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Our Martyrs

The sons of Mesudiye who gave their lives for their homeland at Çanakkale

Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial

1915 — Çanakkale

We Have Not Forgotten Our Martyrs!

May their souls rest in peace.

1907 → 1915

Eight Years

In 1907, 94 households tore themselves away from Rumelia, came and settled in Mesudiye. They were only just getting to know the land — they had gathered their first harvests, built their first houses and come through their first winters. Only eight years had passed.

In 1915 they sent their sons to Çanakkale. Five did not return. Their roots had not yet grown deep when the first saplings from those roots fell on the soil of war.

8

years — the time between settlement and martyrdom

With their known ages

Abdullah oğlu İsmail

28

İbrahim oğlu Mustafa

28

Two young men, the same front, the same year.

Mehmet oğlu İzzet

Gallipoli Martyr

Grandchildren in the village

  • (late) Asiye Gündüz
  • (late) Zekeriya Ay
  • (late) Hüseyin Ay
  • (late) Rahime Ay
  • (late) Raziye Çotuk
  • Ayşe Özşahines

Ahmet oğlu Karani

Gallipoli Martyr

Grandchildren in the village

  • (late) Rabia Çay
  • (late) Osman Çotuk
  • Hasan Çotuk
  • (late) Zeynep Çotuk
  • Münir Çotuk

Kazım oğlu Karani

Gallipoli Martyr

Grandchild in the village

  • Hürrem Alkan

Abdullah oğlu İsmail

Gallipoli Martyr (1887–1915)

Fell aged 28

Private · Land Forces · Fire Battalion (reserve troops) · 5th Battalion, 3rd Company · Recruitment Office: Karaman

Research on grandchildren is ongoing

İbrahim oğlu Mustafa

Gallipoli Martyr (1887–1915)

Fell aged 28

Private · Land Forces · Fire Battalion · 5th Battalion, 2nd Company · Recruitment Office: Karaman

Research on grandchildren is ongoing

Historical Context

A New Homeland, the First Martyrs

The Battles of Çanakkale were fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915–1916 between the Ottoman Empire and the Entente Powers. About 500,000 Ottoman soldiers fought on this front; the number of martyrs is counted in the tens of thousands.

Mesudiye village had been founded in 1907 by muhacirs (migrants) from Rumelia. Only eight years had passed since its founding when the Battle of Çanakkale began. These five martyrs were sons of the first generation of the muhacir families who had set foot in a new homeland — they were called to war before they could put down roots.

Their names are on record, and their grandchildren have gone on living in the village. Remembering them is part not only of respect for the past but also of the story of how this village came to be.

Deutsche Version · Turkish version

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