Battle of Gallipoli

The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli from April 1915 to January 1916 during the First World War. A combined British Empire and French operation was mounted in order to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul). The attempt failed, and an estimated 505,000 soldiers were killed and 262,000 wounded.

In Turkey the campaign is known as the Зanakkale Savaюlarэ. In the United Kingdom it is called the Dardanelles Campaign or Gallipoli, and in France, Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland it is also known as "Gallipoli".

эЬьSeddьlbahir Fort, the ‘Barrier of the Sea’, Seddьlbahir, Gallipoli.

The Зanakkale Юehitleri Anэtэ (Зanakkale Martyrs Memorial), Morto Bay, Gallipoli, seen from across the fields near Seddьllbahir.

For Australians it is important to realise the symbolism of the siting of this great Turkish memorial. It is a reminder that for Turkey the story of Gallipoli – the Battle of Зanakkale – embraces not only the land invasion of its territory at Anzac, Suvla and on the southern tip of the peninsula, Helles to the British, but also the earlier naval attempts to force the Dardanelles. Indeed, control of the Dardanelles was what it was all about from first to last not a few square kilometres of barren earth around Anzac Cove. The Зanakkale Sehitleri Aniti gazes out over a dazzling stretch of waterway the passage of which was denied to the Allies in 1915 by the death in battle of over 86,000 Turkish soldiers.

Even before the visitor reaches the memorial itself the significance of the area for Turkey is made clear. A sign beside a picnic area displays a poem by Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873-1936), who also wrote the words of the Turkish national anthem:

“эЬьDo not ignore the ground on which you have walked,
It is not ordinary soil.
Reflect on the thousands of people who lie beneath
without a shroud.
You are the son of a martyr –
Do not hurt your ancestor,
Do not give away this beautiful motherland,
Even if you have the whole world.”

эЬьAustralians later acknowledged the great courage and sacrifice of the Turkish soldiers at the Battle of Зanakkale. Official historian Charles Bean, who had been at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, returned to Anzac in February 1919 and rode again along the old front line at Lone Pine, Johnston’s Jolly, Quinn’s Post and up towards the Nek:

“I saw now, with something of a shock, standing out near the site of the vanished tree [the pine tree at Lone Pine], a white obelisk – a monument … put up by the Turks to mark the spot at which they had stopped the terrific August thrust … Obviously the Turks were very proud of their achievement. And … those who stopped the invading spearheads on Gallipoli well deserved commemoration as soldiers and patriots.”

эЬьThe wall at the Зanakkale Юehitleri Anэtэ (Зanakkale Martyrs Memorial) commemorating the service and sacrifice of the ordinary Turkish soldiers at the Battle of Зanakkale (Gallipoli campaign) in 1915.

The statue at the Зanakkale Юehitleri Anэtэ (Зanakkale Martyrs Memorial) based on a famous photograph of Mustafa Kemal Atatьrk, then Lieutenant- Colonel Mustafa Kemal looking out over the battlefield from a trench at Anzac.

What the Battle of Зanakkale against the Anzacs had cost Turkey is well illustrated inside the museum at the Зanakkale Юehitleri Aniti. Here are many original evocative objects and photographs from the battlefield – belt buckles, a British wireless, shields used by snipers and even a set of false teeth. On the walls are placards with words by Mustafa Kemal Atatьrk. In 1918 he was interviewed by author Ruюen Ьnaydin for his book Interview with Mustafa Kemal, the Commander of Anafarta and on one placard is this quotation from that interview:

Meюhur bir alaydir bu, зьnkь hepsi юehit olmuюtur.

Atatьrk was referring to a unit he knew well, the 57th Regiment of the 19th Division. It was at the head of that regiment that he had set out for war on the morning of 25 April 1915 to meet the Australians on the slopes leading up from the beach to the heights of Conkbayiri (Chunuk Bair). In the days that followed, and subsequently at battles like Lone Pine, the 57th fought well but paid a terrible price for Atatьrk’s words at the museum in the Зanakkale Юehitleri Aniti read in English:

This is a famous regiment, because all of them were killed in action

Anzac commemorative site

Anzac commemorative site above North Beach, Gallipoli with the islands of Imbros and Samothrace on the horizon.

This site was created as a joint effort of the New Zealand and Australian governments in cooperation with the Turkish government. It was dedicated by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, her Australian counterpart John Howard, and the Turkish Minister of Forestry on Anzac Day 2000. They unveiled a plaque stating that the Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park is dedicated to the pursuit of peace, harmony, freedom and understanding.

Ari Burnu Point

Ari Burnu Point showing the beach with the Ari Burnu Cemetery in the background. Anzac Cove lies behind the cemetery.

