TURKEY & ISTANBUL GUIDE

TURKISH FLAG AND ANTHEM
Turkish Flag

The Flag and Anthem are very important for the Turkish people. The Flag is a respected symbol for the turks   that should always be on the top. Even there are rules and laws that protect this respect. For example It is   not allowed to wear flag printed t-shirts or burn the Turkish flag. It symbolises the national independence   war made between 1919 to 1923. In this period the Ottoman empire collapsed and the new Turkish Republic   settled after a number of wars where many people have lost their lifes. The red color sybolises the blod and   the star with moon the independence. The fundamentals of the Turkish Flag were laid down by Turkish Flag Law No. 2994 of May 29, 1936. National Anthem

Lyrics by : M.Akif Ersoy
Music composed by : Zeki Üngör
The "Istiklal Marsi" (The Independence March) was officially adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12, 1921. 724 poems were submitted to a competition organized to find and select the most suitable original composition for this March, and a poem written by the poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was adopted unanimously by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Twenty-four composers participated in another competition arranged for the selection of a musical composition for the National Anthem. The Council, which was only able to convene in 1924, due to the War of Independence adopted the music composed by Ali Rifat Çagatay. The words of the National Anthem were sung to this music for eight years. Thereafter, the nusic of the National Anthem was changed to an arrangement written by Zeki Üngör, conductor of the Presidental Symphonic Orchestra, and the words of the National Anthem have been sung to this musical accompainment ever since. People respect the anthem very much, where ever they hear this music they stop and stand straight to show their respect.