Ataturk tribute to fallen at Anzac gone

[Fedelmar]

I asked for an update and there is a response.
 

 

 

Edited 5 August , 2017 by Fedelmar
new info

[Fedelmar]

Has anyone got any new photographs?

 

[Phil Wood]

Here is a photo from last week - the work is almost finished at Ari Burnu.  Elsewhere the 3 Scimitar Hill monoliths are a total mess, the Chunuk Bair 5 are being worked on, but here they have covered them with the inscriptions on the cover. Over at A Beach it's another total mess. 

 

The furore about the Ari Burnu one has certainly upset plenty on the peninsula, but it might also explain why that is the one which will be finished first.

 

Pictures: Ari Burnu & A Beach

 

 

[michaeldr]

Many thanks for the up-date, Phil

[Phil Wood]

To be fair to the Turks it is the Chunuk Bair site that is by far the most important for the vast majority of tourists who come in their thousands to see the Turkish sites, yet it is the one at ANZAC, really only visited by a few hundred Aussies, Kiwis and Brits each year that has been fixed first.  The real problem was the odd decision to to destroy them all so far in advance of refitting the cladding. I would not be at all surprised to see some of them unchanged in a year's time.

[michaeldr]

They are very sensitive indeed regarding any of their 'restoration' work;
see this thread with photographs taken in May this year 

and note the sign in picture No.4

 

On 27/09/2017 at 02:15, Phil Wood said:

The real problem was the odd decision to to destroy them all so far in advance of refitting the cladding.

Agreed. This unpleasantness and suspicion could all have been avoided with a little more thought and planning

It now appears as if sovereign dignity overcame common sense

[Phil Wood]

I'm not sure where sovereign dignity comes into it?  

 

The Sedd-el-bahr 'restoration is a whole new topic - most worrying for the effect it may have on V Beach.  The Turks are turning the peninsula into a tourist destination, building monuments, restoring forts as attractions. I would not be surprised to see a row of restaurant/cafe's along the beachfront in a few years time.

 

Of course I go as a tourist attracted by a very different prospect - garish monuments and shiny new forts are not for me.  

 

What really struck me this year was the new fence blocking the road up from V Beach to Helles - why???

[michaeldr]

1 hour ago, michaeldr said:

It now appears as if sovereign dignity overcame common sense

I was thinking along the lines of

'it's our country and we don't have to consult or inform anyone else'

[leading perhaps to a mad rush to get the thing started before anyone wakes up]

but I may be mistaken

 

In a few years time the new bridge over the Dardanelles will be open and then you will really see what tourist traffic looks like

see http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/canakkale-bridge-opens-new-era-for-martyrs-president-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=110977&NewsCatID=338

https://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2017/03/18/canakkale-1915-bridge-an-important-linchpin-in-2023-vision

 

32 minutes ago, Phil Wood said:

 

What really struck me this year was the new fence blocking the road up from V Beach to Helles - why???

I don't remember that back in May so I'm afraid that I can't help you there. 

Is it just closed to vehicles and is still possible to walk up to the Helles Memorial from V Beach?

Edited 27 September , 2017 by michaeldr

[Phil Wood]

On 27/09/2017 at 18:50, michaeldr said:

I was thinking along the lines of

'it's our country and we don't have to consult or inform anyone else'

[leading perhaps to a mad rush to get the thing started before anyone wakes up]

but I may be mistaken

 

In a few years time the new bridge over the Dardanelles will be open and then you will really see what tourist traffic looks like

see http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/canakkale-bridge-opens-new-era-for-martyrs-president-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=110977&NewsCatID=338

https://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2017/03/18/canakkale-1915-bridge-an-important-linchpin-in-2023-vision

 

I don't remember that back in May so I'm afraid that I can't help you there. 

Is it just closed to vehicles and is still possible to walk up to the Helles Memorial from V Beach?

 

I guess it's the 'dignity' that fooled me - but, lets face it, it is their country and they will do what they want - or what those in power want.

