The July 15 Martyrs' Monument, built at the point where the bomb hit, in the Special Operations Presidency campus of the General Directorate of Security, which was bombed by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) during the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, is a silent place of memory that keeps the sacrifice of 51 heroic police alive with symbols.
51 police officers were martyred in the air attacks carried out by FETO member coup plotters against the Special Operations Directorate and the Police Aviation Department on the night of July 15.
The July 15 Martyrs' Monument was built at the point where the bomb hit the Special Operations Directorate campus of the General Directorate of Security, in order to keep the memory of the heroic police officers alive in 2021 and to transfer the traces of that night to future generations.
Special Operations Police, who made a statement to the AA correspondent regarding the features of the monument, said that there were two attacks on the Special Operations Directorate during the July 15 coup attempt and that 51 of their heroic comrades were martyred.
Stating that the first attack was made at 23.08 on the Aviation Department, with which they shared the same campus, and that they lost 7 of their comrades in arms in this attack, the Special Operations Police stated that while the Special Operations personnel were ready to go on duty in the guard area, the second and heaviest attack was carried out with warplanes, and 44 of their comrades were martyred there.
Special Operations Police stated that the July 15 Martyrs' Monument was built at the point where the attack took place in order to keep alive the cherished memory of the 51 martyrs who lost their lives in these two attacks and to transfer the traces of that night to future generations.
Stating that the eagle figure in front of the monument is the symbol of Special Operations, the Special Operations Police exhibited the eagle, which was damaged in the attack on the night of July 15, here and said, "You can shoot us, but the Police Special Operations cannot be destroyed." He noted that they gave the message.
Special Operations Police stated that the monument was designed with inspiration from Seljuk architecture and made the following statements:
"As we enter our monument, you will notice that we are descending downwards, this is actually the crater gap. Our monument was built at that exact spot, without damaging the crater area opened by the bomb dropped. There is a light beam filtering in from the open upper part of the monument, you can see it on the ground. This is not an ordinary light beam. This light beam, bearing traces of Seljuk architecture, was specially designed to coincide with the spot where that treacherous attack took place at noon on July 15. "The eagle figure, the symbol of the operation, is reflected on the ground."
Stating that the monument consists of two intertwined sections, the Special Operations Police stated that upon entering, visitors are first greeted by a special area on the right and left sections, where the photos of the martyred police officers and the weapon equipment they were wearing that day are displayed.
Special Operations Police emphasized that the camouflage materials on display were completely representative and stated that the reason for this was that the bodies of the martyrs did not show integrity due to the size and severity of the bombs dropped that night, and the identities of many martyrs could only be determined through DNA tests.
Special Operations Police explained that at the end of the section where the photographs and belongings of the martyrs are displayed, a mirror the same size as the photographs of 51 martyrs welcomes the visitors.
Underlining that this mirror carries the message "I am the next martyr", the Special Operations Police emphasized that this is a strong and easily embraced message for the members of the special operations.
Special Operations Police stated that when they move to the interior of the monument, 52 steel mirrors placed vertically around them welcome the visitors, and that the steel mirrors represent the unbending and unbending steel will of the martyrs.
"When you come to the part where there is this strong light, you see yourself in all of these 52 steel mirrors around. Here, we can convey and make the visitors feel that spiritual feeling with our martyrs. Again, when you speak in this middle part, you see that your sound acoustics change. At the same time, when you see yourself in all of these steel mirrors, our visitors feel the chaotic environment of that night."
The undying light inside the monument symbolizes the resistance against the coup plotters.
Stating that red-white colors were used in the ceiling lighting of the monument and that these colors were inspired by the Turkish flag, the Special Operations Police said that the 51 white lightings were made for the martyrs, and the red lightings represent the Special Operations police currently on duty and the Turkish nation who stood in front of the tanks with Turkish flags in their hands that night.
Special Operations Police also pointed out that there is a light in the middle of the monument that burns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and emphasized that this light symbolizes the resistance against the attack of the members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization and the light of the 51 martyrs rising to the sky.
Stating that all citizens can easily visit the July 15 Martyrs' Monument, the Special Operations Police stated that schools can also come to the monument with student groups and see the sacrifices made that night on site and hear from the witnesses of the period.
Special Operations Police emphasized that they believe that seeing the sacrifices made for the sake of the homeland, nation and flag will shed light on the future lives of young people, and stated that those who want to visit the monument can apply by writing a short statement to "ozelharekat.egm.gov.tr", and if they return, they can be hosted at the Special Operations Presidency's July 15 Martyrs' Monument.