We started the day early by leaving our Hotel at 8:30am and traveling to Gallipoli. This location is most well known for the Gallipoli Campaign which was a military attack during World War I that lasted 9 months (April 1915 - Jan 1916.) It was fought between the Turks (the then Ottoman Empire) and Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Campaign was an attempt to force Turkey out of the war and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The campaign was considered to be a great victory for the Ottomans during the time and for Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the history of the state. “This was the war that made Turkey a new nation,” said Saba, our guide throughout Turkey.
Above is a statue of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. He was a general of the 19th Division of the Fifth Army. On 25 April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps continued their invasion inland but were soon met with a Turkish counterattack, commanded by Mustafa Kemal. He engaged the enemy forces on the hills, held them, and retook the high ground. Largely due to him and his command, the Allied powers were contained, and forced to retreat. Atatürk is considered to be the father of all Turkey (even being the President for 15 years) and his leadership at Gallipoli is one of many accomplishments he has achieved. He was also shot during his time at Gallipoli but was not killed due to the position of his pocket watch.
But of course with war, comes tragedy. The pictures above are of the Lone Pine memorial, one of five memorials on the peninsula that commemorate soldiers of the former British Empire (mainly Australians and New Zealanders) who were killed in the campaign but who have no known grave. 1,167 people are buried here.
The other memorial we visited was Piyade Alayi Şehitliği which is a memorial to the 57th Infantry Regiment. Sacrificing themselves to slowing down Allied troops and giving reinforcements time to arrive, the entire 57th Infantry Regiment was killed. The names of 1817 people are inscribed in stone in remembrance.
In addition to these memorials, we also saw what was left of the trenches used during the war.
Even though it's been over 100 years, these trenches used to be so deep (10-12 ft) that they can still be seen today. Along with remains of tunnels that were used. Most trenches are not so well preserved so we were lucky they were still visible!
After Gallipoli, we boarded back onto the bus and after an hour arrived in Canakkale where we’ll be staying the night! It's a really cute little mini city and we’ve been enjoying exploring and trying new restaurants!
About 30 minutes away from Canakkale, was the archaeological site of Troy, which was the last place we visited today!
Troy is an ancient city and an archaeological site in modern-day Turkey, it is also the famous setting for the legendary Trojan War in Homer's epic poems the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey.” It was founded in 3000 BCE and is about 5,020 years old! The site is now considered to be a UNESCO site and is protected! Excavation and discovery is still very much ongoing!
The archaeological site of Troy consists of nine major layers, the earliest dating from the Early Bronze Age, and the latest from the Byzantine era. Every time there was too much destruction and damage done, either via natural causes or not, the Trojans would rebuild on top of the rubble rather than do reconstruction! The 6th layer of Troy was said to be the Golden Age!
In the 1860s a German named Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ruins of Troy and with a team, began excavation with the goal of reaching the treasury. Schliemann’s method of evacuation was horrific as he used machinery to dig up wherever he wanted, dismissive of the ancient ruins. Because of this, irrefutable damage has been done and a lot of documentation and information was lost.
Above are images of Schliemann’s damage. He often dug wherever and as a result, his site looks trench-esque (second photo.)
In 1873, Schliemann did uncover a treasure of gold jewelry (as well as vessels of bronze, gold, and silver), which he then decided to abandon his excavation team
and smuggle the treasure out of Turkey. The treasure would be given to museums in Germany which eventually would be taken to the Pushkin Museum in Russia when Russia defeated Nazi Germany in 1945.
It remains there today.
Because of Schliemann, German excavators and archaeologists can only work under Turkish supervision. Schliemann, although praised in books, is understandably greatly disliked by Turkish people.
Above is an image of the newly restored Odeon theatre, the pillar bases show that it used to be within a larger building. Theatres were mainly used for reenacting plays or for concerts and were very popular.
It was cool to see it fully completed.
Community dogs are not uncommon in Turkey (especially on the coast, like Gallipoli) and on our way out of Troy, we were met with these adorable friends!
After leaving Troy, we returned back to Canakkale to find dinner and get rest. Looking forward to what tomorrow has in store!
Comments
Post a Comment