By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- Turkiye ushers in the Century of Turkiye in 2023 to commemorate and celebrate its 100th year of the Republic of Turkiye. One of the youngest nations in the world, Turkiye has much to celebrate as it officially turns 100 on October 29, 2023. This date marks the day that Turkiye’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk proclaimed the land as The Republic of Turkiye after the War of Independence and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The Century of Turkiye as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dubbed it, is celebrating a whole new, modernized Turkiye with a number of innovations that its president is particularly proud about. One of those is the country’s new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), designed for Turkiye’s newly commissioned aircraft carrier. It successfully flew its inaugural flight on Friday. It’s just another milestone in the many achievements in Turkiye’s defense industry, especially its very successful drone manufacturing sector and drone program. As Selcuk Bayraktar, chief technology officer (CTO) of the company that designs the drones said in a video on platform X: “On the Republic of Turkiye’s centennial, the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight.” A number of countries in the region and the Middle East have use Turkish drones with more countries set to purchase from Bayraktar’s firm.
As Erdogan has often reiterated, the Century of Turkiye ushers in a new era for the country with its focus on major new technological advances and research in numerous areas related to science and the tech field. Anniversary celebrations this year have been taking place in Ankara, Turkiye’s capital city and continue to take place in Istanbul and New York City to mark the historic occasion. Events have been organized across Turkiye since early October as well as at diplomatic missions abroad since 2023 celebrations are special, unique to its centennial. A major highlight of this year’s celebrations will be the military parade of 100 war ships on the Bosphorous with similar parades to be held on land. Numerous exhibitions around Istanbul and in other cities will focus on the history and future of the Turkish Republic along with panel discussions. A myriad of sport events including marathons and tennis matches will also take place throughout the country. Also, a floating pier installed with a huge screen can be seen on the Bosphorous, featuring videos about the history of Turkiye and the “Century of Turkiye” vision.
To mark the centennial celebrations, Turkiye’s official Mint has issued special banknotes while the PTT has issued stamps to mark the 100 years of the republic. Ministries also have special cultural events arranged including concerts and waltz performances by dance companies, set to happen on Sunday around around the country. There will also be a performance of the “zeybek” dance, a favorite folk dance of Ataturk’s. New York City will also celebrate Turkiye’s Republic Day with various event across the city including festivals at specific parks. This year’s centennial is as much a tribute to Turkiye’s decades-long transformation as it is to Turkish President Erdogan’s vision of the “New Turkiye,” with its continuing innovations and it’s chameleon-like ability to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
