Turkish National Anthem: Lyrics in Turkish, Easy Reading and Translation
The full Turkish national anthem with an easy English reading and line-by-line translation, its 1921 history, music and ceremony rules.
Table of Contents
Turkey’s national anthem is “İstiklâl Marşı”, the “Independence March”. The poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy wrote the words. The Grand National Assembly adopted them on 12 March 1921, during the War of Independence. Osman Zeki Üngör composed the music sung today. The anthem has ten stanzas, but usually only the first two are sung at ceremonies.
At a glance
Ten stanzas, two are sung.
- Words by Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873–1936), music by Osman Zeki Üngör (1880–1958).
- Adopted on 12 March 1921 by the Assembly in Ankara; Article 3 of the Constitution names it as the national anthem.
- Stanzas 1 and 2 are sung at school ceremonies under Ministry of Education circular 101/1998. The full text has 10 stanzas and 41 lines.
- The anthem did not win a contest. None of the more than 700 poems submitted was judged worthy of becoming the anthem, and Akif did not enter the contest.
Below are all the stanzas with an easy English reading and a line-by-line translation, followed by the history, music and ceremony rules.
The anthem’s text with a line-by-line translation
The Turkish text follows the “İstiklâl Marşı” file on the Presidency’s website. We checked it against the transcript of the 12 March 1921 sitting on the Ministry of National Education (MEB) website and the anniversary volume of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM): the words match, with differences only in spelling and punctuation. The reading and translation are our own: close to the text, without rhyme. This poem, full of imagery and words from the last century, has no single “correct” translation.
Choose a stanza and turn the layers on: original, reading and translation.
Songbook · 10 stanzas, 41 lines
İstiklâl Marşı — “Independence March”
Tap a Turkish word to see its meaning below the line.
Stanza 1The flag and the people’s starsung
The scarlet banner will not go out as long as a single hearth still smokes in the homeland; the star on the banner is the people’s star.
Korkma, sönmez bu şafaklarda yüzen al sancak;
Kork-ma, surn-mez boo sha-fak-lar-da yew-zen al san-jak;
Do not fear: the scarlet banner floating in these dawns will not go out,
Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.
Surn-me-den yoor-doo-moon ews-tewn-de tew-ten en son o-jak.
until the last smoking hearth in my homeland goes out.
O benim milletimin yıldızıdır, parlayacak;
O be-nim mil-le-ti-min yuhl-duh-zuh-duhr, par-la-ya-jak;
It is my people’s star — it will shine;
O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak.
O be-nim-dir, o be-nim mil-le-ti-min-dir an-jak.
it is mine, it belongs to my people alone.
Stanza 2Addressing the crescentsung
The poet asks the crescent not to frown: the blood was not shed in vain, and independence is the right of a people who honour God.
Çatma, kurban olayım çehreni ey nazlı hilâl!
Chat-ma, koor-ban o-la-yuhm cheh-re-ni ey naz-luh hi-lyal!
Do not frown — may I be a sacrifice for your face, O wilful crescent!
Kahraman ırkıma bir gül… ne bu şiddet bu celâl?
Kah-ra-man uhr-kuh-ma bir gewl… ne boo shid-det boo je-lyal?
Give my heroic lineage a smile: why this severity, this anger?
Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarımız sonra helâl,
Sa-na ol-maz dur-kew-len kan-la-ruh-muhz son-ra he-lyal,
Otherwise the blood we have shed will not be forgiven you;
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan, milletimin istiklâl.
Hak-kuh-duhr, Hak-ka ta-pan, mil-le-ti-min is-tik-lyal.
independence is the right of my people, who worship Hakk (God).
Stanza 3Freedom: “I am like a torrent”
The people have always lived free; putting them in chains is madness. They are like a torrent that sweeps away dams.
Ben ezelden beridir hür yaşadım, hür yaşarım.
Ben e-zel-den be-ri-dir hewr ya-sha-duhm, hewr ya-sha-ruhm.
From long ago I have lived free, and free I shall live.
Hangi çılgın bana zincir vuracakmış? Şaşarım!
