We got off to a quick start yesterday, heading out of the hotel just shortly after eight in order to make it to the battlefields and memorial of Gallipoli. As we began our journey on the bus the students all took some time to themselves to either catch up on some much needed rest, read up more on the topic for their presentation, we even had a bit of acapella.
After everyone was rested up on the bus, we began to do some trivia quizzing on the bus, we started out with varieties of quartz and ended with public figures. Then it was time for presentations on the Ottoman Empire and the Northern Anatolian Fault.
First, Hila and Logan taught us the history of the Ottoman Empire, which was created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia that grew to be one of the most powerful states in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. The term Ottoman is a dynastic appellation derived from Osman I the nomadic Turkish chief who founded both the dynasty and the empire about 1300. At its height the empire encompassed most of southeastern Europe to the gates of Vienna, including present-day Hungary, the Balkan region, Greece and parts of Ukraine; portions of the Middle East now occupied Iraq, Syria, Israel and Egypt; North Africa as far west as Algeria; and large parts of the Arabian peninsula. The decline of the Empire between the 16th and 20th century involved many factors. The size of the empire made some parts inaccessible to the sultans, who were unable to give enough attention to public affairs. The devsirme took advantage of the weak government and controlled the sultan and the Turkish nobility. Corruption and over-taxation resulted in poverty, and the benefit of the empire was neglected. Various revolutions and land loss leading up to WWI, along with miscalculated risks during the war, lead to the dissociation of the empire at the beginning of the 20th century.
Next, Nate and Evelina taught us about the Northern Anatolian Fault. It is a fault that primarily involves a strike-slip motion between the European and Anatolian plates. This transform fault is driven by the southern-lying Arabian plate sub-ducting under the northern-lying European plate, displacing the Anatolian plate that lies between. The average motion westward of the Anatolian plate is about 25 mm per year, which is a relatively large amount. Some sites along the fault plane are locked in position, preventing further movement until the integrity of the locked site is overcome by the buildup of energy from the interaction between the plates. The release of this energy will be devastating to the infrastructure of Istanbul - especially the European side. The likely positioning of the hypocenter is expected to be in Istanbul, with a predicted magnitude of ~7.5. The European side will be affected much more as it lies on a soft foundation, which is known to increase duration as well as felt-effects of the earthquake. This is of major concern as Istanbul is a major city with respect to business and trade.
After two incredibly informative lectures we were finally at our first destination of the day, the museum for the Battle of Gallipoli. There we got to learn our first taste of the Modern History of Turkey and Ataturk, from our tour guide. Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) was an army officer who founded the independent Republic of Turkey out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. He served as Turkey’s first president from 1923 until his death in 1938, implementing reforms that rapidly secularized and westernized the country. At the museum we had a chance to see weapons used and even Ataturk’s shoes, spurs and officer outfit. Another favourite at the museum were all of the propaganda posters, there were some that implored men to get involved, others that encouraged children to use their savings to help support the war efforts and even a couple that informed women that if their husbands were not willing to go fight for their country, they would never fight for you and may just leave you one day.
As we left the museum it was still early afternoon, but everyone was ready for lunch, we went to a restaurant on the way to the battlefields. We tried a new Turkish dish called Gözleme and either had freshly squeezed juice or Aryan to drink.
Then it was off to the races, we all hopped in the bus and set off to our next location an ANZAC Burial Site on the coast at the bottom of the famous ridge from the battle of Gallipoli. There we learnt the importance of the Australians and the New Zealanders in the overall war effort. The distraction on the front of Gallipoli was essential for the British success. Here we also got to walk down to the water and look at the rocks on the coast. Then it was off to the Lone Pine Cemetery for ANZAC. There we learned about the use of the only pine tree in strategic communication.
Next we went to a Turkish cemetery, it was fascinating to see the praise of Turkish soldiers and the overall intense appreciation. At the Turkish cemetery a man and his wife learnt Professor Henderson's New Zealand background, the Turkish man embraced him in good spirit. There was an inscription that said we thank our brave and heroic soldiers and there was a statue of a veteran with a little girl admiring him. While this appreciation was impressive it was not nearly as impressive as the amount of admiration shown at the site that was solely dedicated to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
After our last stop for the day we hopped on a ferry to cross the strait to Canakkale. After a short respite at the hotel most of us went out for dinner downtown and went to look at Troy memorials to get ready for the next day.
