitting high above the stunning but harsh Turkish coastline staring out at the beautiful Aegean Sea, the feeling that I thought would be instantaneous at last arrives, sending shivers down my spine, chilling me to the bone.

    Also see: Anzac Day guide on Australian Times and Anzac Day in London

    I, like so many of the thousands that have gathered a few kilometres away at North Beach, have crossed the world to experience Anzac Day at Gallipoli, a place we hold so very dear to our hearts and an increasingly popular destination for young Australian and New Zealand travellers.

    Most have arrived on the peninsular via bus from Istanbul, joining one of the countless tours that operate to service the Australians and New Zealanders that have made the pilgrimage.

    Though Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey, it is the centre of almost everything that happens in the country. It is an amazing blend of cultures: a melting pot of history and religion that rushes at you from the moment you arrive.

    Its position, which lies on the border of Europe and Asia, ensures that it is also a place of immense contradiction. A kind of organised chaos engulfs the majority of the city, as taxis, buses and a never-ending mass of people stream past at a million miles an hour. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy at times as my steps often seemed hurried, almost as if I slowed for one second I’d be swallowed by a monster I never actually saw.

    The Sultanahmet area, which is the tourist hub, is in great contrast to this. The old town, although lively in the nights leading up to Anzac day, is for the most part a relaxed, almost timeless place, defined by its cobbled stone streets and weathered historic buildings.

    Though the days flew by swiftly, the nights were increasingly long as the roof top bars filled with Australians and Kiwis about to embark on their Anzac adventure. With so many keen to meet their countrymen and women and sample a few of the Turkish beers, friendliness filled the air like I’ve rarely felt before.

    The party atmosphere has well and truly dissipated by the time the masses converge on the Gallipoli peninsular. The feeling, although still light-hearted, is one of resounding respect and before dawn arrives on the 25th and brings with it the most haunting silence you will ever hear, the number of visitors to this sacred site would swell to almost fifteen thousand.

    Either bunkered down on the hill side that gently slopes towards the ocean or rugged up in the grandstands that have been purposely built to cope with the numbers, the hoard of proud unknowns will cram into any space they can find and put up with almost freezing temperatures; yet almost no one will complain.

    It would be, to use that tired old cliché, ‘un-Australian’ to complain amidst the back drop of these soaring hills, the same hills that denied our troops 92 years ago.

    Read more: A Gallipoli Anzac Day pilgrimage

    Staring up at the rugged ridges from the beach, two monuments dominate the skyline. To the left and high above on what is known as the third ridge, is Chunuk Bair, the Kiwi monument which was built to pay tribute to the thousands of New Zealanders who lost their lives on the peninsula. The Kiwi troops who took this incredibly important post were amongst the only soldiers at Gallipoli to see the Dardanelles; the objective of the land invasions. Their monumental victory was brought undone only a day later when after they were relieved by supporting New Army Troops from England and the Turks were able to seize back the advantage.

    To the right is Lone Pine, where as Australians we hang our hat. In the eight months our troops spent clinging to the cliffs it was the only strategic position won and held by the allied forces at Anzac. The area which is approximately the size of two tennis courts was the scene for one of the bloodiest battles of the entire campaign. Hundreds on both sides were killed, many from hand to hand combat and by bombs that were thrown from enemy trenches just mere metres apart.

    Such was the bravery displayed by soldiers who for three days refused to withdraw and eventually held the crucial ground, that no less than seven Australian troops were awarded the Victorian Cross medal; the highest military honour.

    The monument at Lone Pine cemetery represents not just those who fell on the tiny piece of land; that now almost feels like Australian soil, but all those who fought and died on this far away shore.

    Just below and where I sat on that sunny April afternoon on the eve of Anzac Day is Shell Green Cemetery. This stunning clearing lined with lush green grass and flowers in full bloom sits amongst the harsh ridges and steep impenetrable cliffs that define Gallipoli. Until I reached this tiny plateau the feeling that I had expected, the overwhelming emotion I craved from this patriotic journey, had so far eluded me and the connection seemed almost forced. But in the solitude and silence I found at Shell Green Cem I discovered something I pray I’ll never forget.

    For reasons I can’t exactly recall I decided to tag along as two mates, two good souls I’d met less than a week earlier, headed for the cemetery to locate a grave of an ancestor. We left the masses relaxing just a stone’s throw from where the troops came ashore on that fateful day in 1915 and headed up Artillery Track which winds towards Lone Pine at the top of the ridge.

    Read more: Turkey delights

    We found Shell Green Cem deserted and the three of us strolled through the graves reading the names and messages on the head stones. We lingered in silence breathing in the history that seemed to hang heavy in the air. Shivers rippled through me as did the haunting breeze that tore across the cliff tops. Then without warning the grey clouds that had settled in my mind gave way and I, for the first time I understood why this journey has become so important. For everything I love about my country, has its origins right here: the camaraderie, the mateship, and the spirit so uniquely Australian was forged on this far away land and still flows through our veins today.

    The thousands that now converge come not to mourn the loss of a generation, but to remember, with banter and respect, those that fought under the banner of Anzacs. These brave young men may have paid the ultimate sacrifice for a futile cause, but in doing so, heralded the birth of a nation.

    Lest we forget.