In a manner almost unparalleled in history, the Gallipoli Peninsula, home to the remains of tens of thousands of Anzacs and Anatolian Turks, has become a hallowed ground which, rather than serving to keep old enmities alive, even today unites Australians, New Zealanders and Turks into a common brotherhood. It was a brotherhood forged in blood, but one which has become a part of the heroic past of three nations. As we approach the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign, we have a unique opportunity to show the world that hate and enmity can be transformed into peace and brotherhood.
While the Gallipoli campaign played a formative role in shaping the history of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, it also of importance to the peoples of Great Britain, France, Ireland and Canada, each of whom likewise in 1915 will commemorate their native sons who lie in the sacred soil of the Gallipoli Peninsula.
In many ways, the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 was a pivotal event in the history of three states. For Australia and New Zealand (ANZACS), it literally marked the emergence of their national consciousness as independent states. Virtually every family in these two countries had a relative (father, brother, son) or acquaintance who fought (and all too often died) at Gallipoli. For today’s residents of ‘down-under’ the Gallipoli Peninsula is sacred ground.
Likewise, for the Republic of Turkey, Gallipoli was a formative event. It was there that a young Turkish officer, Mustafa Kemal, earned his reputation, a reputation which gained him the credibility to later head up the Turkish nationalist struggle which ultimately led to the creation of today’s Republic of Turkey.
BAU Gallipoli Centennial Implementation and Research Center was founded in 2012 and continues its activities since then. Our planned commemorations are intended to cherish and sustain the memory of the Gallipoli Campaign. To be known as the BAU Gallipoli Centennial Implementation and Research Center, its efforts is directed by Professor Heath W. Lowry, a world-renowned authority on Ottoman history.
For this purpose there are several acitvities have been going on in the BAU Gallipoli Centennial Implementation and Research Center. There activities are;
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