Ataturk to be commemorated nationwide today

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, will be commemorated today nationwide on the 70th anniversary of his death. Ceremonies to remember Ataturk and his legacy will begin early this morning with an official ceremony at Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum. High-level state and government officials led by President Abdullah Gul, who will lay a wreath at the tomb, will be present. Many other events and activities will also take place around the country. Like every year, thousands of people are expected to flock to Ataturk's mausoleum to show their gratitude and commitment to Ataturk and his legacy. Starting at 9:05 a.m., the exact moment of Ataturk's death, flags will fly at half-mast, car horns and sirens will be sounded, and two minutes of silence will be observed throughout the country. Following that, the national anthem will be played. Ataturk died in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace on November 10, 1938. His body was first taken to a temporary resting place at the Ethnography Museum in Ankara. When Anitkabir was completed on November 10, 1953, his body was interred in his final resting place with a grand ceremony.