site.btaTurkiye Celebrates 101st Anniversary of Turkish Republic

Turkyie, a country of 85 million people, celebrates its national day on Tuesday.

Exactly 101 years ago, on October 29, 1923, the founder of the Turkish Republic and first President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, officially declared the country a republic before the members of the Grand National Assembly, established on April 20 1920.

Two years later, in 1925, October 29 was celebrated for the first time as a national day and remains so to this day.

Last year, Turkyie entered its second century, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called "The Century of Turkyie".

The national day is celebrated with various initiatives across the country, in diplomatic missions abroad and in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara.

Free public transport on the occasion of the holiday

The metro lines in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Izmir, as well as the Marmaray train line, which runs along the bottom of the Bosphorus and connects the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, will carry passengers for free throughout the day by presidential decree, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulqadir Uraloglu said.

Public transport in Istanbul will be free of charge, which includes buses, metro buses, metro lines, boats across the Bosphorus. 

In Istanbul, public buildings, homes, streets, squares are decorated with the national flags with the white star and crescent, as well as posters with Ataturk's face.

The Bosphorus bridges will be illuminated in red lights.

Free admission to military museums

Military museums in Istanbul will be free to visit without an entrance fee, according to the website of the Ministry of National Defense. These are the Aviation Museum, the Naval Museum, the Istanbul Harbiye Military Museum and the Florence Nightingale Military Museum.

Patrol boats in Alanya, Kas and Finike will also be open to the public.

Turkish warships, based in the ports of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, will also be open to the public, TRT Haber informed.

Ataturk Mausoleum Visit

The official part of the celebrations will begin in the morning with a visit and wreath-laying ceremony at the Mausoleum Tomb of Ataturk in the capital Ankara by a representative delegation headed by President Erdogan.

And afterwards, the Ataturk Mausoleum will receive visitors from all over the country. Hundreds of citizens in towns and villages, schoolchildren, students, people of different classes and ages express their gratitude and respect to the Father of the Republic Ataturk.

According to Turkish media, for the centenary of the Republic in 2023, the mausoleum was visited by 1,182,425 people from all over the country.

Military parade in Istanbul

A military parade will be held on Vatan Avenue, according to the Istanbul regional administration. Reportedly, some of the roadways will be closed to motor vehicle traffic.

Dolmabahce Palace, where Ataturk passed away on November 10, 1938, will also be open to visitors, who traditionally flock en masse on that day.

The cultural programmes culminate in the film "A Republic Song" (Bir Jumhuriyet Sharkus), which features a constellation of popular Turkish film and TV actors.

This is the story of a group of young, talented and determined people who revolutionized Turkish art in the 1930s, inspired by Ataturk's ideas.

The role of Ataturk is played by Ertan Saban, who is an actor of Turkish origin from North Macedonia.

According to the website of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, open-air concerts will be held in many areas of the metropolis, and in the evening there will be processions on the Prince Islands, in a number of areas of the metropolis, and a laser show on the Bosphorus. 

Red flags with the star and crescent and posters with Ataturk's face are flying on public buildings, homes, streets and squares.