Turkish National Anthem: İstiklal Marşı (Independence March)

The Turkish national anthem, İstiklal Marşı (“Independence March”), was officially adopted on 12 March 1921 by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, more than two years before the proclamation of the Republic in 1923.

The İstiklal Marşı was written by the Turkish poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy and later composed by Osman Zeki Üngör. In ten powerful stanzas, the anthem speaks of independence, sacrifice for the homeland, faith, hope, and unwavering dedication. In modern official ceremonies, only the first two stanzas are sung with music, while the full text continues to be studied and revered.

About the Turkish national anthem

The Turkish national anthem is one of the most important symbols of national unity in Turkey. Alongside the Turkish flag, the anthem is deeply revered. It is recited at school ceremonies, national holidays, sports events, and official programs in Turkey and in Turkish communities abroad.

Every year, especially around 12 March İstiklal Marşı’s Acceptance and Mehmet Akif Ersoy Commemoration Day, the Ministry of National Education organizes nationwide competitions where students beautifully recite the anthem and create drawings, compositions, and other works inspired by it. These activities help younger generations internalize the anthems message and the story of the War of Independence.

The first verses of the anthem are read and sung in schools and on official occasions as a symbol of the national struggle for independence and the liberation of the country from occupation. Standing in silence and respect during the anthem is a shared social norm that underscores its importance in public life.

History of the Turkish National Anthem

In early 1921, during the Turkish War of Independence, a national competition was organized to choose an anthem that would both encourage the militias fighting for independence and provide inspiration and pride for the homeland that would emerge after victory. Hundreds of poems were submitted.

Mehmet Akif Ersoy initially refused to participate because the competition offered a cash prize, which he considered incompatible with writing a national anthem. After persistent requests from the Parliament, he agreed to submit a poem on the condition that he would not accept the prize money.

Mehmet Akifs poem was unanimously accepted by the members of Parliament after evaluation by a parliamentary committee and was officially adopted as the national anthem on 12 March 1921. The prize money of 500 Lira, which Akif refused to take, was later donated to DarfClmesai, an institution that taught skills to impoverished women and children. Akif also chose not to include the İstiklal Marşı in his famous poetry collection Safahat, saying that he had buried it in the heart of his nation.

The musical composition that is used today was prepared by Osman Zeki Üngör, the first conductor of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. Over time, the anthem became not only a symbol of independence but also a core expression of the spiritual, cultural, and moral values of the new Republic.

English translation of the Turkish national anthem

Fear not; for the crimson banner that proudly ripples in this glorious dawn shall not fade,
Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my homeland is extinguished.
For that is the star of my people, and it will forever shine;
It is mine, and solely belongs to my valiant nation.
Frown not, I beseech you, oh thou coy crescent!
Smile upon my heroic nation! Why the anger, why the rage?
Our blood which we shed for you shall not be worthy otherwise;
For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!
I have been free since the beginning and forever shall be so.
What madman shall put me in chains? I defy the very idea!
Im like the roaring flood, trampling my banks and overcoming my body;
Ill tear apart mountains, exceed the expanses and still gush out!
The horizons of the West may be bound with walls of steel,
But my borders are guarded by the mighty bosom of a believer.
Let it howl! Do not be afraid! And think: how can this fiery faith ever be extinguished
By that battered, single-fanged monster you call Civilization?
My friend! Leave not my homeland to the hands of villainous men!
Render your chest as armour and your body as bulwark! Halt this disgraceful assault!
For soon shall come the joyous days of divine promise;
Who knows? Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps even sooner!
View not the soil you tread on as mere earth recognize it!
And think about the shroudless thousands who lie so nobly beneath you.
Youre the glorious son of a martyr take shame; grieve not your ancestors!
Unhand not, even if you are promised worlds, this heavenly homeland.
Who would not sacrifice their life for this paradise of a country?
Martyrs would burst forth should one simply squeeze the soil! Martyrs!
May God take my life, my loved ones, and all possessions from me if He will,
But let Him not deprive me of my one true homeland in the world.
Oh glorious God, the sole wish of my pain-stricken heart is that
No heathens hand should ever touch the bosom of my sacred temples.
These adhans and their testimonies are the foundations of my religion,
And may their noble sound prevail thunderously across my eternal homeland.
For only then shall my fatigued tombstone, if there is one, prostrate a thousand times in ecstasy,
And tears of blood shall, oh Lord, spill out from my every wound;
And my lifeless body shall burst forth from the earth like an eternal spirit;
Perhaps only then shall I peacefully ascend and at long last reach the heavens.
So ripple and wave like the bright dawning sky, oh thou glorious crescent,
So that our every last drop of blood may finally be blessed and worthy!
Neither you nor my kin shall ever be extinguished!
For freedom is the absolute right of my ever-free flag;
For independence is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!

