Respect to Mehmetçik Monument
 | |
  Monument | |
| Coordinates | 40°12′N 26°17′E / 40.200°N 26.283°E |
|---|---|
| Location | Eceabat, Çanakkale Province, Turkey |
| Designer | Tankut Öktem |
| Type | Statue |
| Material | Bronze |
| Opening date | 1997 |
| Dedicated to | Turkish soldier at Gallipoli Campaign |
The Respect to Mehmetçik Memorial (Turkish: Mehmetçiğe Saygı Anıtı) is a monument in the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey. Mehmetçik is a common name given to soldiers in a war.
Geography
The monument is in Eceabat district of Çanakkale Province at about 40°12′N 26°17′E / 40.200°N 26.283°E. It is situated in the southern end of Albayrak heights in the Gallipoli Historical National Park which is facing the Anzac Cove[1]
History
The monument has been created by the Turkish sculptor Tankut Öktem (1941–2007) in 1997.[2]
Theme
The monument is a sculpture of a Turkish soldier carrying an Australian officer. The sculpture is based on an event in the Dardanelles Campaign of the World War I in which a Turkish soldier, after raising a white flag, carried a wounded Australian officer to Australian lines and returned to his lines before resuming the clash. There is also an inscription of a statement made by Lord Richard Casey then a lieutenant and the staff captain with the 3rd Brigade in the Australian army,[3] during a visit to Turkey about his respect to Turkish army.[4]
References
- ↑ National parks authority page (Turkish)
- ↑ Tankut Oktem's personal page (Turkish)
- ↑ Australian biography page
- ↑ Ruins and memorials in Turkey page