 

The new bridge won't make that much difference to tourism, they already bus millions in to be told a load of non-history. Some will come via the bridge, but they probably already come by alternative routes. The bridge will increase traffic through the peninsula as it aviods the snarl around Istanbul on its way to Ismir etc, but it won't reach Eceabat or the battlefields. Hopefully the ferries will keep running! 

 

The fence at Helles seems to be aimed at pedestrians more than vehicles, which, in any case, couldn't get through the chain strung between the two rubbish bins between the tat stalls and the car park. Let's face it, if you have a vehicle it's not a huge issue to drive round through the village. It would have been easy to leave a pedestrian gap if cars were the target.

 

You can still walk around or climb over the fence - but you may have to ignore the ranger telling you not to!  

 

[michaeldr]

Well I'm sure that fence was not there in May

and I can't understand what it's intended  purpose might be

[Jeff Pickerd]

Phil, 

 

Thanks for the latest news of the restoration of the Kemal Ataturk memorial, they appear to have done a good job with the restoration work. There remains now only the addition of Kemal Ataturk's bronze mask, missing since its theft back in late 2014, to bring the memorial back to its original state.

 

Jeff

[Phil Wood]

Three of the five monoliths at Chuck Bair - where they have made the effort to ensure the inscriptions are not lost for months.  They then make the effort fairly pointless by fencing the whole area off and preventing access to read them.

 

[Phil Wood]

Chunuk Bair again - four monoliths in sight here - and the fence.  

 

Fences were a bit of a theme this year, they have also fenced off the gun at Kilit Bahir

 

 

[trajan]

I learnt when younger that the word paranoia was of Greek origin... Having lived here for over 20 years I begin to doubt that... Suffice to say that such is the paranoia here over possible reaction to something being done that might upset people, then when the powers that be here want to do that something, they do so without informing anyone else never mind consulting them. And don't get me started on the so-called unsupervised 'restoration' projects that have happened to so many sites here...

[yperman]

On ‎11‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 22:54, Bernard_Lewis said:

This is worrying news. Just where is Turkey headed?

I am sorry to say I think it is obvious.

[trajan]

35 minutes ago, yperman said:

I am sorry to say I think it is obvious.

 

Living here as a 'yabanci' = foreigner, with limited residence rights and an up to now automatically renewed one year contract, well, I couldn't possibly comment...

[Fedelmar]

 

[moggs]

Very nice to see.

 

Thank you.

 

Jonathan

 

 

[michaeldr]

Many thanks Fedelmar

and to Ramzi for those photographs

Great to see the work is proceeding well

[Eceabat]

Hi all,

 

just a further update on this issue, a statement recently released by the Alan Baskanligi, the agency now in charge of the historic area on the peninsula that was formerly the national park. The statement, here in both Turkish and English, announced the completion of the restoration work, and can be found at the directorate's web site.

 

http://catab.kulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,194386/anzak-koyundaki-kitabe-yenilendi--the-ari-burnu-memoria-.html

 

Cheers

Bill

 

ANZAK KOYU’NDAKİ KİTABE YENİLENDİ

 

Çanakkale Savaşları'nda, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk'ün Anzak Koyu'ndan çıkarma yapan Anzak askerleri için 1934 yılında söylemiş olduğu sözlerin bulunduğu kitabe yenilendi.

Atatürk’ün 1934 yılında, Anzak askerleri için; "Bu memleketin toprakları üzerinde kanlarını döken kahramanlar. Burada bir dost vatanın toprağındasınız. Huzur ve sükûn içinde uyuyunuz. Sizler, Mehmetçiklerle yan yana, koyun koyunasınız. Uzak diyarlardan evlatlarını harbe gönderen analar. Gözyaşlarınızı dindiriniz. Evlatlarınız bizim bağrımızdadır. Huzur içindedirler ve huzur içinde rahat uyuyacaklardır. Onlar, bu toprakta canlarını verdikten sonra, artık bizim evlatlarımız olmuşlardır." sözlerinin yer aldığı kitabe gerekli yenileme çalışmalarının ardından tekrardan ziyaretçilere hazır hale getirildi.