The Turkish national anthem in Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script)

،قورقما سونمز بو شفقلرده یوزن آل سنجاق
،سونمه‌دن یوردمڭ اوستنده توتن اڭ صوڭ اوجاق
.اوبنم ملتمڭ ییلدیزیدر پارلایاجق
.اوبنمدر اوبنم ملتمڭدر آنجاق
،چاتما قربان اولایم چهره ڭی ای نازلي هلال
،قهرمان عرقمه بر گول نه بو شدت بو جلال
،سڭا الماز دوكولن قانلرمز صوڭره حلال
!حقیدر حقه طاپان ملتمڭ استقلال
،بن ازلدن بریدر حر یاشادم حر یاشارم
،هانگی چیلغین بڭا زنجیر اوره جقمش شاشارم
،كوكره مش سیل كبی‌یم بندمی چیگنر آشارم
.ییرتارم طاغلری انگینلره صیغمام طاشارم
،غربڭ آفاقنی صارمشسه چلیك زرهلی دیوار
،بنم ایمان طولی كوكوسم كبی سرحدم وار
،اولوسون قورقما نصل بویله بر ایمانی بوغار
.مدنیت دیدیگن تك دیشی قالمش جانوار
،آرقاداش يودمى آلچاقلری اوغراتما صاقین
،سپر ايت كوده ڭی دورسون بو حیاسزجه آقین
،طوغاجقدرسگا وعد ایتدیڭی كونلر حقڭ
.كیم بیلیر بلكی یارین بلكی یاریندنده یاقین
،باصدیغڭ یرلری طوپراق دییه رك گچمه طانی
،دوشون آلتنده كی بیڭلرجه كفنسز یاتانی
،سن شهید اوغلیسڭ اینجیتمه یازیقدر آتاڭی
.ویرمه دنیالری آلسه ڭده بو جنت وطنی
،كیم بو جنت وطنڭ اوغرینه اولمازكه فدا
،شهدا فیشقیراجق طوپراغی صیقسه ڭ شهدا
،جانی جانانی بوتون واریمی آلسین ده خدا
.ایتمه سین تك وطنمدن بنی دنیاده جدا
،روحمڭ سندن الهی شودر آنجاق املی
،دكمه سین معبدمڭ كوكسنه نامحرم الی
،بو اذان لر كه شهادتلری دینڭ اتملی
.ابدی یوردمڭ اوستنده بنم ایگلملی
،او زمان وجد ایله بیڭ سجده ایدر وارسه طاشم
،هرجریحه مدن الهی بوشانور قانلی یاشیم
،فیشقیریر روح مجرد گبی یردن نعشیم
.او زمان یوكسله رك عرشه ده گر بلكی باشم
،دالقالان سن ده شفقلر كبی ای شانلی هلال
،ولسون آرتق دكولن قانلرمڭ هپسی حلال
،ابديا سڭا یوق عرقمه یوق اضمحلال
،حقیدر حر یاشامش بایراغمڭ حریت
.حقیدر حقه طاپان ملتمڭ استقلال

