Ziya Kilic tells: The year is 1909… Captain Mustafa Kemal, who joined the fifth corps chief of staff, was in Thessaloniki. Colonel Saadettin Bey, Commander of the 38th Central Regiment, received permission to go to Istanbul for treatment. Everyone was wondering who Saadettin Bey would leave in his place. Later, we learned that Saadettin Bey would be represented by Kolağası Mustafa Kemal. We were surprised. Because Mustafa Kemal was still a senior captain, there were people in higher rank than him. The astonishment of the high-ranking officers passed quickly. Mustafa Kemal endeared himself to all officers. While visiting the city, those who witnessed his behavior towards the people admired him. ...

  Teachers had a meeting in Ankara, and two or three teacher ladies attended this meeting and sat in a separate place in the hall. The turbans of the council, who do not tolerate the teachers going to the meeting, go to Gazi to complain. The veteran said: ”Who is the head of the teachers’ association? Call him!” he says. When Mazhar Müfit came in a few minutes later, he scolded him in a booming voice: ”What did you teachers do at the meeting? What a shame.” Mazhar Müfit is startled. Was this move expected from Gazi? The turbans laugh with victorious chastity. While the turbans are in joy, Gazi’s voice ...

Salih Bozok tells: When the British  defeated the Anafartalar Group in Çanakkale and could not dismantle the front, they embarked on a new movement and wanted to turn this front from the right. It was necessary to hold Kireç Tepe in order to foil the enemy’s plan. However, there was only one narrow road leading to it, and warships were under shear fire. At any moment, the cannonballs were wreaking havoc with terrifying explosions, causing death. It was not possible for a wolf, not even a human, to pass through. The Turkish officers and soldiers who were ordered to hold Kireç Tepe were hesitant; They were taking the opportunity. But ...

When King Edward comes to Istanbul, he gets on a motorbike from his yacht and approaches Dolmabahçe Palace. Atatürk is waiting for him at the dock. Because the sea is choppy, the motorbike on which the king rides is constantly going up and down. At a time when the Emperor wanted to go to the pier, his hand touched the ground and dusted. Since Atatürk had extended his hand at that time, the king wanted to wipe it on his handkerchief before extending his hand to him. But Atatürk immediately stepped in and said: Saying, “The soil of my country is clean, it does not get your hands dirty.” He ...

Garden architect Mevlüt Baysal tells: I was making Atatürk’s garden in Çankaya Mansion. One day Atatürk, his aide and I were walking around the garden. We saw that a very old and large tree was blocking the way Atatürk would pass. One side of the tree was a steep ridge, and the other side was a drained pool. Ata, leaning on the part around the pool, crossed to the opposite side. I was promptly fired: “If you order, we can cut it immediately, Pasha.” He looked at me for a moment, then: “Have you ever grown such a tree in your life that you will cut it down!” ...

Years have passed since the Sakarya Victory. One of the famous and equally talented painters of the period presents Mustafa Kemal with a painting depicting the Battle of Sakarya. In this painting, in which the war is tried to be depicted with all its majesty and grandeur, Ata is depicted as riding a greasy war animal in the foreground. While the painter was waiting for congratulations on this composition, Mustafa Kemal’s words: He was stunned when he said, “Don’t show this painting to anyone.” While everyone is looking at each other, not knowing what to say, Mustafa Kemal makes the following statement: “Everyone who has been to war knows that our ...

The Battle of Sakarya Square ended with the victory of the Turkish Armies, and Gazi is returning to Ankara. The people of Ankara, living in great anxiety and pessimism for twenty days, day and night, arranged a ceremonial welcome to the commander-in-chief of the army that defeated the enemy. Starting from the Ankara station, the government and council members, civil servants, students, shopkeepers and the public, lined up on both sides of the road towards the city, are advancing in a big procession by clapping as the veteran passes. When he arrived in front of the parliament building, Gazi realized that those at the head of the regiment were on their way ...

Kilic Ali tells: One day, in the first parliament, secularism was the subject. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha was the chairman of the parliament that day. A citizen, one of the well-known religious scholars of the parliament, came to the podium. sarcastically: ”Friends, there is this secularism frenzy. Excuse me, I don’t understand the meaning of this secularism, what is this secularism?” As he began to speak, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who was in the presidency, could not stand it, slamming his hand on the podium from where he was sitting: “It is about being a man, hodja. It is about being a man.” ...

