The Ministry of Youth and Sports is ready to kick-start the commemorative actions marking the 109th anniversary of the Sarıkamış Campaign, an occasion drawing hundreds of younger contributors from throughout Türkiye yearly.
Scheduled as a three-day occasion, this system goals to pay homage to the martyrs of Sarıkamış in japanese Kars province by gathering quite a few younger people in Sarıkamış.
The Sarıkamış Martyrs’ Commemoration Program begins on the primary day with a dinner honoring the households of martyrs and veterans at 2:30 p.m., adopted by a Mevlit studying ceremony at Sarıkamış Kazım Karabekir Mosque at 6:30 p.m. Later within the night, a torchlight march from 15 July Martyrs Square to Yukarı Sarıkamış Martyrdom will begin at 8:30 p.m., following the Mevlid-i Şerif program.
Activities on Saturday, Jan. 6, will provoke with the inauguration of the Snow Sculptures Exhibition at Sarıkamış Ski Center at 3:30 p.m. A torchlight ski present and a “Mapping 3D Show” will ensue at 5:30 p.m., fascinating the attendees on the Sarıkamış Ski Center.
The ultimate day, Sunday, Jan. 7, options the Remembrance March. Participants will collect on the Kızılçubuk Summit Area, commencing the march at 10 a.m. and culminating on the Crescent and Star Ceremony Area. The ceremony will embody a second of silence, the studying of the National Anthem, a wreath-laying ceremony and protocol speeches.
Concluding the Sarıkamış Martyrs’ Commemoration Program, a Steel Wings present is deliberate on the Crescent and Star Ceremony Area. Additionally, climate allowing, this system might conclude with the Solo Türk present, including a poignant contact to the commemoration.
Sarıkamış Express
The Sarıkamış Express embarked from the Ankara Train Station as a part of the Sarıkamış Martyrs’ Commemoration Program, setting off at 10:30 a.m. This historic journey aboard the Sarıkamış Express is predicted to span roughly 24 hours, passing via Ankara, Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum provinces earlier than reaching its vacation spot in Sarıkamış, Kars.
Among the passengers on board was Mehmet Erdoğmuş, a veteran from Cyprus, who shared poignant recollections. He expressed: “I am the child of a martyr; my father lost his life in a tragic accident in Sarıkamış. His resting place remains there. Every 2-3 years, I make the pilgrimage to Sarıkamış to pay my respects to my father and the 90,000 martyrs buried there.” Erdoğmuş passionately added: “During these visits, I educate the younger generation about the profound significance of this sacred place. This isn’t a stage for theatrics; we are not actors. I recall my own injury, arriving in Adana on a stretcher. I have stories to share with the youth who journey to Sarıkamış aboard this train. Their perspective will undoubtedly be transformed after visiting this hallowed ground.”
Sarıkamış Campaign
The Sarıkamış offensive was launched to repel the advance of Russian forces upon the empire’s japanese borders throughout World War I undertaken by the Ottomans. The offensive, which started in December 1914, rapidly succumbed to the climate with scores of troops misplaced in blizzards.
After struggling tragic losses, only some models reached Sarıkamış, which was beneath Russian occupation. Records from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) present some 60,000 troopers died from chilly, starvation and hypothermia as a result of the troopers weren’t carrying appropriate uniforms.
Despite the Ottoman defeat, the Russian command was alarmed sufficient to name for assist from its allies, who subsequently initiated the well-known Gallipoli marketing campaign the place Ottoman forces emerged victorious.
The Gallipoli marketing campaign paved the best way for the Turkish War of Independence beneath the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the commander on the Battle of Gallipoli who later based the Republic of Türkiye.
Today, the Sarıkamış tragedy of the crumbling Ottoman Empire is etched within the reminiscence of the Turkish public as one of many final patriotic sagas of early twentieth century Türkiye, aside from the Gallipoli marketing campaign. It highlights the victory of the Turkish military that they achieved regardless of all odds and with out defying orders.
Images from the Russian archives reveal that though Ottoman troops made some progress on the entrance, its forces struggled so much. Foreign and Turkish troopers who survived later recalled that situations had been so extreme that it was virtually inconceivable to bury the our bodies of martyrs due to the frozen soil.
Despite the freezing climate, troopers weren’t allowed to mild fires due to security measures. Besides, those that survived later shared that they made it via by putting flammable mushrooms of their pockets to really feel heat and putting heaters beneath their legs and arms.
To make issues worse, the models had been lower off from much-needed provides as horse carts and gun carriages struggled to maneuver via the storms. A complete of 5,000 Ottoman troopers went lacking or had been taken prisoner by the Russians all through the marketing campaign.
“Türkiye is not a country that was liberated easily. For every inch of the country, several lives were sacrificed. It’s because of our veterans that we are proudly celebrating the centenary of the republic,” Polat mentioned.
Source: www.dailysabah.com