Turkey commemorates fallen soldiers of WWI in Sarıkamış

Tens of thousands of people came together to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Sarıkamış operation, during which around ten thousand Turkish soldiers froze to death in the northeastern part of the country during World War I.

People came from across Turkey to gather at a site called Kızılçubuk in Turkey’s northeast province of Kars, the beginning point of the Sarıkamış operation, which aimed to defeat the Russian Caucasus Army.

The event titled “Turkey’s Martyrs Walk” began with participants marching the same 8.5-kilometer route that Turkish soldiers used during World War I in the Sarıkamış district of Kars, despite cold weather conditions and a temperature of around -10 Celsius.

A military maneuver during the war went terribly wrong and trapped ten thousand soldiers in freezing conditions in Sarıkamış during the December 1914-January 1915 campaign.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, Interior Minister Efkan Ala, Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç and Kars Governor Günay Özdemir attended the ceremony, accompanied by numerous military officials.

Speaking to the press, Çiçek pointed out the importance of honoring the memory of fallen soldiers.
“These kinds of ceremonies should strengthen our unity and solidarity,” said Çiçek. “Maybe then our martyrs can rest in peace,” he said, urging citizens to avoid hate speech.

Along with Turks, Afghans, Macedonians and Palestinians were also in attendance.