Turkish flag from the War of Independence discovered in Manisa
In the Ahmetli district of Manisa, a Turkish flag believed to date back to the War of Independence and bearing the blood of a martyr has been preserved by a family to this day. Following discussions with the family, retired Petty Officer Süleyman Üstündağ has initiated an application to the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff to ensure the flag is safely preserved as a legacy for future generations.
İHA
A Turkish flag, stated to date back to the War of Independence, has been discovered in the Ahmetli district of Manisa.
Retired Petty Officer and Yeniden Refah Party Ahmetli Municipal Council candidate Süleyman Üstündağ encountered the Turkish flag and an Ottoman banner, said to be from the War of Independence, at a village house he visited during his election campaign.
After receiving information from the family about the history and story of the flag, Üstündağ applied to the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff to ensure the flag is preserved more securely as a legacy for future generations.
According to information Üstündağ received from the family, a local family had taken and hidden the Turkish flag and the Ottoman banner during the War of Independence to protect them from the Greek army occupying Ahmetli, and they have been passed down from generation to generation to the present day.
Stating that he commemorates all martyrs with prayers and wishes God's mercy upon them on the occasion of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory and Martyrs' Remembrance Day, Üstündağ said, “'It is the blood on it that makes a flag a flag. If there is someone who dies for it, the land is a homeland.' May God be pleased with those who gave their lives and blood for this flag and this banner. The flag and banner in our possession witnessed the War of Independence and have survived from that day to this.”