ISTANBUL (AA) – The last victory of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War will be remembered in Istanbul on Friday as April 29 marks the 100th anniversary of the campaign.
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement Thursday that the Kut al-Amara campaign, a victory that Ottoman army won after the Battle of Gallipoli during the World War I, will be commemorated with a “Kut al-Amara documentary dramatic show”.
The event, which will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Culture Minister Mahir Unal, will take place at Istanbul’s Lutfi Kirdar Congress Center on Friday.
The ministry said that the preparation period was around six months for the show, in which 38 janissary band members and 72 performers will take part.
The art director of the Istanbul State Theater, Zafer Kayaokay, directed the show, the statement added.
The Culture Ministry will hold a number events titled “Forgotten Victory: Kut al-Amara” to mark the 100th anniversary of the historic campaign.
Moreover, a special book containing an Ottoman Army officer’s memoirs will be published, the statement added.
The battle of Kut al-Amara took place during the First World War between the Ottoman Army and British-Indian forces in the town of Kut, which is now in modern Iraq.
