Türkiye Honors Ataturk on 87th Anniversary of His Passing

ANKARA, Nov 10: Türkiye on Monday commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic, on the 87th anniversary of his passing, with an official state ceremony held at Anıtkabir, his mausoleum in the capital, Ankara.

The solemn ceremony was attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, cabinet ministers, political party leaders, senior judicial officials, and top military commanders.

President Erdogan laid a wreath of red and white carnations, arranged in the shape of the Turkish flag, on Ataturk’s tomb.

At 9.05 a.m. local time (0605 GMT), the exact time of Ataturk’s death, participants observed a moment of silence, followed by the singing of the national anthem as flags across the country were lowered to half-staff.

Following the tribute, Erdogan and accompanying dignitaries proceeded to the Misak-i Milli Tower, where he signed the Anitkabir Memorial Book, expressing the nation’s continued reverence for Ataturk’s legacy.

“We passionately protect the Republic of Türkiye, which you called your ‘greatest work,’ and continue to adorn every inch of our country with new achievements,” Erdogan wrote.

“Under the leadership of competent and qualified cadres, Türkiye is progressing with confident steps on its path to becoming a global power,” he added.

Ataturk, who led the Turkish War of Independence and established the modern Republic in 1923, served as its first president until his death on Nov 10, 1938, in Istanbul at the age of 57 due to cirrhosis.

Each year, millions of Turks nationwide pause at 9.05 a.m. to observe a minute of silence in his memory, with sirens sounding across the country. Citizens also flock to Anıtkabir and local monuments to lay flowers and pay tribute to the visionary leader who transformed Türkiye into a secular, modern republic.