Niyazi Ahmet Banoğlu tells: An American journalist told Atatürk: “How do you succeed in your work? ” she asked and got the following answer: “I don’t think about how to be successful at a job. I wonder what would hinder that work. Once I remove the obstacles, the work will run by itself.” ...

While Atatürk was talking with the Yugoslav King Alexander, who was visiting Turkiye, at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, the guest King said: ”Excellency. We love Turks. So much that, at the end of the World War, Lloyd George offered Western Anatolia to us before he offered it to Greece. But we, Yugoslavs, did not accept George’s suggestion and set out on the Anatolia expedition because we loved the Turks very much. Atatürk gives the following answer to these words of the King: “His Majesty, first of all, we would like to thank you for your love towards us.” ...

Muzaffer Kilic tells: When we came to Sivas for the congress from Erzurum, they had prepared the Sivas high school as Mustafa Kemal’s headquarters. While Pasha was wandering around the rooms prepared for him, he noticed the yellow satin pillow behind the bed in the bedroom. On the pillow was the following couplet, embroidered with dark thread: Do not hurt a person by being proud of the world. (People of pride and hurt by the splendor of the world) If you were the time of Süleyman, you would leave this iwan (Even if you were the Solomon of time, you would leave this world) Atatürk stopped after reading the article. ...

No matter how much a soldier, commander, administrator Atatürk was; His emotions, joys, anger and joy were one of us. One of the most typical indicators of the tendency to integrate with the nation is determined in the following short story: A number of posters were prepared for the twelfth anniversary of the Republic. These include: ”Atatürk is our greatest”, ”Atatürk is the greatest of this nation” ”The Turkish Nation has raised a Mustafa Kemal from their hearts for centuries” ”Atatürk carefully reviews the list. Drawing these and others similar to them, he writes the lines that best express himself in place of all of them: “Ataturk is one of ...

Ahmet Hidayet Reel tells: It was the spring of 1924. The houses of many villages in Erzurum and Pasinler were destroyed in the earthquake. Atatürk, who came to Pasinler to meet with the injured people, approached an old villager among the people: “Did you suffer a lot in the earthquake, father?” he asked. When Atatürk saw the old man’s doubt, he asked again: “How many liras can the government give you, can you cover your loss?” The old man: He said, “By Allah, the Sultan knows!” Ataturk smiled. In a soft voice: ”Father, there is no Sultan; Didn’t you remove them? Tell me, what’s your harm? ” the old man ...

The Japanese Crown Prince has come to visit Turkey. It is eaten and drunk at a large and elaborate banquet table. Atatürk talks about Japanese history for a while and describes a pitched battle. The Japanese crown prince was stunned. Atatürk goes from history to mythology and continues to speak from Japanese mythology. The Crown Prince’s mouth falls open. The word finally reaches literature, Atatürk: He reads verses from famous Japanese poets, saying, “Japanese Poetry has a great influence on world literature…” Crown Prince; He cannot ask, “How do you know these?” But he was amazed by Atatürk’s knowledge and memory. But Atatürk is always like this. He plans and ...

Salih Bozok tells: One day we went to a villager’s house in the vicinity of Çankaya. An old peasant and his wife lived in the hut we entered. While drinking the coffee they offered us, Atatürk told me to talk to the villager. To obey this order, I asked the white-bearded villager the first question that came to my mind: “Do you know Gazi, father?” The old man looked at me sarcastically as if I had asked a silly question: He said, “Is there anyone who doesn’t know Gazi?” and added: “I haven’t seen him, but he used to perform Friday Prayer at the Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque every week. ...

The year is 1938, November 10…  The ominous news was heard at 9:05 at Istanbul University… There is a German professor at the Faculty of Law, he heard it too and was surprised. He can’t decide whether to attend the class or not. At that time, he thought of applying to the rector. He gets up and goes to him. The following conversation takes place between them: ”Sir, I am hesitant. What should I do? ””Do what they do when a great man dies in your country.” It was then that the German professor swung his arms:”No such great man died among my people….” ...