109 years have passed since the Battle of Gallipoli, also known as Çanakkale Victory in Turkish history, which changed the course of not only Turkish history but also European and world history. The most important part of this victory took place at sea, where the most advanced and powerful warships of the period fought against the much less powerful Turkish forces, but defeated by the Turkish forces. The naval battle on March 18, 1915, through which the Combined Fleet consisting of British and French ships were defeated and not allowed to pass through the Dardanelles, revealed the struggle of the most magnificent warships of the period.
The “Çanakkale Naval War Ships Collection” exhibited at the Near East University Grand Library Exhibition Hall brings the realistic models these ships that took part in this epic war, many of which were buried in the waters of the sea, to the present day. The collection, which is open to visitors free of charge, brings together realistic models of 26 ships in the Dardanelles Naval Battle and many other works about this war.
The legend of Çanakkale is at the Near East University Grand Library Exhibition Hall!
In the collection, there are 1/100 scale realistic models of 26 ships, from the Nusret Mine Ship to the Queen Elizabeth, from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s yacht Savarona to the Bandırma Ferry that launched the national liberation war in Samsun, as well as one-to-one scale sea mines and You can travel back in time with works depicting scenes from the war with torpedoes.
The size of the ship models in the collection, where famous Turkish, British and French ships are exhibited together, varies between 1 and 1.5 meters. The segment includes warships with the most advanced technology of the period, such as Suffren, Inflexible, Irresistible, Goliath, Lord Nelson, HMS Triumph, Charlemagne, Elizabeth, Bouvet and Ocean, among the British and French ships that tried to pass Dardanelles but defeated by Turkish forces.
After visiting this unique collection, you can also visit the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts and the Cyprus Car Museum located on the Near East University Campus and see many unique works of art, from classic cars to ship models, from sword collections to glassware collections.
Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul: “This collection, which we introduced to visitors, commemorates the heroic struggle that took place in the Battle of Gallipoli, while also revealing the change in maritime technologies that have an important place in Turkish and European history.”
Head of Near East Enterprises Museums Department, Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul said that they were honored to introduce the Çanakkale Naval Battle Ships Collection to art and history enthusiasts on the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory. Özkul said, “This collection, which we presented to visitors at the Near East University Grand Library Exhibition Hall, commemorates the heroic struggle shown in the Battle of Gallipoli and also reveals the change in maritime technologies that have an important place in Turkish and European history.” Prof. Dr. Özkül, who is also a historian, said, “Meticulously prepared 1/100 scale ship and torpedo models and paintings depicting scenes from the naval battle make visitors feel deeply the courage and sacrifice of those who participated in this epic war.”
Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul said, “On the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory, we commemorate all our martyrs with respect and gratitude, and invite all our people to the Near East University Grand Library Exhibition Hall to see this precious collection in situ.”
