Erzurum works to establish Gallipoli-like historical site on eastern front

ERZURUM

Officials in the eastern province of Erzurum will hold a workshop on May 7 to discuss the establishment of a historical site authority on the Eastern Front, a major theater of several wars throughout history.

To support the creation of this new authority, the Erzurum Governor’s Office, the municipality and Erzurum Technical University have inked a cooperation protocol.

This workshop, scheduled as part of the protocol, aims to take an important step toward protecting, preserving and promoting the historical, cultural and spiritual values as well as the natural landscape of the Eastern Front, according to a statement from the Governor’s Office.

In the statement, the office emphasized the historical importance of the region, which played a critical role in the defense of the homeland from the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War to the Turkish War of Independence.

The region known as the Eastern Front covers a vast area, stretching from Kop Mountain and the Kargapazarı Mountains to Sarıkamış, all of them witnessing numerous battles that contributed to the defense of national borders and the shaping of the Republic of Türkiye's eastern boundaries, the statement highlighted.

Similar to the existing Directorate of the Gallipoli Historic Site in the northwestern province of Çanakkale, which is responsible for managing and preserving the historic battlefields and memorials in the Gallipoli Peninsula, the planned Eastern Front authority will oversee key locations in Eastern Türkiye that were central to the nation's struggle for independence and sovereignty.

Authorities believe the workshop will play a key role in shedding light on this part of history and ensuring its transmission to future generations.