Han-gi chuhl-guhn ba-na zin-jir voo-ra-jak-muhsh? Sha-sha-ruhm!
What madman would put me in chains? I marvel!
Kükremiş sel gibiyim; bendimi çiğner, aşarım;
Kewk-re-mish sel gi-bi-yim; ben-di-mi chiy-ner, a-sha-ruhm;
I am like a roaring torrent: I will crush my dam and surge over it;
Yırtarım dağları, enginlere sığmam, taşarım.
Yuhr-ta-ruhm da-la-ruh, en-gin-le-re suh-mam, ta-sha-ruhm.
I will tear through mountains; even the vast open spaces cannot hold me — I overflow.
Stanza 4The West, “civilisation” and faith
Even if a wall of steel encircles the West’s horizons, the people have faith as their frontier, and “civilisation” is merely a beast with a single tooth.
Garb’ın âfâkını sarmışsa çelik zırhlı duvar;
Gar-buhn a-fa-kuh-nuh sar-muhsh-sa che-lik zuhrh-luh doo-var;
Even if a wall clad in steel armour encircles the West’s horizons —
Benim iman dolu göğsüm gibi serhaddim var.
Be-nim i-man do-loo gur-sewm gi-bi ser-had-dim var.
I have a frontier like my chest, full of faith.
Ulusun, korkma! Nasıl böyle bir îmânı boğar,
Oo-loo-soon, kork-ma! Na-suhl bur-le bir i-ma-nuh bo-ar,
Let it howl — do not fear! How could such faith be choked by
“Medeniyet!” dediğin tek dişi kalmış canavar?
“Me-de-ni-yet!” de-di-in tek di-shi kal-muhsh ja-na-var?
what you call “civilisation” — a beast with just one tooth?
Stanza 5Addressing the soldier
Do not let the enemy into your native land; shield it with your body — the promised days will come.
Arkadaş! Yurduma alçakları uğratma sakın;
Ar-ka-dash! Yoor-doo-ma al-chak-la-ruh oo-rat-ma sa-kuhn;
Friend! Never let the vile enter my homeland;
Siper et gövdeni, dursun bu hayâsızca akın.
Si-per et gurv-de-ni, door-soon boo ha-ya-suhz-ja a-kuhn.
shield it with your body — let this shameless invasion stop.
Doğacaktır sana va’dettiği günler Hakk’ın…
Do-a-jak-tuhr sa-na va-det-ti-i gewn-ler Hak-kuhn…
The days Hakk promised you will dawn…
Kim bilir, belki yarın… belki yarından da yakın.
Kim bi-lir, bel-ki ya-ruhn… bel-ki ya-ruhn-dan da ya-kuhn.
Who knows — perhaps tomorrow… perhaps even sooner than tomorrow.
Stanza 6The ground is more than soil
The ground beneath your feet is more than soil: the fallen lie beneath it without shrouds. Do not give up your homeland even for the whole world.
Bastığın yerleri “toprak!” diyerek geçme, tanı!
Bas-tuh-uhn yer-le-ri “top-rak!” di-ye-rek gech-me, ta-nuh!
Do not pass over the ground you tread calling it “soil!” — know it:
Düşün altındaki binlerce kefensiz yatanı.
Dew-shewn al-tuhn-da-ki bin-ler-je ke-fen-siz ya-ta-nuh.
think of the thousands lying beneath you without shrouds.
Sen şehîd oğlusun, incitme, yazıktır atanı;
Sen she-hid o-loo-soon, in-jit-me, ya-zuhk-tuhr a-ta-nuh;
You are the son of a şehit: do not hurt your ancestor, it is a sin;
Verme, dünyâları alsan da, bu cennet vatanı.
Ver-me, dewn-ya-la-ruh al-san da, boo jen-net va-ta-nuh.
do not give up this homeland of paradise, even for worlds in return.
Stanza 7Everything for the homeland
Who would not sacrifice themselves for such a land? Squeeze it, and şehits will surge forth. If only God does not part us from our homeland.
Kim bu cennet vatanın uğruna olmaz ki fedâ?
