Türkiye marked the 107th anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival in the Black Sea city of Samsun on May 19, 1919, a date regarded as the first step of the country’s War of Independence and commemorated annually as Atatürk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day with ceremonies, sporting events and public celebrations across the country.
The main ceremony in the capital began at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, where Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak joined young representatives from all 81 provinces, national athletes and officials.
Carrying Turkish flags, the delegation walked along the mausoleum’s ceremonial avenue before laying a wreath at Atatürk’s tomb. Following a moment of silence and the national anthem, Bak signed the Anıtkabir memorial book, describing May 19 as “the name of the nation’s resistance against captivity, its revival and determination for independence.”
In his message, the minister said the legacy entrusted to Turkish youth continues “with the same faith and spirit,” adding that young people are advancing the country in science, technology, art, sports and production while shaping what officials frequently refer to as the “Century of Türkiye.”
May 19 marks Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun aboard the Bandırma ferry in 1919, shortly after the occupation of İzmir by Greek forces and during a period of Allied occupation across parts of the former Ottoman Empire. The journey later came to symbolize the launch of the national resistance movement that led to the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye.
In Samsun, anniversary events began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Atatürk Monument. Provincial Youth and Sports Director Feyzullah Dereci placed the wreath as officials and residents observed a moment of silence and sang the national anthem. Celebrations were set to continue throughout the day at the city’s Republic Square and Tütün Pier, with aerial performances by the Turkish Air Force’s SoloTürk and Türk Yıldızları demonstration teams scheduled for the evening.
Elsewhere in the country, commemorations blended historical remembrance with symbolic acts of national unity. In the southwestern district of Fethiye, divers descended eight meters underwater near Afkule Monastery and staged a ceremonial parade carrying Turkish flags beneath the sea. Dive instructor Önder Diktaş said the group celebrates May 19 underwater every year at different locations, describing the event as a tribute carried out “in the depths of the Blue Homeland.”
A separate commemorative initiative transported soil from Atatürk’s birthplace in Thessaloniki to Türkiye. Wrapped in a Turkish flag, the symbolic “ancestor’s soil” was brought to the İpsala border crossing in Edirne before being handed to athletes participating in a peace run bound for Samsun and later Anıtkabir.
In eastern Türkiye, mountaineer Muhammed Akkuş completed a solo ascent of 3,200-meter Kandilli Mountain near the Iğdır province border to mark the occasion. After reaching the summit via a route marked by avalanche risks, Akkuş successfully skied down the mountain, completing one of the area’s first recorded ski descents.
