These videos show five Turkish people’s opinions about what Gallipoli means to them.  We interviewed all of them during trips to Gallipoli during the centenary.

Kaan Aksoy is a tour guide.  As he explains, Gallipoli is seen as a founding moment for modern Turkey.  He also comments on the idea of Turkish soldiers being seen as martyrs.

Efe is a 16 year old student at school in Çanakkale. He tells us why Gallipoli is important to him, not just because of the sacrifices of the Turkish soldiers but also because of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who fought there before becoming Turkey’s first president, changing Turkey into a modern country where education was made available to girls, not just boys. 

For these two 16 year old students from İbrahim Bodur Anatolian High School in Çanakkale, the Gallipoli centenary presents an opportunity for peace and reconciliation.

Mustafa Onur Yurdal is a researcher at Onsekiz Mart University in Çanakkale.  Here he speaks about the lessons to be learnt from Gallipoli and how it’s important to study the past in order to stop history repeating itself.

Click here for some thoughts about Gallipoli from Turkish teenagers.