The Strait of the Dardanelles is the ancient Hellespontus
crossed in the 5C BC by Persian King Xerxes
who built a ship pontoon bridge on his expedition
against the Greeks.
The strait is 61km/38 miles long and stretches between
the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea. Its width varies
between 1km/0.75 miles and 6 km/4 miles.
The strait has always been a strategic zone subjected
to conquests through the centuries.
The Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Campain of 1915-1916 was
an Allied fleet attempt against the Turks: their
objectives were, by capturing Istanbul, to force
Turkey out of the war, to secure a sea supply to
Russia and to open another front against Germany
and Austria-Hungary. The unsuccessful campain which
started in February/March 1915, was first an attempt
by battleships to force the Dardanelles, followed
by successive landings and offensives on Cape Helles
and Anzac Beaches (Arıburnu). The withdrawal of
the Allied took place on December 19/20th, 1915
and January 8/9th, 1916. During this war Mustafa
Kemal was promoted colonel and appointed to
command the 16th Army Corps.
The visit of the Gallipoli Peninsula (Gelibolu
Yarımadası) include the battlefields and the trenches,
the War Museum, the Memorial Arch
and the cemeteries which remind us of the
253,000 Turkish, 200,000 English, 48,000 French,
20,000 Australian and 10,000 New Zealander (ANZAC),
and 6,000 Indian soldiers who died there during
the battles.
The
Strait of the Dardanelles
Turkish
cemetery
ANZAC
cemetery
The
Memorial Arch
Turkish
soldier
Çanakkale,
located on the Asian side of the strait, developed
around the fortress built in 1442 by Mehmet II. The
town played an important role during the Çanakkale
battles.
The 1915 Sea Victory
Celebration takes place every year in Çanakkale in
March, and the Troy Festival in August.
