Hello my lovely Steemian friends,
Today's adventure is still in Turkey, but takes a bit more of a serious note as we head to the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Over the course of our travels we have been to many memorials that highlight some of the darker times in our history - Tol Sleng and the Killing Fields in Cambodia, Auschwitz in Poland, the Genocide museum in Israel.
These are all very stark physical reminders of their eras.
The view of The Sphinx and Razors Edge from the beach at Anzac Cove - this is what the Anzacs would have seen when they landed.
While Gallipoli does not portray as obvious a brutal reminder as places like Tol Sleng and Auschwitz - for Australians, New Zealanders it is a stark reminder of war. As it turns out - also for the Turkish.. something that to be honest most people don't think about when Anzac day rolls around. After-all they were also young men and boys just doing what they thought was their duty at the command of their leaders... regardless of being on the other side of the fight.. these places do give you pause to think about a broader perspective.
The memorial at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula
And after all, for me at least, that is a lot of what travel is about.
Any Australian and New Zealander will have pretty much learned about Gallipoli and the ANZACs before they can walk.. it's so ingrained in our history and our persona as a nation. In my childhood it was immortalized in the Mel Gibson movie Gallipoli, where we all became shocked that the "Empire" could make such bad decisions resulting in such a loss of Australian life at the futile Battle of Nek - though historically the portrayal of an English chain of command was actually inaccurate - but it's rare to involve the truth in a tale that roused such patriotism and national consciousness in Australians.
The Beach Cemetery - looking out to the the sea
A quick history lesson:
Gallipoli was the first major military action for Australia and New Zealand as independent dominions.. The landing day - 25th April is known as Anzac Day. The whole operation resulted in 26,100 Australian casualties, including over 8100 deaths. In actual fact the operation also had no influence on the course of the war.
The remains of some of the trenches
By contrast the Turks - who called the campaign "Canakkale Savasi" were victorious but over the entire 8 month campaign including fighting the British and French forces lost 85,000 soldiers.
Reestablished trenches - depicting what it may have been like during the war
And the importance of this place in the Turkish national consciousness is evident upon visiting. Australian memorials are eerily quiet, with small groups of mainly Australian and New Zealand tourists. The Turkish memorials on the other hand are crowded - with grand memorials and statues of Mustafa Kemal - the military leader at the time - and later Turkey's leader. He became more famously known as Ataturk or Father of the Turks.
A statue of Mustafa Kemal - known as Ataturk
If you are on a tour - like we were, you will hear stories that might surprise you, considering it was a time of war. In places the trenches were closer together than you might think, and at times the soldiers played games - like throwing food to one another.
The respect on both sides is obvious as well. I've traveled with Americans in Viet Nam, who said the have never felt as unwelcome there as anywhere else they had been.. but there is none of that at Gallipoli. Turkish and Australian tourists mingled happily, paying respects to both sides.
Respect to Mehmetcik Monument
Perhaps people are reminded by the Respect to Mehmetçik Monument at Pine Ridge - a statue of a Turkish soldier carrying an injured allied captain back to the trenches under a white flag. Stories also abound of fraternizing and friendliness during times of ceasefire between the two sides.
Is it myth? It's hard to know - but it would be nice to think there was humanity during this time. Certainly both the Australian and Turkish governments have put a lot of effort over the years into the friendship narrative.
The sandstone memorial at Anzac cove - inscribed with the words of Attaturk says it all.
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away 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." – Atatürk, 1934
A small Australian flag beside the red poppy - the symbol of ANZAC
It's interesting to see Gallipoli as all of a sudden the perspective changes - these were soldiers fighting for their homeland and against invasion (perhaps simplified view from a political standpoint but that doesn't make it less true for many of the motivations for those in the trenches)
The memorial marking the Battle of Lone Pine
For us, though we commemorate and applaud our soldiers it's a dark and sad piece of our history - for the Turks it carries immense national pride. Nothing is ever just "wrong or right" or "black and white". There are always two sides to the story and both should be listened to before making judgement or conclusions
View of the peninsula from Lone Pine
I hope you enjoyed this look at a more serious side to our travels. For me, a large part of our travels is about understanding - past events, different places, cultures etc.
Til the the next adventure
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- This is original Content and may at some future point also be found at my Travel Blog The Amateur Adventurer
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