March 18 Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Day
March 18 Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Day marks one of the most meaningful days in Turkish history.
On this day, as we commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory, I remember all our martyrs with gratitude and deep respect, and I pray for Allah’s mercy upon them.
Atatürk once said: “Writing history is as important as making history. If those who write history do not remain faithful to those who made it, the unchanging truth may take on a form that misleads humanity.”
For this reason, historical facts must be handled carefully.
In some sources, the number of Ottoman martyrs in the Çanakkale War is shown as approximately 250,000.
However, this figure is not correct when it is presented only as the number of martyrs.
According to the book titled “Turkish War in the First World War, Volume 5: Çanakkale Front Operations,” published by the Turkish General Staff in 1997, the number of martyrs was around 57,000.
However, when the wounded, missing, prisoners, those sent away due to health conditions, those transferred to hospitals, and those who died from various diseases are added, the total number of casualties reaches approximately 250,000.
My purpose in correcting this mistake is absolutely not to diminish the importance of the Çanakkale Victory.
On the contrary, I believe that the Çanakkale issue should be examined from every angle, and its causes and consequences should be fully and accurately passed on to new generations.
Only when this subject is properly understood can we better understand why we still continue to lose martyrs today.
If you have not visited Çanakkale yet, I strongly recommend doing so.
If you do not have the opportunity to visit in person, you can at least make a virtual visit through this>>> and this>>> link.
You can also read more historical and reflective articles on erolsalcan.com.
As I conclude, I once again express my gratitude and respect to all our martyrs, all our veterans who have passed away, and all our people who endured these hardships.
May Allah grant them abundant mercy.
[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” class=”” width=””]Note: Below, you will see a few photographs quoted from here>>>. You can visit the related page for more photographs.[/box]
