Gallipoli – Çanakkale (2005)

In April 2005, I travelled to Çanakkale to photograph the commemorations marking the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign. Ninety years after the battles of 1915, the Gallipoli Peninsula once again brought together people from nations that had once fought against one another, this time to remember the past and honour those who had lost their lives. ANZAC visitors from Australia and New Zealand, Turkish military ceremonies, war cemeteries and memorials revealed how deeply the events of Gallipoli remained embedded in collective memory.

During my visit, I photographed not only the commemorative ceremonies but also everyday life in Çanakkale, the shores of the Dardanelles and Kilitbahir Fortress, which had guarded this strategic waterway for centuries. In the streets of the city, encounters between different generations and cultures created an atmosphere in which memories of war and the rhythms of daily life existed side by side.

Presented in three portfolios, this photographic journey brings together the ANZAC commemorations, the historical and cultural character of Çanakkale, and the ceremonies, cemeteries and memorials across the Gallipoli Peninsula. Through these photographs, I sought to document not only the traces of history but also the mutual respect that had developed over ninety years, the enduring importance of remembrance, and the possibility of coming together in peace.