Introduction
The battlefields at Gallipoli stretch 35 km from Cape Helles at the southern tip of the peninsula, to the Anafartalar hills in the north. Today it's hard to reconcile this peaceful stretch of coastline with the chaos of the First World War.
Occupying a strategic position on the Dardanelles Strait, Gallipoli protected the gateway into Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and the Black Sea coast beyond and it was this position that set it within the field lens of allied command. With the Western Front at stalemate the allies considered Gallipoli a softer target, this dramatic underestimation of the Turkish forces led to one of the bloodiest battles of the war, costing over 100,000 lives.
Today the Gallipoli peninsula is a site of remembrance and pilgrimage, protected in the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park. Memorials stand sentinel over the landscape and the marble graves offer a lasting testament to the brave men who lost their lives at Gallipoli.
