Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial

The Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial rises on Mount Hisarlık at the southern tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula, commemorating approximately 253,000 Ottoman soldiers who died during the eight-month Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. Allied forces from Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand attempted to force the Dardanelles and capture Constantinople but were repelled in one of WWI's costliest stalemates. Inaugurated in 1960, the monument takes the form of a tetrapylon — four massive pylons linked by a roof slab — set within a broad memorial park of paths and inscriptions. For Turkey, the Gallipoli defense is a foundational national narrative; March 18 is observed as a national commemoration day, drawing huge crowds. The hilltop setting affords wide views across Morto Bay and the Dardanelles strait below.