Great Offensive ceremonies begin in western Türkiye
AFYONKARAHİSAR
Thousands of citizens and military personnel marched with torches to Kocatepe in the western province of Afyonkarahisar late on Aug. 25 to mark the 104th anniversary of the Great Offensive.
Governor Naci Aktaş and military officials led the procession from a schoolyard in Şuhut district’s Çakırözü village following an official ceremony. The crowd retraced the exact historical route that modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his forces took 104 years ago before launching the decisive military operation.
Earlier in the day, attendees visited the Şuhut Atatürk House, which served as a temporary headquarters for the military leadership. Mounted gendarmerie units began their symbolic journey retracing the path taken by Turkish cavalry forces advancing from Afyonkarahisar to İzmir.
