Military Hearth: World of Turkish Troops' photo exhibition draws great attention

"Military Hearth: the World of Turkish Troops” exhibition opened in Istanbul on Monday to mark the August 30 Victory Day, the day when Turkish troops triumphed in their War of Independence back in 1922, draws attention of foreign tourists alongside residents. With 113 photographs shot by AA photo journalists with the contribution of the Turkish General Staff, the exhibition attracts many visitors as part of their museum tour in Istanbul Harbiye Command of Military Museum and Cultural Site until September 1, 2013. AA took photographs of Turkish troops in 28 different locations, both inside and outside Turkey, and worked on the project for two months with contributions of the Turkish General Staff. An AA team of 60 members, including correspondents, photo journalists, and cameramen, took 35,000 photographs and recorded hours of video which reflected the military dimension of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), as well as the humanistic qualities of the Turkish troops. AA's work displayed in a comprehensive way the Turkish troops' journey from joining the TSK all the way to deployment, social life and tough training. The natural behaviours of Turkish troops, including shaving in the morning, sleeping, crying while hugging their mothers and embracing children, were recorded by AA cameras. The photo exhibition was first opened at Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park- Canakkale Victory Center and was visited by around 5,000 guests. On the 98th anniversary of the Canakkale Sea Victory in March, the opening ribbon of the exhibition was cut by PM Recep Tayip Erdogan, General Staff Chief Necdet Ozel, a few ministers and commanders in chief.   The exhibition was also opened on the 93rd anniversary of the opening of the Turkish Parliament, known as the April 23 National Independence and Children's Day, at Anitkabir, and was attended by Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, Chairman of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkish Deputy Prime Ministers Bulent Arinc, Besir Atalay and Bekir Bozdag, Turkish National Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz and Board Chairman & Director General of the AA Kemal Ozturk.