Martyrs' Day and the Çanakkale victory

On 18 March 1915, during the First World War, a powerful British and French fleet tried to force the Dardanelles and reach Istanbul. Ottoman gunners and mines secretly laid by the minelayer Nusret sank three battleships and forced the fleet to withdraw. According to legend, Corporal Seyit lifted a 215-kilogram shell into a gun on his own.

The naval victory was followed by fierce land battles on the Gallipoli peninsula from April 1915 to January 1916, in which Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal won fame at Anafartalar and Chunuk Bair. The words "Çanakkale geçilmez" — "Çanakkale cannot be passed" — became a symbol of the nation's resistance; tens of thousands of soldiers fell.

Day of remembrance

18 March is marked in Türkiye as Martyrs' Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the Çanakkale naval victory. The main ceremony is held at the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial, built in 1960 on the Gallipoli peninsula, and all martyrs are remembered across the country.