This text is a fragment of a guidebook to the Gallipoli Peninsula: "Gallipoli Peninsula and the Troad. TAN Travel Guide".
For hundreds of years, a narrow strip of land, now known as the Gallipoli Peninsula, has been the key to the conquest of Constantinople. The fleet, that would have been able to break through the narrow Dardanelles Strait, had an excellent chance to capture this great capital of many empires. The last such attempt was made during the First World War by the Allied forces that suffered a crushing defeat.
Brief history
The balance of the struggles from 1915-1916 was tragic. From 120 to 130 thousand combatants were killed, according to various sources. The Ottoman victory was paid for with massive losses, as 2/3 of the fallen were the soldiers of the Ottoman army. Among the fallen Allied soldiers, most victims were from the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
Since 1973, the southern part of the peninsula has been protected as a National Historical Park of Gallipoli Peninsula (tr. Gelibolu Yarımadası Tarihî Millî Parkı). On its territory there are military cemeteries, monuments commemorating the fallen, including the soldiers buried at sea, and battlegrounds. All these tragic reminders of the turbulent past of the Gallipoli Peninsula are located among pine forests and thickets, rising above the blue waters of the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea.
Visitor tips
The tour of the Memorial Sites of the Gallipoli Peninsula is considered to be a kind of "rite of passage" into adulthood among young Australians and New Zealanders. Particularly in the second half of April, when the Anzac Day is celebrated (on the 25th of April), the peninsula is crowded with coaches filled with the visitors from the Antipodes.
However, for the tourists from other regions of the world, visiting all cemeteries and monuments can become a tedious task. It is enough to realise that there are more than 30 Allied cemeteries on the peninsula, not to mention 20 cemeteries of Turkish soldiers, numerous memorial sites, tombs of lone soldiers, and battlefields. It is sufficient to visit just a few of them to gain some understanding of the importance of the events of the First World War.
Therefore, below you will find only some selection of cemeteries and memorial sites on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Moreover, we recommend visiting two villages - Bigali Köyü and Büyük Anafarta - presented in separate chapters of this guidebook. In these villages, there are museums, monuments and military cemeteries. More memorial sites and monuments are described in the chapters devoted to Gelibolu, Eceabat, Kilitbahir, and Seddülbahir.
The suggested starting point for the memorial sites tour is Eceabat. You can also start from the town of Gelibolu, located to the north, or cross the Dardanelles for one day from Çanakkale, situated on the Asian shore of the strait.
Turkish cemeteries
Akbaş Şehitliği
GPS: 40.2333, 26.4374
Akbaş Bay was one of the most important places of supplies delivery during the campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Turkish forces controlling it were targeted by the Allies from the water and the air. In the nearby valley, there was a large field hospital. The soldiers who died as a result of wounds were buried in a cemetery on the north side of the harbour.
Currently, there is a cemetery surrounded by a wall. In front of one of the entrances to the cemetery stands a statue of a soldier carrying a wounded comrade. A 5-meter stone obelisk, erected to honour the fallen, stands in the cemetery. The cemetery was opened to the public in 1999, but it is visited almost exclusively by Turkish groups. Near the cemetery, there are several souvenir stalls. Akbaş Navy Cemetery is located just off the D550 route from Gelibolu to Eceabat, about 12 km to the north of Eceabat.
Yalova Köyü Şehitliği
GPS: 40.2607, 26.4073
Yalova Village Cemetery is also the burial place of the fallen in the First World War, including major Çırpanlı Zeynel Abidin Ali Bey. Unlike Akbaş Cemetery, this rural burial place has a more casual atmosphere, and as such it may be better placed for peaceful reflections than the more well-known and popular memorial sites.
Madam Erika’nın Mezarı
GPS: 40.26051, 26.4049
This lonely tomb is located on a hill just outside the village of Yalova. Mrs. Erika was a German wife of Ragip Bey - a military doctor. During the war, she worked as a nurse and was killed during the bombing of the field hospital, where she had assisted the wounded Turkish soldiers. The village of Yalova and the tomb of Mrs. Erica are located 17 km to the north of Eceabat. You can reach them by driving along the D550 route in the direction of Gelibolu and turning left at Akbaş Şehitliği cemetery.
