Filli Boya Keeps the Victory Alive with 'Mustafa Kemal Yolu' in the Republic's 2nd Century

Six months have passed since the opening of the Mustafa Kemal Path, presented to Turkey by Filli Boya and the Gallipoli Historical Area Directorate of the Dardanelles Battles on the centenary of our Republic. Over this six-month period, thousands of people have walked this historic route where numerous events were held, learning history firsthand.

Filli Boya, an eternal supporter of the historic area in Dardanelles through the Salute to Victory project, took another valuable step to pass the region's cultural heritage and living spaces to future generations by becoming a patron of the Gallipoli Historical Area Directorate's new visiting route, the "Mustafa Kemal Path". The project, which covers the renovation and arrangement of the 17-kilometre route that Mustafa Kemal followed from his arrival in Dardanelles, through the establishment of his headquarters in Bigalı Village and across the battlefield, relives the great victory that was a turning point in Atatürk's and the Turkish nation's life in the new century of the Republic. 

Inaugurated on the 100th anniversary of our Republic Day and opened to visitors in the spring months that followed, the Mustafa Kemal Path has hosted numerous events for children and young people, and walks have been organised with the local community. Since opening to the public, thousands of people have taken steps to walk the same path as Atatürk on the lands where he first appeared on the stage of history.

"We draw inspiration from our ancestor's legacy and strength from our history"

Stressing that they have made it their mission to protect the historic legacy of the Dardanelles Battles and the Spirit of Dardanelles, which opened the path leading to our Republic as the guarantee of our future, and to pass it on to future generations, Filli Boya General Director Tayfun Küçükoğlu, said the following on the subject:

"We always remember and want to remind others with gratitude and appreciation of that period when our nation and country were reborn from the ashes, so to speak, and when the spirit of solidarity was engraved in history as the Spirit of Dardanelles. Walking the same path as our ancestor on the lands where he first appeared on the stage of history, we deeply understand the incomparable struggle for the homeland that our forefathers gave and bear witness to this struggle. On this 17-kilometre path where we see, feel the fiery positions of 1915 such as reconstructed headquarters, trenches and observation posts, and follow in the footsteps of Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms on their journey to achieve the impossible, we draw inspiration from their legacy and strength from our history to look to the future with greater hope" he said.

Mustafa Kemal Path welcomes millions of visitors annually 

Emphasizing the great satisfaction they feel at the interest shown by both Dardanelles residents and domestic and foreign tourists in the Mustafa Kemal Path, Tayfun Küçükoğlu expressed that they sense the spirit of unity around a common purpose among those coming here from all corners of Turkey and the world, and concluded his remarks as follows: "We see how effective it is to move war narratives out of closed spaces and into spatial arrangements in the areas where the war took place, presenting the stories of these areas to visitors in a varied way. This path, which came back to life on the 100th anniversary of our Republic, has become one of the most striking points in the historic area that welcomes millions of visitors each year. As we leave the first year of the second century of our Republic behind, we invite everyone to visit the Mustafa Kemal Path to experience and preserve the Spirit of Dardanelles where it was forged" he said.

One of the most striking points on the Dardanelles Historical Area, which is progressing towards becoming the world's largest open-air museum and hosts millions of people each year, is a statue of the famous photograph in which Atatürk gazes confidently towards the horizon, observing the enemy from trench number 9.