We Celebrated May 19th, Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day with Enthusiasm

On May 18, 2023, at Biruni University Conference Hall, the ceremony titled "May 19th, Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day" with the participation of our students, academic and administrative staff was held.

The program began with a minute of silence in memory of our great leader, the founder of our Republic, Atatürk, and all our martyrs, followed by the recitation of the National Anthem. The ceremony, conducted by our Director of Health Culture and Sports, Hakan Türker DULKADİROĞLU, featured a speech by our university's Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa SOLAK, who spoke about the significance and importance of the day. He said, "This year, we celebrate the 104th anniversary of May 19th, Youth and Sports Day. Today, on May 19th, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set foot in Anatolia after a challenging journey that began in response to the occupation of Istanbul, sowing the seeds of freedom, hope, and trust in Anatolia

Every year, we celebrate May 19th as both the commemoration of Atatürk and Youth and Sports, which marks the date when Atatürk set foot in Samsun. Today, Atatürk's landing in Samsun is one of the significant milestones in the history of the Republic of Turkey. At a time when the Turkish nation was seeking solutions for its deteriorating conditions after World War I, a great leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, emerged and initiated the struggle for liberation by arriving in Samsun. Therefore, Atatürk's journey starting from Istanbul, between May 16-19, 1919, symbolizes a period of liberation.

On this auspicious day, we respectfully commemorate the heroes who disembarked from the Bandırma ship and bow to them with respect and gratitude, from the crew to the captain, from the lowest-ranking among them to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

This journey represents the voyage of those who foresaw that hope and salvation would begin in Anatolia during a time when our country was going through difficult moments, with occupying forces amassing troops throughout the country and the imposition of the most despicable agreements.

This journey is the epic tale of heroes who believed that the future could only be achieved by returning to the essence, trusting in the nation, and remembering the glorious history of Turks.

May 19th of May, the Commemoration of Atatürk and Youth and Sports Day, which our revered leader called as “the day I was born”, be blessed for all of us.”

Afterwards, a video prepared by our university's Literature and Poetry Club featuring interviews with our students studying at the university was shown in honor of the May 19th Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. Following that, one our first-year students from the Vocational School, Sabiha ALTUNIŞIK, recited a poem titled "O Geliyor," and Erva KIRAN, a third-year student from Elementary Mathematics Teaching major at the Faculty of Education, also the President of the Literature and Poetry Club, recited her poem titled "Önce Vatanım Derim”. The program concluded shortly after.