The Battleground of Demigods and Heroes: Troy and Gallipoli Part Two

We had a quiet night in Eceabat after viewing the battlefields of Gallipoli. Many cups of delicious cay (Turkish tea) were consumed, and we discussed solutions to the Israel/Palestine conflict and the differences between the United States and Canada. Needless to say, I loved it.

The next morning, a few of the group headed out early to explore the town of Canakkale, on the opposite side of the narrows that open onto the Marmara Sea. This was a strategic point of defence for the Ottomans during WWI, and it is now one of the biggest cities on the northern Aegean coast. The ferry ride across from Eceabat was quite fun, we accidentally ignored the "crew only" signs and rode on the top deck where we were granted a view of both of the large fortresses protecting the Narrows. Our first stop in Canakkale was the military museum, which had an impressive yard full of WWI armaments: canons, mines, a submarine periscope, a German U-boat, and tanks. Predictably, there were several statues of Ataturk, my favourite of which involves him looking down benevolently with the dates 1881-infinity inscribed below. Unfortunately the fortress was closed for reconstruction, so we ventured through the town to the archaeology museum. It had many finds from Troy and other surrounding ruins including marble tombs, pottery, statues of Gods and Goddesses, and innumerable stone columns. Although very little of the signage was in English, it was really neat to see some of the archaeological remains from the area. We headed back to our hostel to rejoin our group, and after a delicious lunch provided by the hotel, we departed with our guide for Troy.

We had been warned that, unlike some other archaeological sites in the country, there isn't much to 'see' in Troy, because of extensive pillaging by treasure hunters, tourists and various museums, both Turkish and other (many of the finest finds from Troy are showcased in Britain and Germany). When we first arrived at the dig site, I was somewhat alarmed. Bus loads of tourists were swarming around an ostentatious and cheesy Trojan Horse, while a gift shop peddled its wares and men dressed in 'traditional' Greek armour pandered for expensive costumed photos. We took some obligatory photos with the horse and headed with what I can only describe as trepidation towards the ruin. However, once we cleared the tourists taking selfies, the true impact of the site came to light.

The site was first settled in 3000BC and abandoned in 500AD, and archaeologists have excavated nine different layers, meaning nine different cities were built on the site over the years. It was mind blowing to touch walls constructed up to 5000 years ago, and our well informed guide did a good job of explaining the architectural remains, as well as the history of the archaeological excavation. The most interesting remains, in my opinion, are the acropolis (Troy VII), the odeon (Troy IX), and a ramp leading to what would have been the main gate of Troy II. Also noteworthy is that archaeologists have found all of the pieces of a Temple of Athena, and reconstruction will begin this summer - an exciting addition to the site! It was really fun wandering along the path through the different layers of the cities, and learning about what archaeologists believe different stone walls to have been. We also learned a lot about a German treasure hunter named Heinrich Schliemann, who first discovered the site, and was successful in seriously damaging a lot of it in his manic search for treasure from Homeric Troy. He was an idiot, and it was infuriating to see where he had destroyed walls and dug erratic trenches through the site. He claims to have found treasure in the remains of Troy II (dating to 2600-2250BC) that he unhesitatingly called Priam's Treasure, though Homeric Troy is largely believed to be Troy VII (dating to 1300-1190BC). He smuggled he treasure out of Turkey, which his wife later wore to social events, despite the fact that they are supposed to be important archaeological discoveries. Much debate surrounding the authenticity of this treasure persists, and since he claims to have found the treasure inside a minor building wall outside of the main city walls, I can see why.

After our tour, we were driven back to Istanbul, concluding our weekend adventure. It was really nice to briefly leave the bustle of the city. Though I love it here, it can be draining to be so far from nature and so surrounded by people all the time.

Sorry this post is a bit short, but I've been having some computer problems and I am writing this entry from my phone. When I add photos later I will flesh it out a little! Now back to midterm studying, wish me luck!

The Battlegrounds of Demigods and Heroes: Troy and Gallipoli Part One

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote!  This blog was teetering on the precipice from whence all of my journals and diaries have fallen into "oh God, too much has happened, it's too late to catch up" valley.  But I've decided to approach the blog differently.  From now on, I'll be posting at minimum every Tuesday, and whenever else I feel like it, Insha'Allah.  Today's episode: my weekend trip to Gallipoli and Troy.

I pitched the idea of travelling out of the city for a history weekend to a couple of friends who are also here on exchange, and before I knew it, I was coordinating a weekend trip for 9 of my classmates.  We left early on Saturday morning in a minibus run by our hotel, arriving in Eceabat on the Gallipoli Peninsula about 5 hours later.  After a delicious Turkish lunch also provided by the hotel, we packed back into the bus and were driven to the battlefields of Gallipoli where so many people lost their lives in 1915.

