We Commemorated Ghazi on the 84th Anniversary of His Passing Away

On the 84th anniversary of his passing away, ITU commemorated Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the savior of our homeland, the founder of our Republic and the architect of our modernization with the reforms he carried out. Our 10th of November Commemoration Ceremony took place at Ayazağa Campus Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center with massive participation.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) held the “Commemoration Ceremony for the Great Leader Atatürk” on November 10 at the Ayazağa Campus SDCC in order to commemorate the cherished memory of the Great Leader Atatürk and to rethink and understand his importance for our Republic and the works he left behind.

The ceremony started with a moment of silence for Atatürk, his comrades-in-arms and all our martyrs at 9.05, accompanied by the sound of sirens, followed by the National Anthem. First, Atatürk’s historical speech at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Republic in 1933 was presented to the participants as a cine-vision show. 

“As the Technical University Family, we are aware of the historical mission we have undertaken”

Our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu mentioned that Atatürk’s will to struggle, determination and passion for independence played a key role in the war of liberation and independence, and stated that the maxim “The truest guide in life is science” is one of the main guiding principles for ITU. Prof. Dr. Koyuncu expressed the following in his speech: “Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has shown great success in many fields from military to diplomacy, from science to politics. He was a unique leader who ignited the fighting spirit of a nation. He had a unique foresight in his view of science, art, technology, industry, economy and the condition our country was in. As the Technical University Family, we are aware of the historical mission we have undertaken and strive to take the steps to build the future of our country in this direction.”

Delivering the opening speech on behalf of ITU students, Ahmet Enes Turan, a student from the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering and a member of ITU Enlightenment 1923 Atatürkist Thought Club, said, “What distinguishes Atatürk, whom the whole world respects as a great military theorist and statesman, from other great figures and geniuses of his time is that although he was so far ahead of his time intellectually, he based his actions on the country in whose bosom he was raised, and he navigated the horizon of his nation’s movement so to speak.” Our student Turan ended his speech with a quote from Atatürk: “If I have created a work, I did it based on the power and strength of my nation and the inspiration I received from it.” 

Transforming the Future: Atatürk, Youth and Science

generations and talked about Atatürk’s foresight by saying, “The importance Atatürk attached to science and youth is evident. He has high expectations especially from our university in this regard.” Sarıhan drew attention to the meaning of transforming the future for Atatürk with the following words: “Mustafa Kemal Pasha embraced the idea that progress is possible through science and technology. That is why he is a leader who manages to transform even today, even though he passed away 84 years ago. Today, Atatürk’s expectation from the Technical University, its professors and students is to ensure that this transformation continues in the future as it did in the past.” Pointing out that our university has played a decisive role for our country in many fields and raised world-class names, our Lecturer concluded her speech with the words, “Thus, the Technical University has preserved the legacy of Atatürk, transformed today and commemorated him with mercy, respect and gratitude on the 84th anniversary of his passing away.” Our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu presented a plaque to Sarıhan in memory of the day. 

Special concert by ITU 250th Anniversary Polyphonic Student Choir for the 10th of November

After the speeches, ITU 250th Anniversary Polyphonic Student Choir performed a special concert for the 10th of November with Lect. Fidan Kurt Kasapbaşı as their chorus master. With a repertoire of Atatürk’s favorite songs, our Student Choir sang Thessaloniki folk songs such as “Çalın Davulları (Beat the Drums)”, “Bülbülüm Altın Kafeste (My Nightingale is in a Golden Cage)” as well as works such as “Mustafam (My Mustafa)”. Kerimoğlu Zeybeği, sung by our choir, was accompanied by two students from ITU Turkish Folk Dance Department who performed zeybek dance in folkloric costumes. 

Traditional run for Atatürk

After the ceremony, participants of all ages from the ITU Family came together for the 38th annual Atatürk Commemoration Run and Walk. In addition to our students and academicians, our employees from different units also participated in the jogging and walking event held in sunny and cool weather. In the race, certificates of achievement were given to the first, second and third place winners in the short and long distance categories, while a certificate of participation was presented to all other participants in memory of the day.