Edirnekapı Şehitliği'nde buruk bayram

Relatives of martyrs visited the Edirnekapı Martyrs' Cemetery on the first day of Eid al-Adha. On the first day of Eid al-Adha, families and loved ones of martyrs began arriving at the Edirnekapı Martyrs' Cemetery early in the morning. Some families of martyrs cleaned the graves and planted flowers, while others offered prayers. Relatives of martyrs shared their sorrows and distributed Turkish delight (lokum) to celebrate the holiday. They also posed for photos with soldiers who had visited the cemetery. Gülveşin İlhan, the mother of Özcan İlhan, who was martyred in the Bestler Dereler region of Şırnak in May, also spent her first Eid without her son at the cemetery. THE SAME PAIN PITS LIKE A THORNS… Zehra Güreşen, the mother of martyr Hasan Güreşen, said, "I come to see my Hasan; I'm here every holiday. I'm here every day. I don't even remember how he became a martyr; I don't know. I don't know what happened, what ended. Every holiday is bittersweet, very bittersweet. I haven't known anything like a holiday for 16 years." Safiye Topçuoğlılar, the mother of Ümit Topçuoğlılar, who was martyred in Çukurca, Hakkari, said, "Every holiday is bittersweet. For us, the holiday is over. The pain of losing a child is something else. The pain of a child is indescribable. It's bittersweet for us, we have no one to turn to. We come here and console ourselves. Every holiday is like this. There's sadness at home, too. When we see the martyrs, we're at a loss for words. May God have mercy on them all; they gave their lives for their country, for their people, without a blink. He was 10 days away from receiving his discharge papers. 13 years have passed, and the same pain stings like a thorn. I had a closet built at home, where his clothes, slippers, shoes, perfume, and toothbrush are all stored. There's nothing like it..." I SAW IT IN MY DREAM ONE DAY BEFORE HE WAS MARTYRED Sultan Ayaz, the grandmother of martyr Selçuk Beki, said, "Seven years have passed. His wife gave birth in the evening, and at 2:15 a.m. my child was martyred, and he left without seeing his child. It's always a pity for those who leave. I don't even know if it's the holiday... Seven years have a name, but it's tasteless. What can we do? God loves them more than we do. May God grant health to his children as long as he rests. It's very difficult. We did our duty and read the Quran." Gülveşin İlhan, the mother of Özcan İlhan, who was martyred in May, said, "It's only been 42 days. What can I say? Fire burns where it falls. It's the first holiday without him... He was already on duty; I hadn't seen him in a year. He left a week after the wedding, and I never saw him again, but we were constantly talking via video call. He was martyred in a clash with those who cursed him. I only condemn terrorism. We've suffered so much, may God never let any mother's heart suffer. The pain of losing a child is unlike anything else. He was only 25. He was so young, so young. He so desperately wanted to be a soldier. He gave his life. He was never afraid. I was so scared. I even dreamed about it. I saw it in my dream the day before he was martyred. I told all my friends about it. It happened like this in the morning. I was always afraid, telling me I would be the mother of a martyr. He was never afraid, he wasn't afraid of anything. In the end, he gave his life. I come every day, sometimes twice a day." Gökçe KARAKÖSE, Ömer HASAR / ISTANBUL, (DHA)