Kim boo jen-net va-ta-nuhn oo-roo-na ol-maz ki fe-da?
Who would not sacrifice themselves for this homeland of paradise?
Şühedâ fışkıracak, toprağı sıksan şühedâ!
Shew-he-da fuhsh-kuh-ra-jak, top-ra-uh suhk-san shew-he-da!
Şehits will surge forth if you squeeze the earth in your hand: şehits!
Cânı, cânânı, bütün varımı alsın da Hudâ,
Ja-nuh, ja-na-nuh, bew-tewn va-ruh-muh al-suhn da Hoo-da,
Let God take my life, my beloved, all that I have,
Etmesin tek vatanımdan beni dünyâda cüdâ.
Et-me-sin tek va-ta-nuhm-dan be-ni dewn-ya-da jew-da.
so long as He does not part me in this world from my only homeland.
Stanza 8Prayer: the sanctuary and the call to prayer
May no stranger’s hand touch the sanctuary, and may the call to prayer ring out forever over the homeland.
Ruhumun senden, İlâhî, şudur ancak emeli:
Roo-hoo-moon sen-den, I-lya-hi, shoo-door an-jak e-me-li:
O God, this is my soul’s only wish of You:
Değmesin ma’bedimin göğsüne nâ-mahrem eli!
Dey-me-sin ma-be-di-min gur-sew-ne na-mah-rem e-li!
may no stranger’s hand touch the breast of my sanctuary!
Bu ezanlar-ki şehâdetleri dînin temeli–
Boo e-zan-lar ki she-ha-det-le-ri di-nin te-me-li-
These calls to prayer — whose words of testimony are the foundation of faith —
Ebedî yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeli.
E-be-di yoor-doo-moon ews-tewn-de be-nim in-le-me-li.
may they ring out over my eternal homeland.
Stanza 9The voice of the fallen
When the call to prayer rings out forever, the fallen man’s gravestone will bow in worship, and he himself will rise from the earth towards the Throne.
O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder –varsa– taşım;
O za-man vejd i-le bin sej-de e-der – var-sa – ta-shuhm;
Then in rapture my stone will bow a thousand times — if I have one;
Her cerîhamdan, İlâhî, boşanıp kanlı yaşım,
Her je-ri-ham-dan, I-lya-hi, bo-sha-nuhp kan-luh ya-shuhm,
from each of my wounds, O God, my bloody tears will gush,
Fışkırır rûh-i mücerred gibi yerden na’şım;
Fuhsh-kuh-ruhr rooh-i mew-jer-red gi-bi yer-den na-shuhm;
and my body, like a disembodied spirit, will burst from the earth;
O zaman yükselerek Arş’a değer, belki başım.
O za-man yewk-se-le-rek Ar-sha de-er, bel-ki ba-shuhm.
then, rising, perhaps my head will touch the Throne.
Stanza 10Finale: the right to independence
The poet calls on the crescent to wave like the dawns; the blood was not shed in vain, and freedom and independence are the people’s right.
Dalgalan sen de şafaklar gibi ey şanlı hilâl;
Dal-ga-lan sen de sha-fak-lar gi-bi ey shan-luh hi-lyal;
Wave too, like the dawns, O glorious crescent;
Olsun artık dökülen kanlarımın hepsi helâl.
Ol-soon ar-tuhk dur-kew-len kan-la-ruh-muhn hep-si he-lyal.
from now on, may all my blood that has been shed be forgiven you.
Ebediyen sana yok, ırkıma yok izmihlâl:
E-be-di-yen sa-na yok, uhr-kuh-ma yok iz-mih-lyal:
Never shall you or my lineage perish:
Hakkıdır, hür yaşamış bayrağımın hürriyet;
Hak-kuh-duhr, hewr ya-sha-muhsh bay-ra-uh-muhn hewr-ri-yet;
freedom is the right of my banner, which has lived free;
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan milletimin istiklâl!
Hak-kuh-duhr, Hak-ka ta-pan mil-le-ti-min is-tik-lyal!
independence is the right of my people, who worship Hakk!