The Ari Burnu Cemetery contains the known graves of 34 New Zealanders, including one who served with the Australian Imperial Force. A further two New Zealanders are known or believed to be interred in this cemetery and are commemorated by special memorials.

Beach Cemetery

The Beach Cemetery contains the known graves of 24 New Zealanders, including three who served with the Australian Imperial Force. A further two New Zealanders are known or believed to be interred in this cemetery and are commemorated by special memorials.

Cape Helles Memorial

The Empire (or Cape Helles) Memorial that stands between the two bloodiest landing sites at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915. The walls of the enclosure are a memorial to the missing, and include the names of British, Australian and imperial troops. There are separate New Zealand memorials to the missing elsewhere on the peninsula, although the names of eleven New Zealanders who died while serving in British or Australian units are here, including Bernard Freyberg's older brother Oscar.

Twelve Tree Copse Memorial to the Missing

The New Zealand Memorial to the Missing in Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery. It includes the names of 179 New Zealanders.

Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment Cemetery and Memorial

The related 40-second video clip (see below) opens with the massive statue Tьrk Askerine Saygi (Respect for the Turkish Soldier) which stands on Baby 700 near the cemetery. It shows a party of Turks entering the enclosure. Near the entrance is a statue of an old man. This commemorates the oldest Turkish veteran of the campaign.

Lone Pine Memorial to the Miss

The Memorial to the Missing at Lone Pine commemorates 4228 Australians and 708 New Zealanders.

Johnston's Jolly Cemetery

Looking south from Johnson's Jolly Cemetery enclosure with Lone Pine Memorial immediately to the right of the memorial. The Johnston's Jolly Cemetery contains the known graves of one New Zealander. A further New Zealander, who served with the Australian Imperial Force, is known or believed to be interred in this cemetery and is commemorated by a special memorial.

New Zealand and Conkbayiri Atatьrk Memorials on Chunuk Bair

The New Zealand Memorial and the Conkbayiri Atatьrk Memorial. The former is in the form of a 20.5 m high Greek cross. On it are inscribed the words: 'IN HONOUR OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 8TH AUGUST 1915 "FROM THE UTTERMOST ENDS OF THE EARTH"'. It is the site of the official New Zealand Anzac Day ceremony each 25 April.

New Zealand Memorial on Chunuk Bair

New Zealand Memorial with, at left, the Conkbayiri Atatьrk Memorial.

The 30-second film clip below shows a view of reconstructed Turkish trenches on the summit of Chunuk Bair, with a group of Turkish tourists visiting them.

Memorial to the Missing on Chunuk Bair

The New Zealand Memorial to the Missing on Chunuk Bair (850 names) with the New Zealand Memorial and the Conkbayiri Memorial on the summit behind.

GORDION (GORDIUM)

Gordium was probably the capital of Meshech. It was located where the Royal Road of Persian Kings crossed the Sangarius (Sakarya) River. Thus it was an active commercial center. A reference to Meshech's trade in slaves and bronze occurs in Old Testament Ezekiel 27.13.

Excavations in the last forty years indicate that it was occupied as early as the third millennium B.C. Between 2000 and 1200 B.C. the city was an important Hittite outpost with Assyrian colonist also living there, this parallels the situation in Kanesh (Kayseri) at the same time. The city became even more active when Phrygians settled there beginning in the 9th century; it reached its highest prosperity under them in the 8th century. By 690 Cimmerians had invaded the area and destroyed the city. Lydians repaired the city, but in 547–546 Cyrus and his army destroyed it again. Under the Persians, however, it regained its place as a commercial and military center.

Alexander the Great in 333 BC. cut the famous Gordian knot and took the city out of Persian control, but then in 278 BC. it was destroyed by the Gauls. By 200 A.D. the city was completely deserted.

17th and 16th century B.C. Hittite graves have been excavated and some of their contents are to be seen at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.

In Gordium itself there are almost a hundred tumulus graves of notables who lived and died between Phrygian and Galatians times. These stand out above the gently rolling landscape.

The largest tumulus has been identified as that belonging to King Midas. It still contains some wooden furniture probably from his palace. Midas in Assyrian records is a Mushki; in Greek references he is a Phrygian. Perhaps he was both, or maybe they were one and the same. Most of the finds from the tumuli are in the Ankara museum for safe-keeping. Those include furniture decorated with ivory inlay (from pre-Cimmerian times), wooden statues, vases, bronze cauldrons, silver and gold jewelry, and images of Cybele, the Mother Goddess, used in religious ceremonies. In the Phrygian palaces and public buildings are the earliest examples known in Anatolia of decorative geometric patterns made with colored pebbles. The mosaic technique suggests that the artists may have been familiar with weaving or with basketry.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29