Çamtekke Şehitliği
GPS: 40.3019, 26.3728
This tomb, nestled among fields between the villages of Büyük Anafarta and Kumköy, is a mystery to many travellers. According to the information engraved on the gravestone, 71 soldiers are buried here. In the nearby Kumköy, there were military warehouses, which these soldiers guarded. Apparently they were killed by the bombing during an air raid, when they gathered around the well, washing their clothes. The mass grave is surrounded by beautiful cypresses. It is located on a dirt road about 18 km north of Eceabat.
Allied cemeteries
New Zealand No. 2 Outpost Cemetery
GPS: 40.2522, 26.2815
New Zealand No. 2 Outpost Cemetery is located near the defensive positions occupied by troops from New Zealand, on the left flank of Anzac troops. 183 soldiers are buried in the cemetery, but only 33 of them could be identified. They came from New Zealand, the UK, and Australia. They were killed during the offensive in August 1915.
The cemetery is located just off the road leading along the west coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula, on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Eceabat is about 23 km away.
Embarkation Pier Cemetery
GPS: :40.2547, 26.2797
The cemetery is adjacent to the evacuation station for wounded allies, who were transported to the ships from hills and valleys of the Gallipoli Peninsula. The cemetery was established after the end of hostilities, by the transfer of previously buried soldiers from smaller cemeteries and hills.
Out of 944 soldiers buried here, only 282 have been identified. For those that could not be identified, a special commemorative monument has been erected. This cemetery is located just 200 meters from the New Zealand No. 2 Outpost Cemetery.
French War Memorial & Cemetery
GPS: 40.0569, 26.2106
Located on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula, at Morto Bay, the French War Memorial & Cemetery is a memorial site for the valiant troops from France and its African colonies. French troops first attacked and captured Kumkale Castle, located on the Asian side of the Dardanelles, and were then transferred to the European shore. They were there to support the British forces during the Battle of Cape Helles (tr. Seddülbahir). During this campaign, the French troops were virtually wiped out.
On this relatively rarely visited cemetery, 18 thousand soldiers were buried. The identified bodies lie in 2,240 graves with iron crosses. The others were buried in five concrete mass graves, one of which is in the shape of a 15-meter-high lighthouse that also serves as a memorial to the fallen.
Memorial Sites
North Beach Anzac Commemorative Site
GPS: 40.2406, 26.2809
North Beach Anzac Commemorative Site has been designed to meet the needs of the growing masses by visitors to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Since 2000, this is the place where the Holy Mass is celebrated at dawn on the 25th of April in memory of the fallen. The site was prepared in cooperation with the governments of New Zealand, Australia, and Turkey. Its commissioning was attended by the Prime Ministers of the Australia and New Zealand, and the Turkish Minister of Forestry. They officially uncovered the panel stating that the Gallipoli Peninsula Peace Park is dedicated to peace, harmony, freedom, and mutual understanding.
On the days when no official ceremonies are held, it is a peaceful place, conducive to contemplation of the past and the bloodshed of the First World Was. In the distance, visible on the horizon, you can admire the Turkish island of Gökçeada and the Greek island of Samothrace.
Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial
GPS: 40.0498, 26.2184
Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial, also known as Abide, is the largest memorial on the Gallipoli Peninsula. It stands on the southern tip of the peninsula, near the Gulf of Morto, on Hisarlık Hill. At the monument, there is a museum with souvenirs of war, and to the north of the monument there is a cemetery where 600 Turkish soldiers were buried.
This monument, commemorating the service of 253,000 Turkish soldiers who took part in the fighting on the Gallipoli Peninsula, has a height of over 41 meters. It is also well visible from the Asian shore of the Dardanelles. It has the shape of four columns with a square base, covered with a concrete slab measuring 25 to 25 meters. Its design was created by three Turks: Doğan Erginbaş, Ismail Utkular, and Ertuğrul Barla, who won the official competition. The construction began in 1954, but due to financial problems it was only finished in 1958. Meanwhile, a nationwide fundraiser was conducted to complete the work.
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