I don't remember when I first learned about the Dardanelles campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula South-West of Istanbul.  I don't think it was in any high school history classes; the campaign didn't involve many Canadians, and the World War One discussions rarely accounted for battles that took place outside of Western Europe.  However, over the years I became increasingly interested with the disastrous Allied attempt to take the Gallipoli Peninsula in order to create a supply route to Russia while drawing German forces into a fight on the Eastern front.  Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, seems to have believed that the Ottoman forces, who were seen as inferior and an insignificant threat to the Allies, would quail at the sight of the British and French navy and lay down their weapons.  After a failed attempt to sail through the straits, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula for what would be a 9-month stalemate, which was extremely costly for both sides, and led to a humiliating defeat and withdrawal of the Allied forces.  The information I am going to present in this post comes from research as well as stories from our tour guide.

The first stop on our tour was Brighton Beach, where the Allies had planned to land their ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) forces.  The beach is long and flat, and the ground after the beach cuts across the peninsula with little change in altitude.  The plan was to get across it as quickly as possible and then take the high ground to the North.  Unfortunately for the Allies, under cover of darkness and betrayed by the currents of the Aegean Sea, they missed Brighton Beach and landed to the North at a place now known as ANZAC cove, which was our next stop.  Unlike Brighton Beach, Anzac Cove is tiny, and the terrain immediately after the beach is steep.  The Turkish forces atop the cliffs above inflicted significant casualties upon the ANZAC troops in the first day, with estimated casualties over 2000 men.  The Allied troops did succeed in securing higher ground, chasing the Ottoman forces uphill once they ran out of ammunition.  The Turks were met by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, commander of the 57th Regiment.  Kemal had ignored commands to reinforce troops elsewhere on the peninsula and had instead shrewdly realized that the Allies were attempting to secure Chunuk Bair, the highest point in the surrounding area from whence control of the peninsula would be easy to command.  According to Bill, our guide, he had raced ahead of his troops to command the retreating Ottoman troops in an attempt to prevent the Allies securing Chunuk Bair, despite their lack of ammunition.  He directed them to switch to bayonets and arrange themselves as if they were the first line of defence, lying on the ground for cover as though other troops were behind them.  The Allied forces, when they saw them, assumed a greater Turkish force was waiting and also dug in defensively.  Kemal therefore bluffed his way to victory, as the rest of the 57th Regiment had time to catch up and support the poorly prepared troops holding Chunuk Bair.  For this battle maneuver and others, Kemal gained support, popularity and fame, later going on to lead the Turkish independence movement between 1919-1922.  He was granted the surname "Ataturk" - Father of Turks - and is beloved by Turkish people worldwide.  His face and name are everywhere and on everything from streets to currency.

The rest of the tour took in several moving cemeteries and war memorials of Turkish, New Zealander and Australian origin.  As always, it is interesting to see the ways in which people are honoured, and major events remembered, though devastating to see gravestones of young men whose lives had barely begun.  The official estimation of casualties is around 500,000 people.  One memorial on the coast has Ataturk's words of peace and reconciliation: "To us there is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets… You, the mothers, who sent your sons from faraway countries, wipe aaa your tears; your sons are now lying our bosom… After having lost their lives in this land, they have become our sons as well."  The primary memorial for Australian troops is at Lone Pine, where, over the course of 4 days in a space about the size of a soccer field, 7000 men died.  It was beautiful and sad, with its large pine tree and touching epitaphs on the gravestones of boys as young at 14.  The words "Their Names Liveth On Forever More" are everywhere on these sorts of memorials, but I can't help but wonder what kind of comfort that gives to the families of the fallen.

We were shown to old trenches at Johnston's Jolly, so named because of an Allied commander who used to tease the Turkish forces during long weeks of inactivity.  With the lines only a few meters apart, it was easy for soldiers from opposite sides to communicate.  Bizarre to think that the troops of different nations were able to tease, share jokes with and get to know each other between attempts to kill one another.  Senseless.  We finished the tour at Chunuk Bair, where the Turkish have their memorial to the fallen.  Predictably, Ataturk was there, and dozens of Turkish tourists, who were notably absent from any other battlefields.  It was easy to understand why the area had such strategic significance.  What seems like the entire peninsula was visible, from Suvla Bay to the North where British forces landed in a last attempt to secure the peninsula, towards Anzac Cove where the ANZAC forces had a base for 9 months, and other battlefields like Lone Pine.  We discussed how the Allied forces' most successful maneuver during the campaign was their evacuation, during which no Allied soldiers were lost.  9 months, half a million casualties, and nothing to show for it.  War is super awful.

The Gallipoli Campaign is really important to Australians and New Zealanders, as it was the first time their forces fought under their own flags and representing their own nationalities, rather than as a greater part of the British Empire.  On April 25th, thousands of people from Oceania come to Gallipoli to pay their respects in huge ceremonies.  Next year is the 100th anniversary, and due to expectations around the vast number of people who will want to attend, there are lotteries being held in Australia and New Zealand to determine who can go for the ceremonies.  It is also very significant for Turkish people, as one of their only "successes" during WWI, and as the place where their beloved Ataturk gained recognition and power.

I'm honestly too bummed out after writing about all that devastating military stuff, so I will write about Troy later, when I'm feeling more peppy.  In any case, the tour we did was awesome, and I would recommend Crowded House in Eceabat, and our tour guide Bill, to anyone visiting the Peninsula.