Authorities have finalized arrangements on the historic Gallipoli Peninsula in the northwestern province of Çanakkale for the annual dawn service commemorating the 111th anniversary of the Anzac landings during the Gallipoli Campaign.
The ceremony, set to be held at Anzac Cove in the early hours of April 25, forms the centerpiece of Anzac Day.
Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that fought in Çanakkale in 1915 and later in the Middle East and Europe alongside their allies.
Anzac Day commemorates the anniversary of Australian and New Zealand soldiers' landing in Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. The Gallipoli Campaign served as a turnaround in favor of the Turks fighting against the then Allied Forces.
In the lead-up to the commemorations, teams carried out maintenance across 31 cemeteries and four memorials on the peninsula.
Work included landscaping, mowing rapidly growing spring grass and restoring stone borders and floral arrangements.
Temporary seating, sound systems, security corridors and ceremonial areas were installed for the expected influx of international visitors.
Representatives and military personnel from countries that fought in the campaign, including Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, arrived in the region days before.
Among them is Ani Heta, who described attending the commemorations as “a great honor and privilege.”
She highlighted the cultural importance of the traditional Maori haka, which will be performed as part of the remembrance ceremonies.
Lieutenant Colonel Conor Yardley also emphasized the emotional weight of the ceremonies, noting that being present in Türkiye offers reassurance that those who never returned home are remembered and cared for.
Participants frequently referenced a message delivered in 1934 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who led Ottoman forces during the campaign and later founded modern Türkiye.
Addressing the mothers of fallen Anzac soldiers, Atatürk famously wrote that their sons had become “our sons as well” after losing their lives on Turkish soil — a statement widely seen as a powerful symbol of reconciliation and shared humanity.
