Turkey marks 81st anniversary of Ataturk's demise

ANKARA, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 10: Turkish soldiers make final preparations for a commemorative ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of the founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk marking the 81st anniversary of Ataturk's demise and observe two minutes of silence to pay tribute to Ataturk on November 10, 2019 in Ankara, Turkey. Millions of Turkish people across the country on Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of the demise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader who led the country's war of independence and laid foundation of the Republic of Turkey. As is customary, daily life stopped at 9.05 a.m. local time (0605GMT), sirens wailed to mark the exact moment of Ataturk’s death at the age of 57 and millions of people across the country observed two minutes of silence. Ataturk was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He made his mark in the military in 1915 when he led forces to repel the allied invasion in Canakkale, known in the West as the Dardanelles. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the World War I, Ataturk led the Turkish War of Independence, which defeated European powers. When he became president, Ataturk transformed the former empire into a modern and secular country. Ataturk passed away in Istanbul on Nov. 10, 1938, at the age of 57.(Footage by Turkish Defense Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)