Aviation Martyrs' Monument
| Coordinates | 41°00′56″N 28°57′15″E / 41.01560°N 28.95418°ECoordinates: 41°00′56″N 28°57′15″E / 41.01560°N 28.95418°E |
|---|---|
| Location | Fatih, Istanbul in Turkey |
| Designer | Vedat Tek |
| Type | Memorial |
| Material | White marble with bronze applications |
| Height | around 7.50 m (24.6 ft) |
| Beginning date | April 2, 1914 |
| Completion date | 1916 |
| Dedicated to | The first martyrs of the Ottoman aviation squadrons |
The Aviation Martyrs' Monument (Turkish: Hava Şehitleri Anıtı or formerly Tayyare Şehitleri Abidesi), located in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, is a memorial dedicated to the first soldiers of the Ottoman aviation squadrons to be killed in flight accidents. In Turkey, one use of the term "martyr" is as an honorific for people killed in action during war.
The monument was commissioned right after the consecutive crash of two monoplanes in Palestine, killing three of the four military aviators who were on an expedition flight from Istanbul to Alexandria in early 1914. The monument, in form of a column, was inaugurated in 1916. A military memorial ceremony is held in front of the monument every year on Martyrs' Day.
Following the Balkan Wars, the government of the Ottoman Empire launched a prestigious expedition across the empire's holdings. A multiple-leg flight of four air force monoplanes from Istanbul to Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt, it would cover a distance of nearly 2,500 km (1,600 mi). The planes left Istanbul from the Aviation School in Hagios Stefanos (modern Yeşilköy) on February 8 manned by two aviators each.
The first team's aircraft, a Blériot XI, crashed on February 27 on the flight leg from Damascus to Jerusalem at the Golan Heights near the Sea of Galilee, killing pilot Navy Lieutenant (Ottoman Turkish: Bahriye Yüzbaşısı) Fethi Bey and his navigator, Artillery First Lieutenant (Ottoman Turkish: Topçu Mülazım-ı Ula) Sadık Bey. The second team's aircraft, a Deperdussin B, crashed on March 11 into the Mediterranean Sea off Jaffa shortly after take-off. Artillery Second Lieutenant (Ottoman Turkish: Topçu Mülazım-ı Saniye) Nuri Bey was killed while the other aviator, İsmail Hahkı Bey, survived the accident.
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