Gallipoli Peninsula: Where 130,000 Soldiers Died in Eight Months, and Both Sides Tend Their Dead With Equal Care

The Gallipoli Peninsula (Gelibolu Yarimadasi) in northwestern Turkey is the site of one of the most catastrophic military campaigns of the First World War. In 1915, Allied forces landed to secure the Dardanelles, knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war, and relieve pressure on Russia. The plan failed entirely. The campaign lasted eight months and ended in complete Allied withdrawal. Approximately 130,000 soldiers died on the peninsula, roughly equal numbers on both sides.

What makes Gallipoli remarkable as a memorial landscape, beyond the scale of the loss, is the way both Turkish and Allied cemeteries coexist on the same ridgelines, equally maintained, equally accessible, with Ataturk’s 1934 statement inscribed at the memorial to the fallen – the passage where a Turkish commander addressed the mothers of the Allied dead: “You, the mothers, who sent your sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.” It is among the more extraordinary things one government has ever said about another’s war dead.

The Sites

The peninsula is now the Gallipoli Campaign Historical Site within a national park, covering 31 war cemeteries containing around 22,000 graves, with a further 27,000 commemorated in unidentified graves and on memorials.

Anzac Cove: The small beach where ANZAC forces landed before dawn on 25 April 1915. The cliffs and steep ravines immediately behind the beach make it immediately clear why the landing went so wrong – the troops found themselves at the base of an unexpected cliff face rather than the flat ground the maps had shown. The cove is open and signed; standing here makes the scale of the terrain’s role comprehensible in a way maps do not.

Lone Pine Cemetery: Above the cove, this Australian Memorial marks the site of some of the most intense fighting and contains 4,936 graves. The pine tree in the cemetery is a descendant of the original lone pine that stood here during the battle; seeds were brought back to Australia and the tree you see was grown from those descendants.

Chunuk Bair: The New Zealand Memorial on the ridge above, where New Zealand forces briefly held the high ground before being pushed back. This was the only significant point ever taken and held by the ANZAC forces.

57th Ottoman Regiment Memorial: On the same ridge, the Turkish memorial marks the regiment that was wiped out holding the ANZAC advance on the first morning. Ataturk commanded these troops; his order to them that day acknowledged they would all likely die.

ANZAC Day

The dawn service on 25 April draws tens of thousands of Australian and New Zealand pilgrims. Attendance requires registration for an individual pass well in advance; entry without a pass is not permitted. The service begins at dawn at Anzac Cove and moves to Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. Most attendees are strongly advised to join an organised tour from Canakkale or Istanbul given the remote location and logistics.

The peninsula is more rewarding at any other time of year: quieter, more contemplative, and accessible without registration. April is the most crowded month by a significant margin.

Canakkale and Getting There

Canakkale, on the Asian shore of the Dardanelles, is the sensible base. Ferries to Eceabat on the European shore run throughout the day (25 minutes). The peninsula is about 4.5 hours from Istanbul by road; overnight buses from Istanbul run regularly. Most visitors combine the site with Troy, 30 kilometres south of Canakkale, on a two-day itinerary.

The local seafood restaurants on Canakkale’s waterfront serve Dardanelles catch at reasonable prices. Hotels in the 800 to 1,500 TL range cluster near the ferry port. The peninsula sites are a 20 to 40-minute drive from Eceabat depending on location.