1. ATATURK MONUMENT Ataturk monument dedicated to the Turkish War of Independence depicting equestrian Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

2. The monument is in the Cumhuriyet square in Izmir. The square is located in the sea side.

3. The municipality of Izmir decided to build a monument dedicated to Ataturk. In 1929, the statue of the monument was designed by Pietro Canonica an Italian sculptor. The base of the statue was designed by Turkish achitect Asım Komurcu and the statue was erected on 27 July 1932.

4. “Armies your first target is the Mediterranean Sea”

5. The base is made of Afyonkarahisar marble. The statue shows equestrian Ataturk in the Turkish War of Independence. There are also reliefs on the base showing scenes of war. Ataturk’s famous expression ‘Armies your first target is the Mediterranean sea’ has been inscribed in front of the base marble.

6. Thank you for listening… Aylin Çeliksöz