Thousands gathered in the eastern province of Kars on Jan. 4 to mark the 111th anniversary of the Sarıkamış campaign, commemorating Ottoman soldiers who died during the World War I operation by marching 5.5 kilometers in freezing temperatures that dropped to minus 22 degrees Celsius.
Held under the theme "Türkiye walks with its martyrs," the annual memorial march reenacts part of the route taken by Ottoman troops during the 1914–1915 Sarıkamış campaign against Russian forces.
The operation ended in one of the heaviest losses in Ottoman military history, with tens of thousands of soldiers dying largely due to extreme winter conditions, exposure and disease.
Clutching Turkish flags against the morning chill, participants set out from the gathering area on a symbolic 90-minute march, ultimately converging at the memorial site to pay their respects.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak also took part in the event, walking alongside thousands of civilians, many of them young people.
The Turkish Red Crescent provided hot soup, tea and local pastries to participants, while security forces ensured safety along the route.
Medical and emergency response teams were stationed throughout the area due to the severe cold and risk of frost-related injuries.
Speaking to reporters during the march, Bak said the event aimed to strengthen historical awareness among younger generations.
"We are here to instill a profound sense of history — to convey how this homeland was won, how it was defended and the immense sacrifices made along the way,” he said.
He described Sarıkamış as a defining moment in the country’s collective memory, often referred to in Türkiye as the “White Epic” because of the snow-covered battlefield.
Minister Göktaş said Sarıkamış symbolized sacrifice and endurance, adding that similar remembrance events were being organized across the country to pass this historical consciousness on to young people.