In “Memorise” mode, the Turkish lines are hidden: recall a line and tap it to check yourself. We added a full stop at the end of stanza 8 and enclosed varsa in stanza 9 in paired dashes. The Presidency’s file has no full stop at the end of stanza 8, and a hyphen follows varsa instead of a dash. The spellings ezanlar-ki and dînin are preserved as in the original.
How to read aloud: ten unfamiliar letters
Turkish is read almost as it is written. There are few unfamiliar letters, and almost all appear in the two stanzas that are sung. Tap a tile: the letter will light up on the board, with an example from the anthem beside it.
Type case · 10 letters
Tap a letter to light it up on the board
no dot: a short, dull “uh”, like the a in “about” ırkıma — “uhr-kuh-ma”
with a dot, the capital İ too: the plain i of “sit” milletimin — “mil-le-ti-min”
like “ur” in “fur” with rounded lips, and no r sönmez — “surn-mez”
like “ew” in “few” with rounded lips: the German ü hür — “hewr”
always “j” as in “jam”, never “k” or “s” sancak — “san-jak”
“ch” as in “church” çatma — “chat-ma”
“sh” as in “ship” şafaklarda — “sha-fak-lar-da”
the y of “yes”, always a consonant yurdumun — “yoor-doo-moon”
a long vowel, and the consonant before it turns soft hilâl — “hi-lyal”
always heard, even in the middle of a word çehreni — “cheh-re-ni”
ı Ino dot: a short, dull “uh”, like the a in “about”
ırkıma — “uhr-kuh-ma”
Stanzas 1 and 2 — the ones sung
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 hilâl!
Kahraman ırkıma bir gül… ne bu şiddet bu celâl?
Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarımız sonra helâl,
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan, milletimin istiklâl.
Occurrences in stanzas 1 and 2: 12
Our reading is a guide, not a strict transcription. The letter ğ does not appear in stanzas 1 and 2: it is not pronounced, but lengthens the preceding vowel (doğacaktır — “do-a-jak-tuhr”). Hyphens only split syllables: every letter is sounded, and r is a short tapped r. The “Listen to the word” button uses your browser’s voice if Turkish is available.
Difficult points in translation
Several passages in the Turkish text can be understood in different ways. Here are those passages and our choices. These are our decisions, not any institution’s interpretation.
| Passage | The difficulty | Our choice |
|---|---|---|
| Hakk / hak (stanzas 2, 5, 10) | Hak means “right” and “truth”; with two k’s and an apostrophe (Hakk’a), it refers to God. In the lines “Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan…”, the two meanings stand side by side. | Both: “right” and “Hakk (God)” |
| bir gül (stanza 2) | Literally “a rose”. But gül is also the command “smile” from gülmek, and the line addresses the crescent. | “Give a smile” |
| Ulusun (stanza 4) | A form of the verb ulumak, “to howl”: “let it howl”. The sources we found do not explain this form. | “Let it howl — do not fear!” |
| tek dişi kalmış canavar (stanza 4) | Literally “a beast with one tooth left”. The articles in the TBMM volume interpret “civilisation” here as the “civilised” enemy — the West, rather than culture in general. | “A beast with a single tooth” |
| şehit / şühedâ (stanzas 6, 7) | The TDK dictionary defines it as someone who died for a sacred cause or faith. English has no exact equivalent; “martyr” carries different associations. | Kept “şehit” |
| Arş (stanza 9) | The Throne of the Almighty in Islamic tradition; everyday English has no word for this. | “Throne” |
How the anthem came to be: winter 1920–1921
The anthem emerged in a country at war: in the summer of 1920, much of its territory was occupied, and Ankara was building a new army. The contest for the words came to nothing, so the minister approached a poet who had not wanted to enter. Turn the calendar pages: less than a year passed between the Assembly’s opening and the vote on the anthem.
Tear-off calendar · 8 pages
From the Assembly’s opening to the anthem vote
April1920
23Friday
The Grand National Assembly opens in Ankara.
The war is ongoing: much of the country is occupied, and Ankara is building a new army.
