Celebrating 100 Years of the Turkish Republic
Last Sunday, the 29th of October, was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic
The 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic passed last Sunday, October 29th. I spent much of the weekend riding my bike around downtown Turkey, and I enjoyed the banners that I found.
One trait about Turks that I admire is their love of nation and flag. As an American I love patriotism and flags, and they wave them as proudly here as at home.
In the bay outside the square, there were fireworks that evening.
In other areas, the celebrations were more elaborate. The seaside city of Aliağa had a tremendous display of drones.
On October 29, 1923, Atatürk opened Turkey’s Grand National Assembly in Ankara. In a speech to the assembly, he declared that the nation was a republic. It was a formality. The Greeks had been expelled from Anatolia a year earlier, and the Sultan had fled into exile at the end of 1922.
I also rode by Liberation Square (my name for Cumhuriyet Ağacı Heykeli), which celebrates the liberation of Izmir in 1922 near the end of the Greco-Turk War.
The scene on Sunday was so cool. I ride about ten miles along the bay from my home to church and back every week, and all along the Kordon (the 45km park that traces the shoreline of the Gulf of Izmir) Turks were decked out in red and white, many shirts bearing the logo of the 100th Anniversary.
I was impressed at the design of the logo and the way the artist blended the crescent-star symbol of the republic with the symbol of infinity. That is boldness! Especially in a country where you can see the ruins of a dozen earlier empires.
I'm a little late to the party celebrating 100 years of the Turkish republic. I read that the observances were subdued due to the war in Gaza. But I'd be most interested in what you observed. I remember being surprised and moved on November 10 at 9 am when I lived in Turkey 2009-11. Everyone would stop and observe the death of Ataturk. Is he still revered by the people? Here's what I gleaned from news reports, with a link to my visit to Ataturk's mausoleum and some documentaries about him. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/turkish-republic-100-years-later