Turkey commemorates 77th anniversary of Ataturk’s death

Baku. 10 November. REPORT.AZ/ Thousands of people on November 10 flocked to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara to commemorate the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, who passed away 77 years ago.

Report informs referring to the Turkish media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker İsmet Yılmaz and other senior political figures also attended the commemoration ceremony at the mausoleum, Anıtkabir.

Commemoration ceremonies are taking place across the country but the center of attraction is the grand mausoleum complex that also houses a museum

Daily life stopped for two minutes, beginning at 9.05 a.m., the time of Atatürk’s death. Sirens sounded throughout Turkey and people observed two minutes of silence

Ataturk was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led forces to repel the allied invasion at Çanakkale, known as the Dardanelles.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Ataturk led the Turkish War of Independence, which defeated European powers hoping to invade what was left of the empire. When he became president, Ataturk transformed the former empire into a modern and secular country.

Ataturk passed away on Nov. 10, 1938, at the age of 57.