To the people of Turkey, Ataturk (means father of the Turks) is like the Beatles, Ghandi, and Martin Luther King all rolled up into one. If you didn’t know, Ataturk is a former Ottoman General and war hero and the founder of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. Among his many contributions to Turkey was a determination to modernize/westernize the Turkish political system, religion, dress and language (he replaced the Arabic script with that of a Roman one).Did I also mention that he is a dream boat with his blonde Brad Pitt hair and steely blue eyes that seem to bore a hole right into your soul.
Every town, small and large pay homage to this great leader with the namesake in streets, statues, parks, and schools. All businesses have an Ataturk portraits, either in his charming top hat or banker attire. Ataturk is on ALL the currency not just one bill, but every single one. He sits proudly on many Turkish flags and is embellished on taxi cabs. The more and you travel within Turkey, the more you begin to see how deeply this heart throb has seeped into the national psyche.
On a sad note, Ataturk died in 1938 from a life of excess. He was a notorious drunk and womanizer. He died from cirrhosis of the liver.
Here are some photos. In a country of 74 million, there is definitely a little Ataturk fever!!
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[...] The battles here are held in a special place in most Turks hearts as the weathered Ottoman Army was able to stave off the more advanced allies and hold on to the waterway. As a result of the fighting, fissures appeared in Ottoman rule and by 1923 modern Turkey was born. Galipoli is also famous for the hero it produced, the 1st president of Turkey and quite the looker, Kemal Mustafa, or Ataturk(father of the Turks). [...]