Çanakkale was more than a piece of land; it was a place of struggle.
This city, where the world’s largest armies came with all their resources, was actually the place where the heart of a homeland beat.
The Ottoman Empire, which was defeated on many fronts, was victorious in Çanakkale. Thousands of foreign enemy soldiers could not cross Çanakkale and reach Istanbul in the time they wanted. Although the enemy barrels that were to be aimed at the capital city later reached Istanbul on foot, it was not that easy to pass through Çanakkale.
Mehmetçik wrote the war epic with great will and devotion. In Çanakkale, where the strongest armies were based on its shores, the enemy was repelled with the high dedication of the Mehmetçik and the high will of the commanders. Mehmet Akif actually makes us feel this situation most deeply with these lines.
Şu Boğaz Harbi nedir? Var mı ki dünyâda eşi?
En kesîf orduların yükleniyor dördü beşi,
-Tepeden yol bularak geçmek için Marmara’ya-
Kaç donanmayla sarılmış ufacık bir karaya.
…
Eski Dünyâ, Yeni Dünyâ, bütün akvâm-ı beşer,
Kaynıyor kum gibi, tûfan gibi, mahşer mahşer.
…
Ey, bu topraklar için toprağa düşmüş, asker!
Gökten ecdâd inerek öpse o pâk alnı değer.
…
Sana dar gelmeyecek makberi kimler kazsın?
“Gömelim gel seni târîhe” desem, sığmazsın.
One of the most important gains of the Çanakkale victory for the Turkish nation was undoubtedly a Turkish commander named Mustafa Kemal.
The Turkish commander who wrote an epic story in Anafartalar made his name known on the battlefield in Çanakkale.
“How happy our nation is that it has produced a Mustafa Kemal from its own heart!”