World War I was a rather murderous and severe war both for the
Turks and the
world. A part of this war took place in
Çanakkale and
Gelibolu and 500.000 soldiers were martyred here. The ships of the Allied states were sunken and the turkish army under the command of
Mustafa Kemal , although weakened, have defeated the
Allied States at all fronts and won a tremendous victory. The importance of this war in the turkish history is rather great. After the proclamation of the
Republic, this place has been declared as a
National Park in 1973 in memory of all soldiers who were martyred here. The national park also includes places such as
Anafartalar,
Arıburnu,
Conkbayırı and
Seddülbahir where the war took place. The 42 meters high
Çanakkale Martyrs Monument which can be seen immediately upon entering the
Çanakkale strait and which was erected onto a piece of land at the end of the strait was built in memory of the soldiers who died at this war. The monument which was completed in 1958 is seated on 4 pillars 7,5 meters wide and 10 meters distant from each other. On one face of the monument there stands the phrase “ Here lie thousands of heroes who were martyred in
Balkan and
Çanakkale wars” and on the other there is one verse cited from a poem narrating the war. Some missing parts included in the project of this monument have been completed in the year 2003. A turkish flag made of red and white glass mosaics was placed beneath the ceiling of the monument. The lower floor of the Monument erected on the
Hisarlık Hill in the
Morto Bay serves as a museum since 1972. In the museum bullets, bomb splinters, some private belongings and photographs are displayed.