Turkey national anthem in modern Turkish

Korkma! Sönmez bu şafaklarda yüzen al sancak,
Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.
O benim milletimin yıldızıdır, parlayacak;
O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak.
Çatma, kurban olayım, çehreni ey nazlı hilal!
Kahraman ırkıma bir gül; ne bu şiddet, bu celal?
Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarımız sonra helal…
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan milletimin istiklâl.
Ben ezelden beridir hür yaşadım, hür yaşarım,
Hangi çılgın bana zincir vuracakmış? Şaşarım.
Kükremiş sel gibiyim, bendimi çiğner, aşarım,
Yırtarım dağları, enginlere sığmam, taşarım.
Garbın afakını sarmışsa çelik zırhlı duvar,
Benim iman dolu göğsüm gibi serhaddim var.
Ulusun, korkma! Nasıl böyle bir imanı boğar
“Medeniyet” dediğin tek dişi kalmış canavar?
Arkadaş! Yurduma alçakları uğratma sakın,
Siper et gövdeni, dursun bu hayâsızca akın.
Doğacaktır sana vadettiği günler Hakk’ın,
Kim bilir, belki yarın, belki yarından da yakın.
Bastığın yerleri “toprak” diyerek geçme, tanı,
Düşün altındaki binlerce kefensiz yatanı.
Sen şehit oğlusun, incitme, yazıktır atanı,
Verme, dünyaları alsan da bu cennet vatanı.
Kim bu cennet vatanın uğruna olmaz ki feda?
Şüheda fışkıracak, toprağı sıksan şüheda.
Canı, cananı, bütün varımı alsın da Hüda,
Etmesin tek vatanımdan beni dünyada cüda.
Ruhumun senden İlahi, şudur ancak emeli:
Değmesin mabedimin göğsüne namahrem eli.
Bu ezanlar, ki şehadetleri dinin temeli,
Ebedî, yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeli.
O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder, varsa taşım,
Her cerihamdan, İlahi, boşanıp kanlı yaşım,
Fışkırır ruhum mücerret gibi yerden naaşım,
O zaman yükselerek arşa değer belki başım.
Dalgalan sen de şafaklar gibi ey şanlı hilal!
Olsun artık dökülen kanlarımın hepsi helal.
Ebediyen sana yok, ırkıma yok izmihlal.
Hakkıdır, hür yaşamış bayrağımın hürriyet;
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan milletimin istiklâl.

Turkish National Anthem Audio MP3

İstiklal Marşı in Turkish education today (2024–2026)

As of the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 academic years, the İstiklal Marşı remains a fundamental element of the Turkish national education system. Within the new “Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli” (Turkey Century Education Model), introduced gradually from 2024–2025 onwards, the anthem is used to support students’ mental, social, emotional, physical, and moral development and to strengthen national and spiritual values.

Specific learning outcomes related to the anthem are embedded in several subjects. For example, in the 2024–2025 5th-grade music curriculum, students are expected to “pay attention to reciting the İstiklal Marşı in accordance with its meaning,” while the 8th-grade music curriculum includes the goal of correctly reciting national anthems that hold an important place in social life. New Turkish language materials for 2025–2026 also include themes such as Bağımsızlık Yolu (“Path of Independence”), with texts, listening activities, and exercises that deepen understanding of the anthem and the War of Independence.

To help students grasp the language of the poem, the Ministry of National Education is preparing a glossary (sözlükçe) that explains the words used in all ten stanzas of the İstiklal Marşı, arranged alphabetically, along with an editorial book dedicated to the significance of 12 March. The anthem is regularly recited at the beginning and end of terms and during special school ceremonies, including the commemoration of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 10 November.

Competitions and cultural events (2024–2025)

For the 2024–2025 academic year, the Ministry of National Education is organizing nationwide activities under the theme “Bir Yıldız, Bir Hilal, İlelebet İstiklal” (“One Star, One Crescent, Independence Forever”) within the framework of 12 March İstiklal Marşı’s Acceptance and Mehmet Akif Ersoy Commemoration Day. These events are coordinated with various state institutions, including culture and arts bodies and universities, and aim to strengthen students’ national consciousness and their understanding of the anthem’s historical background.

Key activities include:

• “İstiklâl Marşı’nı Güzel Okuma Yarışması” (Beautiful Recitation of the İstiklal Marşı Competition) for students in official primary schools, middle schools, and İmam Hatip middle schools (grades 1–8). School, district, and provincial finals are held across Turkey, and provincial winners advance to national-level contests. In early 2025, many provincial finals took place, and students who won in cities such as Eskişehir, Kırıkkale, Nevşehir, and Erzurum qualified to represent their provinces at higher stages.
• “İstiklâl Marşı Konulu Resim Yarışması” (İstiklal Marşı-themed Drawing Competition) for students in combined classes in official primary schools.
• Composition and online knowledge competitions on the theme “Bir Yıldız, Bir Hilal, İlelebet İstiklal” for secondary school students in Turkey and in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
• Photography competitions on the same theme for teachers in Turkey and the TRNC.

