Nick-11-Gallipoli,Turkey

GALLIPOLI: THE IMPASSABLE GATEWAY

In 1915 Allied forces laid siege on Gallipoli peninsula. A joint combat force formed by British and French tried to take Gallipoli and head on to Istanbul and then establish a trade route with Russia in order to finish World War One. Unfortunately ,The Ottoman Empire was on the Axis side and the combat was inevitable. Allies  used the newly formed ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and Ottoman's had Sergeant Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who later lead the country to it's independence after World War One.

After months of heavy fighting, Allied forces suffered great losses and lifted the siege due to extreme causalities and heavy bombardment from Ottoman artillery. At first, The Allies thought the victory was certain, but they learned that it wasn't the case the hard way. Turks also suffered heavy causalities in order protect their motherland,  and those losses made Gallipoli one of the most important historical places in Turkey. That's the main reason why I chose Gallipoli.

Today ANZAC's and Turks lay side by side in the Gallipoli memorial. Ataturk honoured the ANZAC's with his famous words : "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side, here in this country of ours. You the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now living in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." Gallipoli is important to the whole World not just to Turkey, because it is the place of the last honest battle of the history of mankind.   

Decades after war and sorrow, Gallipoli now stands proud and unyielding as a sign of an era that has long passed. Trenches are preserved the way they were and they too, still stand in Gallipoli with their long gone occupants buried around them. I think it is very important for you to go there and see it with your own eyes and feel it because that experience will change your life. You will feel the war, the struggle for survival and most importantly the countless lives that were spent in order to claim or protect the land there.

Last but not least, Gallipoli is also a great display of the Turkish country side. Its people still live with the old traditions that is long forgotten to the rest of the world and they take care of their land which has cost them the lives of their ancestors. You can find peace and quite at Gallipoli while you are enjoying the unique beauty of the Marmara Sea.