PodcastTurkey commemorates 82nd anniversary of Atatürk's death
Turkey has commemorated the 82nd death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the country, on Nov. 10. The country came to a standstill at 9:05 a.m., the time of Atatürk's death, as sirens blared across the country.
Duvar English
Turkey has commemorated the 82nd death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the country, on Nov. 10.
The country came to a standstill at 9:05 a.m., the time of Atatürk's death, as sirens blared across the country.
A human chain was formed in Istanbul's Kadıköy, with hundreds paying their respects to the country's founder.
People visit Dolmabahçe Palace, where Atatürk died at the age of 57 on Nov. 10, 1938, each year to pay respects. They also visit Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum in the capital Ankara.
An official ceremony was also held in Anıtkabir, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener and a number of state officials, as well as the force commanders.
This year's ceremony was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with officials being seen wearing masks and abiding by social distancing.
Atatürk was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, in what was then the Ottoman Empire.
He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led forces to repel the allied invasion in Çanakkale, known in the West as the Dardanelles.
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Atatürk led the Turkish War of Independence, defeating European powers.
When he became president, Atatürk transformed the former empire into a modern and secular country.