In addition to activities inside Turkey, Turkish students abroad are also encouraged to participate. For example, the Turkish Embassy’s Education Counselling Office in Podgorica (Montenegro) has organized an “İstiklâl Marşı’nı Güzel Okuma Şiir Yarışması” for students in grades 1–9, with submissions evaluated in time for the 12 March commemorations.

In 2025, museums under the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, including the 15 July Democracy Museum, are also hosting educational and cultural events connected to 12 March, such as exhibitions, readings, theatre plays, and concerts. All of these initiatives highlight how the anthem remains a living part of Turkey’s cultural life.

Official ceremonies and legal status

The İstiklal Marşı plays a central role in official ceremonies and is protected by various legal and regulatory frameworks. A key document is the “İstiklâl Marşının Kabul Edildiği Günü ve Mehmet Âkif Ersoy’u Anma Günü Hakkında Yönetmelik”, a regulation published in the Official Gazette on 7 March 2008. It sets out how 12 March should be commemorated and how events related to the anthem and Mehmet Akif Ersoy should be organized.

Within the education system, regulations such as the Ministry of National Education Preschool and Primary Education Institutions Regulation, the Educational Institutions Social Activities Regulation, and the Secondary Education Institutions Regulation define how national symbols are to be displayed and respected in schools. For example, Article 96 of the Secondary Education Institutions Regulation requires an İstiklal Marşı tableau, a Turkish flag, an Atatürk portrait, and the Youth Address to be present in classrooms and administrative offices. These rules operate alongside broader principles laid out in the Turkish Constitution and the National Education Basic Law.

The anthem is an indispensable part of major state ceremonies. On 12 March, schools and institutions across Turkey and Turkish missions abroad hold programs that begin or end with the İstiklal Marşı. On 10 November, the anniversary of Atatürk’s passing, ceremonies typically start at 09:05 with sirens, followed by a minute of silence and the recitation of the anthem. The İstiklal Marşı also marks events such as the Republic Day of the TRNC on 15 November, official state visits, and public gatherings like political rallies and award ceremonies.

Other legal frameworks that shape İstiklal Marşı-related activities include the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (No. 5846), which governs creative works used in competitions, and the Law on the Protection of Personal Data (No. 6698), which ensures that students’ and participants’ personal data are handled appropriately when competitions and cultural events are organized.

Modern performances and musical arrangements

Because the İstiklal Marşı has a relatively wide vocal range, a technical adjustment to its musical arrangement was approved in 2013. Today two official versions are used:

• Version 1: Prepared for young people and large groups, this version is transposed about 1.5 tones lower to make it easier to sing, especially for middle- and high-school students whose voices are changing.
• Version 2: Used primarily for high-level national and international official ceremonies, maintaining a more demanding range while preserving the original character of the anthem.

These versions are not new compositions but technical adaptations of the original music. They are widely used in schools, sports arenas, and public ceremonies. Public debates and occasional controversies for example, criticism of disrespectful behaviour during the anthem at football matches in 2025 highlight how strongly many people still feel about showing proper respect when the İstiklal Marşı is played or recited.

Digital resources and further reading

In the digital age, the İstiklal Marşı is available across many platforms. The Ministry of National Education regularly shares educational videos, including a project that brings together students from 14 different provinces reciting all ten stanzas of the anthem in historically significant locations such as Istanbul, Samsun, Amasya, Sivas, Erzurum, Ankara, Eskişehir, Kütahya, Afyonkarahisar, İzmir, Çanakkale, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa. TRT, Turkey’s public broadcaster, produces TV and radio programs that explore the history and first compositions of the anthem, especially around the anniversary of its adoption.

Online platforms like YouTube host countless performances of the İstiklal Marşı by orchestras, choirs, and students, including easier-to-sing versions aligned with the 2013 arrangement. Meanwhile, digital archives provide access to documents on Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the anthem’s history, ensuring that researchers, teachers, and students can explore its background in depth.

Mehmet Akif’s work stands within a broader tradition of Turkish and Islamic literature that includes figures such as Yunus Emre, Rumi, and Halide Edip Adıvar, all of whom contributed in different ways to the intellectual and spiritual foundations of modern Turkey. Understanding the İstiklal Marşı in this wider context, and within the constitutional framework of the Turkish Constitution, helps reveal why the anthem remains such a powerful symbol of identity, faith, and independence today.