Kitabenin açılışında konuşan Çanakkale Savaşları Gelibolu Tarihî Alan Başkanı Sayın İsmail KAŞDEMİR;  "Anzak askerlerinin yani Avustralyalı ve Yeni Zelandalı askerlerin çıkarma yaptığı sahilde, 1934 yılında Atatürk'ün Anzak askerleri için söylemiş olduğu sözleri ihtiva eden kitabenin önündeyiz. Zamanla kitabeler eskimişti, dökülmeye başlamıştı. Yer yer de insan hayatı için de tehlike arz etmeye başlamıştı. Geçtiğimiz günlerde hemen alanda bulunan bu 15 kitabeyi bakıma tabi tutmaya karar verdik. Çünkü hemen hemen bütün kitabeler bakıma muhtaç bir hale gelmişti. Tamirat esnasında bizi çok üzen, gerek ülke içindeki basında, gerek ülke dışındaki basında, tamamen yanlış, maksatlı bir şekilde, sanki kitabeler yok ediliyormuş, harap ediliyormuş gibi çıkan haberler oldu. Aslında tam tersi, biz Tarihî Alan’da, tarihten bize emanet olarak kalan ne varsa hepsini ama hepsini aslına uygun bir şekilde ayağa kaldırmaya çalışıyoruz. Kitabenin restorasyonu da aslına uygun olarak yapıldı ve bitti." diye konuştu.
 

THE ARI BURNU MEMORIAL AT ANZAC COVE IS RENEWED

 

The Ari Burnu Memorial with the words of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk addressing the ANZAC soldiers who died at 1915 Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War has been renewed.

 

After the renovation work has been completed the memorial is now opened again to visit. The monument contains the following words of Ataturk which are tributed to the ANZAC soldiers and to their grieving mothers in 1934.

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of opened to visit 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 faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."

 

At the opening ceremony of the Ari Burnu Monument the chairman of the Directorate of Gallipoli Historic Site Ismail KASDEMIR said, “We are at the cove where Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) put ashore, and we are now standing in front of the monument with the words said by Ataturk. Over time, the monument had become worn-out, it had begun to fall apart due to deterioration, and therefore presenting a danger for life. In the recent past, we decided to restore 15 monuments in the Gallipoli Historical Site because almost all of the monuments had become in a state of disrepair. During the repairs, unfortunately there were some misinformation, both at the national and foreign press that the monuments were being destroyed, this made us very sad. In fact, on the contrary, at the historical site we are working to restore and repair whatever is left to us from history in accordance with the original as it was in the past.”

 

 

 

 

[Crunchy]

Perhaps a lesson in not jumping to conclusions too soon. Nice to see the restoration work. We should remember it is their country and we invaded it. We should be grateful the Turkish people allow us to have the memorials we have, and restore their memorial which commemorates our dead.

 

I recall the furore in the Australian press when the memorial to the Japanese submariners who attacked Sydney harbour was unveiled at Garden Island in 1988.  

 

 

Edited 2 December , 2017 by Crunchy

[Fedelmar]

I first saw it on Mat Mclachlans Battelfield Tours facebook page and in the media several days before it made it to the GWF.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

1 hour ago, Eceabat said:

You are now lying in the soil of opened to visit a friendly country.

 

Thank you Eceabat. I think the agency's translation should read:

"You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.."

[Phil Wood]

5 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

 

Thank you Eceabat. I think the agency's translation should read:

"You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.."

 

Fortunately they did not use that translation on the monument.

[michaeldr]

There is a column in today's newspaper which explains how, after a certain hiatus, Atatürk is becoming (shall we say) fashionable again in Turkey
quote:- For a long time in Turkey, Atatürk’s name was almost sanctified and divinized. In the last several years, however, it has been mostly underestimated. Whereas the first provoked collective boredom, the second cultivated nostalgia and yearning. It is now time to place the “Atatürk brand” in its right frame. 
[ see http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/sinan-baykent/erdogans-neo-kemalism-an-old-gaullism-123408 ]
Perhaps this also has something to do with the refurbishment of the monoliths