The frame that emerged 57 years later: The story of the 'We Won the Republic Like This' photograph...

Today is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye. The Republic, entrusted to the Turkish people by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is being celebrated with enthusiasm by citizens all across the country.

While the AKP government did not show the necessary care for the 100th anniversary of Republic Day, many figures from the worlds of art, sports, and politics shared posts marking October 29 Republic Day.

One of the iconic photos of Republic Day, the one featuring the banner that reads "We Won the Republic Like This," was once again among the most shared images. The story of this photograph, which is frequently shared on social media, has come to the fore once again.

THE STORY OF THE 'WE WON THE REPUBLIC LIKE THIS' PHOTOGRAPH

The story of this iconic photograph was written by producer, actress, and screenwriter Gülse Birsel in 2015.

The photograph was taken by Hüsnü Kazım Özler, known as Foto Kazım, the first photographer of Uşak.

Gülse Birsel, who wrote that her grandfather fought in the War of Independence and had 4 medals, told the story of that photograph in her article titled "The story of a family from Uşak... My family..." as follows:

“You know this famous photograph titled 'We Won the Republic Like This,' which has become one of the symbols of the War of Independence. This photo was taken in 1933. That poor city, celebrating the Republic with meager means but with pride, is Uşak. That is, my father's hometown.

His father, my grandfather, is Asım Bey, who received 4 medals in the War of Independence. As was often said of those who fought in the War of Independence at that time, his nickname was 'Mujahid Asım.' These were years when the word 'Jihad' was not used as it is now in the Middle East—to strap bombs to oneself and detonate them in the middle of innocent people—but rather expressed fighting bravely for the independence of this homeland.

My grandfather had a cloak with 33 bullet holes in it, which was later donated to the Turkish Historical Society as an interesting war memento."

"THAT MAN IN THE BLACK JACKET YOU SEE..."

"Let's come to the interesting story of the photograph and its connection to me: It was taken on Republic Day in 1933. By Uşak's first photographer, Hüsnü Kazım Özler. In my father's words, 'Foto Kazım'.

The man in the black jacket and tie you see in the photo is my father's cousin! Kamil Kabalak, the son of the maternal uncle of my grandfather Mujahid Asım's wife (my grandmother). Uşak was a district of Kütahya at that time, and Kamil Bey was the mayor of that district."

EMERGED 57 YEARS LATER: WHEN AND HOW WAS THE PHOTO FOUND?

“In the early 1990s, my father found this photo at home! He sent it to Ankara, to Hasan Kabalak, the son of Kamil Kabalak, who is in the picture. They sent it to the General Staff archives. However, it was mistakenly recorded in the archives as having been taken in Ankara in 1929.”

“In 2007, Brigadier General Zeki Güngör, the nephew of Kamil Kabalak in the photo (who unfortunately passed away very recently), saw the picture containing his uncle at a military facility with the caption 'Ankara–1929'. He filed a lawsuit to have it corrected. It was determined that the photograph was taken in Uşak.”

THE CAMERA THAT TOOK THE HISTORIC FRAME DONATED TO THE MUSEUM

In 2022, the late Hüsnü Kazım Özler's son Mustafa and grandson Hüsnü Kazım Özler donated the camera used to take the 'We Won the Republic Like This' photograph, as well as the printing press used to print the frame, to the Uşak City History Museum to be exhibited.