ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday marked the 110th anniversary of the Victory at Canakkale (Gallipoli) and Martyrs' Day, which marks the anniversary of a key victory during World War I.

On social media, Erdogan said he hoped the anniversary would be a "blessed occasion" for Türkiye, its people, and all brotherly nations.

"As long as we live, I pray to God for mercy on our martyrs, whose noble memories we will honor with deep respect," Erdogan wrote on X.

He called the fiercely fought Gallipoli campaign one of the "brightest chapters" in the nation's history.

Gallipoli campaign

Tens of thousands of soldiers died in one of the world's most ferocious battles 110 years ago in the Gallipoli campaign in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

The battle took place between April 25, 1915 and Jan. 9, 1916.

Britain and France wanted to secure their ally Russia, as the Gallipoli Peninsula provided a sea route to what was then the Russian Empire.

Their aim was to capture Istanbul, the Ottoman Empire’s capital.

Turks repelled a naval attack, and there were many casualties on both sides during the eight-month offensive.

When the land campaign also failed, the invading forces withdrew.

Victory against the Allied forces boosted the morale of the Turkish side, which then went on to wage Türkiye’s War of Independence in 1919-1922, and eventually formed a republic in 1923 from the ashes of the old empire.