Mehmed Âkif’s Independence March is adopted
In its session on March 12, 1921, The Grand National Assembly of Turkey adopted the poem İstiklal Marşı (Independence March) Mehmed Âkif Bey (Ersoy) penned as the national anthem of Turkey.
The idea of a national anthem was first proposed by İsmet Pasha. It was believed that similar to the French anthem “La Marseillaise,” which carried the national joy of the French Revolution, an anthem that could be song collectively by the entire nation would be very useful in uniting the people and upholding their passion and dedication for the National Struggle.
İsmet Pasha conveyed the idea to the Ministry of Education and a poetry competition was held thereafter. However, none of the 700 works participating in the competition was deemed worthy. Through the initiative of Deputy Minister Hamdullah Suphi Bey, a special invitation was extended to Mehmed Âkif Bey and the renowned poet wrote the ten-stanza anthem that begins with the verses, “Fear not; For the crimson banner that proudly ripples in this glorious dawn, shall not fade, / Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my homeland is extinguished.
The poem was first recited at the Grand National Assembly’s session on March 12, 1921. The assembly was overcome by a flood of excitement after Hamdullah Suphi finished reading the anthem in his stentorian voice. Hence, Mehmed Âkif’s anthem, which, in the words of Konya Deputy Refik Bey (Koraltan), “articulated the spirit of the nation,” was adopted as the Independence March of Turkey.
