10 November: Atatürk Memorial Day

What happened?

Atatürk's health declined from 1937, and in 1938 he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver^1,2. In July 1938 he moved to Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, where he wrote his will on 5 September². He died there at 09:05 on 10 November 1938^1,2.

His coffin was placed in the palace's ceremonial hall on 16 November, and for three days and nights the public filed past to say farewell². On 19 November the battlecruiser Yavuz carried it to İzmit, and a train took it on to Ankara^1,2.

On 21 November 1938 a state funeral attended by delegations from seventeen countries ended at Ankara's Ethnography Museum, where he rested in a temporary tomb for about fifteen years¹. On 10 November 1953, the fifteenth anniversary of his death, he was moved to the new mausoleum, Anıtkabir, and buried in soil brought from every province of Türkiye^1,2.

Why it matters

Atatürk led the War of Independence that ended Ottoman rule and proclaimed the Republic in 1923, serving as its first President until his death³. Under his leadership the sultanate (1922) and the caliphate (1924) were abolished, education was unified, a new civil code was adopted (1926), the Latin-based Turkish alphabet was introduced (1928) and women gained the right to vote and stand for parliament (1934)⁴.

That is why 10 November is a day of mourning and remembrance rather than celebration: the country pauses together at the very minute he died.

Gelibolu's link

Mustafa Kemal knew the peninsula before 1915: in November 1912, during the Balkan War, he was appointed head of operations of the Dardanelles forces headquartered in Gelibolu (Gallipoli)^6,7. He then became chief of staff of the Bolayır Corps⁶.

Commanding the 19th Division from early 1915^5,6, his troops halted the British and Anzac landing at Arıburnu on 25 April 1915⁴. On his own initiative he moved the 57th Regiment from the village of Bigalı to Conkbayırı, which it reached around 10 a.m.⁸. His order that morning is quoted with small variations; the best-known English version is "I don't order you to fight, I order you to die"^5,8.

Promoted to colonel on 1 June 1915, he took command of the Anafartalar Group on 8 August and launched the Conkbayırı attack on 10 August⁶. The victories at Kireçtepe (17 August) and the Second Battle of Anafartalar (21 August) followed⁴, and he became known as the "Hero of Anafartalar"⁶.

His 1928 visit to Gelibolu to introduce the new alphabet is still marked at the Atatürk Monument in front of the 2nd Corps headquarters⁹, where the 10 November ceremony is also held: in 2019 local officials laid a wreath at 09:00, a siren marked a two-minute silence at 09:05, and students followed with poems and an oratorio¹⁰. In 2025 the day continued with prizes for school poetry, painting and essay contests¹¹.

How it is observed

At 09:05 sirens sound and the whole country observes a two-minute silence¹². Traffic stops, ships sound their whistles and people stand still in the street³.

By law (Turkish Flag Law No. 2893), the flag is lowered to half-mast on 10 November as a sign of mourning¹³; in practice it stays there from 09:05 until sunset¹⁴.

In Ankara, state officials walk up the Aslanlı Yol to Anıtkabir, lay a wreath at the mausoleum, stand in silence at 09:05 and sing the national anthem¹⁵. In Istanbul, Room 71 in the Harem of Dolmabahçe Palace, where he died, is opened to visitors and long queues form¹⁶.

Good to know

• 10 November is not a public holiday: schools, offices and shops stay open, and work pauses only for the 09:05 silence¹².
• Flags are at half-mast from 09:05 until sunset¹⁴.
• Driving at 09:05? Expect traffic to stop; pull over safely and join the silence³.
• Gelibolu's official ceremony is at the Atatürk Monument in front of the 2nd Corps Command in the town^10,11.

Our note: the 1915 battlefields of Arıburnu, Conkbayırı and Anafartalar lie mostly in Eceabat district, while Gelibolu town neighbours Bolayır, where Mustafa Kemal served in 1912-13. Joining the 09:05 silence in town and then visiting these sites is a fitting way to spend the day.