10.11.2026 09:41
Life came to a standstill in Istanbul as sirens sounded at 09:05. On the 88th anniversary of the death of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, drivers got out of their vehicles and observed a moment of silence. Poignant scenes came from all over the city, from metros to metrobuses and from overpasses to the July 15 Martyrs' Bridge.
Istanbul became one heart for the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on the morning of November 10. As sirens began to sound at 09:05, millions of people paused their daily lives and observed a moment of silence. As vehicles stopped on the city's busiest roads, drivers got out of their cars. Citizens trying to get to work and school also stood motionless where they were and commemorated Atatürk.
TRAFFIC STOPPED ON THE JULY 15 MARTYRS BRIDGE
At 09:05, striking scenes unfolded on the July 15 Martyrs Bridge and its connecting roads, one of Istanbul's busiest points. Drivers in traffic stopped their vehicles and got out. Despite the rainy weather, citizens standing side by side along the road observed a moment of silence accompanied by the sound of sirens. On roads that normally never lack vehicle movement, silence prevailed in those moments.
THE SAME SCENE ON THE METRO, METROBUS AND OVERPASSES
The commemoration was not limited to highways. Citizens also stopped for Atatürk at Istanbul's public transport points. Passengers traveling on metros and metrobuses and those waiting at stations joined the moment of silence, while citizens walking on overpasses also stopped in their tracks. Images from different points of the city revealed how Istanbul became one heart at the same moment.
THEY GOT OUT OF THEIR VEHICLES AND OBSERVED A MOMENT OF SILENCE
In footage recorded especially in heavy traffic, drivers were seen opening their vehicle doors and standing at the roadside and next to their cars. While some citizens observed a moment of silence regardless of the rain, movement on roads where long vehicle queues formed stopped throughout the commemoration. These moments experienced at different points of Istanbul at 09:05 showed that the respect for Atatürk continues in the same way 88 years later.