06.09.2025 16:46
The 103rd anniversary of Balıkesir's liberation from enemy occupation was celebrated with a ceremony and events featuring the traditional "Tülütabaklar" show.
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The 103rd anniversary of Balıkesir's liberation from enemy occupation was celebrated. The traditional "Tülütabaklar" show made a significant impact on the event.
CELEBRATION OF BALIKESIR'S LIBERATION FROM ENEMY OCCUPATION
The programs began with the laying of a wreath at the Atatürk Monument by Balıkesir Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu, the Commander of the 9th Main Jet Base Air Pilot Brigadier General Gökhan Gürakar, and the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality Ahmet Akın. After the greetings of Governor Ustaoğlu, Commander Gürakar, and Mayor Akın to the public at Kuvayımilliye Square, a moment of silence was observed, and the National Anthem was sung.
During the ceremony, which included the reading of a message from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Özsarı, a faculty member of the Department of Modern Turkish Literature at Balıkesir University, narrated the process of Balıkesir's liberation from enemy occupation. In his speech at the ceremony, Balıkesir Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Akın expressed his pride in being the grandson of the Independence Medal holder Kuvvacı Ahmet Efe.
"WE WILL STAND BY THIS LAND UNTIL THE END"
Emphasizing the importance of unity, Akın stated: "If we stand together, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome. The people of Balıkesir, who resisted for independence that day, stand tall today for our homeland and our Republic because the blood that flows in our veins is the blood of Kuvayımilliye. Our burden is heavy, our responsibility is great. We will work very hard. We will stand by this land and this sacred trust until the end. We will carry the fertile lands of Balıkesir, its hardworking people, and the dignity and honor of Kuvayımilliye into the future. Just like our ancestors did, we will be shoulder to shoulder, side by side, united, strong, and alive."
TÜLÜTABAKLAR MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE CEREMONY
During the ceremony, where poems were recited, folk dances were performed, and the Mehteran Band of the Ministry of National Defense showcased their performances, the most attention was drawn to the "Tülütabaklar." In the section where leather workers, dressed in sheep and goat skins to scare enemy patrols during the occupation years, were reenacted, some children were seen running away. Some families took commemorative photos with the "Tülütabaklar," which added color to the event.
The program, which ended with a formal parade, was attended by AK Party Balıkesir deputies Mustafa Canbey and İsmail Ok, CHP Balıkesir Deputy Serkan Sarı, İYİ Party Balıkesir Deputy Turhan Çömez, representatives of public institutions and organizations, civil society organizations, veterans, relatives of martyrs, and many others.
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