HAKAN ALTIN

Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha launched the Great Offensive from Kocatepe at 5:30 a.m. on August 26, 1922, with cannon fire, personally commanding the battle. The enemy was routed in the field battle of Dumlupınar on August 30 and in hand-to-hand combat, and victory was achieved with the Turkish Army's entry into Izmir on September 9, 1922. On the 103rd anniversary of this victory, we commemorate all our martyrs and veterans, especially Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms, with mercy and gratitude. (August 26, 2025)

REMOVE THIS CARPET

Mr. Salih Bozok, one of Atatürk's closest friends, describes Atatürk's entry into Izmir after the Dumlupinar victory in his memoirs:

I was on my way to Izmir to prepare the house where King Constantine was staying for Atatürk. Gunfire could still be heard on the roads. Everywhere was burned and destroyed. It was a horrific sight... There were dead bodies and wounded people left to fend for themselves on the roads... So hours passed, and we arrived in Izmir. We first went down to the Government House. There, we learned that King Constantine was staying in a house in Karşıyaka. We took someone who knew the house with us and went to Karşıyaka. They were throwing flowers and cologne at us. It was as if we had won the victory. We told those who welcomed us in Karşıyaka:

-We are looking for the house where King Constantine was staying," we explained and explained our purpose. They told us:

-Don't worry, we've prepared everything!

They said.

Indeed, it was.

They showed us the house. They had even spread a carpet in front of it. It had a picture of King Constantine on it. When had this carpet been woven? We were astonished. Mustafa Kemal would come here and enter the house stepping on the carpet with King Constantine's picture on it. Would Mustafa Kemal Pasha do such a thing? I wondered.

Everything was so perfect that I had a feeling of doubt. Mustafa Kemal Pasha might be angry with me. The carpet was always on my mind. I couldn't have it removed. Because that's what the people of Karşıyaka wanted. I knew Mustafa Kemal Pasha. He would definitely not do such a thing. Even when he spoke to the captured Greek Generals, I was so careful not to hurt their pride. When we saw that everything was in order, we decided to return to Nif to inform Mustafa Kemal Pasha. On the way, we saw civilian and military bands and asked:

- What are you waiting for?...

- Nothing?... We saw what we had to see!

When we received the answer, we understood that Mustafa Kemal Pasha could not wait any longer and had set off for Izmir. So, we didn't go to Nif and returned to Izmir. We found Mustafa Kemal Pasha at the government building. The cannon fire was still ringing in Izmir. We investigated the reason and learned the following:

When the enemy's two regiments in Söke fled and learned that Izmir had been liberated by the Turks, they fought and engaged in a major battle near Seydiköy. But this battle would last an hour or two, and the surprised enemy would surrender to our troops.

After meeting with Mustafa Kemal Pasha, I told him everything was ready. He would stay in the house where King Constantine was staying in Izmir. My suspicions were proven right. As Mustafa Kemal Pasha entered the house, he saw the king's portrait on the carpet, stopped, and said,

-Remove this carpet!

He didn't have a single grain of malice in him.

He only stayed in Karşıyaka for a day. He didn't like the smell of the sea. He was shown many mansions and chalets in Izmir to stay in.

After visiting them all, he chose to stay at a doctor's house in Kordon.