"Story Books of Çanakkale Heroes" prepared by the Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Culture and Tourism is introduced to the public in a ceremony organized at the Ministry of National Education Meeting Hall.

 

Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, teachers and guests attended the ceremony.

 

Addressing the ceremony, Minister Selçuk stressed that the goal of preparing this set of story books in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is to commemorate the Çanakkale heroes with respect, understand and transfer their stories to younger generations.

 

Last week, Selçuk was in Çanakkale in order to make the opening of a school, skill and design workshops and paid a visit to the Çanakkale monument.

 

"I had the opportunity to visit places where the war took place, what a great emotion, great memories. Of course, we are proud of our history and we owe a debt of gratitude. We can see the signs of these feelings in every step we take when we visit the area," said Selçuk.

 

He said that Çanakkale should not only be considered just a front in World War I but a war when the entire generation of one country sacrificed his life for the country.

Reminding that generations who sacrificed their lives during the Çanakkale war struggled in order to give a future to our children, Selçuk said, "We know that it is important to commemorate our heroes, cherish their value and transfer these values to younger generations. We owe them a great debt of gratitude and this debt will never end."

 

Selçuk stated that grandchildren of Çanakkale martyrs were also present at the meeting and children should not forget that pains experienced during this heroic struggle are not so far away.

 

Noting that the War Office had sent a delegation comprising of poets, authors, painters and musicians to Çanakkale in July 1915 in order to express their feelings and impressions of the war to public, Selçuk said that the delegation did not praise certain people or missions but made descriptions based on real stories about the will and bravery of soldiers and public.

 

Selçuk pointed that artists in the delegation such as Ömer Seyfettin, Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Orhan Seyfi Orhon, Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, İbrahim Çallı, Abdullah Suphi, Ali Canip Yöntem, and Enis Behiç Koryürek shed a light to the future with their works about the war.

 

Minister Selçuk stated that art is a valuable method of reflecting social events in a sincere and refined way and the Çanakkale war was a subject of many art works.

 

Noting that the project also aims at telling the story of the Çanakkale war heroes in a set of short stories, Selçuk went on to say: "Our Ministry signed a protocol with the Directorate General for Support Services and the Directorate of Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historic Site Affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a part of the project to publish a set of story books about the Çanakkale heroes. These stories are available in EBA for children and teachers. Group of teachers who are also the authors of these stories visited Çanakkale, consulted with historians and wrote these stories. Our teachers told the stories of heroes from a different and interesting perspective and showed children how people can push their limits for their countries."

 

Noting that his Ministry had cooperated with the Ministry of Culture and Ministry in many different projects, Selçuk thanked Minister Ersoy and his team for their cooperation.

 

Selçuk said that the project has not reached an end and there are other stories they want to share with children adding that: "Our main duty is to tell all these stories to our children. Our duty is not over, yet. I hope that we will join forces with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in new projects."

 

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy expressed his happiness to be a part of such meaningful cooperation that highlights the national identity of history and literature.

 

Noting that they assumed a great responsibility when they decided to write the stories of Gallipoli heroes and retell the story of a 106 year old epic and many hidden lessons in this epic, Ersoy said, "Although more than a century has passed since then, it is important for us to understand the importance of Çanakkale war. It was a struggle for the existence of Turkish nation and the idea behind this struggle is unique. Çanakkale war is not just an ordinary memory or a battle in history books; it is a 106 year old perspective which is reflected into every field of life. It is alive and will continue to be like this until eternity."

 

Guests of honor at the ceremony were the grandchildren of Çanakkale war heroes namely Ali Erdal Kabatepe, Muhammet Yıkar and Levent ve Cihat Gündoğdu. 

 

Following the ceremony Ersoy and Selçuk visited the Çanakkale War Mobile Museum.