MEB, “Öykü”
October1920
25Monday
The Ministry of Education announces a contest for the words of a national march.
The prize is 500 lira, and the deadline is 23 December 1920. More than 700 poems (by some sources, 724) were sent; seven were shortlisted, but none was judged worthy of becoming the anthem.
MEB; TBMM volume
December1920
24Friday
Mehmet Akif and Eşref Edip arrive in Ankara from Kastamonu.
Mustafa Kemal invites them to a meeting that lasts about an hour. Akif does not enter the contest.
MEB, “Öykü”
February1921
5Saturday
Minister Hamdullah Suphi writes to Akif.
He calls the poet’s participation “the last resort” and promises to resolve the issue of the cash prize.
MEB, “Öykü”
February1921
15Tuesday
Akif submits the poem.
The date comes from one article in the TBMM volume; another gives 7 February.
TBMM volume
February1921
17Thursday
The poem is published in the journal “Sebîlürreşâd” and the newspaper “Hâkimiyet-i Millîye”.
With the dedication “Kahraman Ordumuza” — “To Our Heroic Army”.
MEB, “Öykü”; dedication — the Presidency’s file
March1921
1Tuesday
The poem is read from the rostrum in the Assembly.
The reading stirs strong emotion in the hall.
Transcript on the MEB website; TBMM volume
March1921
12Saturday
The Assembly adopts the anthem by an overwhelming majority.
Around 17:45; Adnan Adıvar chairs the sitting. At the suggestion of Refik, the deputy for Konya, the deputies stand to listen to the anthem.
Transcript on the MEB website; TBMM volume
Akif did not want his name associated with a cash prize. In his letter of 5 February 1921, Minister Hamdullah Suphi called Akif’s participation “the last resort” and promised to do whatever the poet’s “noble concern” required (MEB). At the sitting on 12 March, Suphi told the deputies that Akif had feared talk about money; the minister had promised to take steps to address this, and the poet had then sent the poem (MEB transcript).
According to MEB, Akif withdrew to a room in the Taceddin lodge (Taceddin Dergâhı) behind Hacettepe hill and began writing. Sources disagree on how many days the text took. Hasan Basri Çantay’s account says two or three days after the minister’s letter. One contributor to the TBMM volume considers two or three days impossible and suggests 10–12 days: Akif may have been developing the idea since November.
Accounts also differ on who launched the contest. Rıza Nur, the education minister at the time, writes in his memoirs that he announced it himself (MEB). According to the TBMM volume, İsmet (İnönü) and Rıza Nur jointly decided that a national march was needed and entrusted the task to Kâzım Nami (Duru).
When the anthem was adopted, Akif refused the prize: “Ben yarışmaya girmedim, bu para benim değildir” — “I did not enter the contest; this money is not mine” (TBMM volume). He was told that the rules did not allow the money to remain in the Assembly’s treasury. He then accepted it and gave all 500 lira to Dârülmesâî, an institution that taught poor women and children a trade and gave them work. The volume estimates that the prize equalled a deputy’s annual salary, while the poet himself, MEB writes, did not even own a coat.
“The anthem won the contest”
The contest produced no anthem: none of the more than 700 poems was judged worthy, and Akif did not enter. He was asked separately to write the verses.
“Akif scratched the lines on a wall with a nail”
This is a story passed down. MEB mentions the nail “according to accounts” (rivayetlere göre); the recollections in the TBMM volume mention a pencil. We found no documents confirming it.
“The anthem was written in one night”
Sources disagree: Hasan Basri Çantay says two or three days after the minister’s letter; one contributor to the TBMM volume says 10–12 days.
“I gave it to the people — to our heroic army; now it belongs to the people.” According to the TBMM volume, this was Akif’s reply when Eşref Edip asked why the anthem was not in his book.
The poem is dedicated to “Kahraman Ordumuza” — “our heroic army”, and Akif did not include it in his collection “Safahat”. MEB also recounts another story recorded by Ayhan Songar: shortly before Akif’s death, he was asked whether it would be better to rewrite the anthem. He replied: “God forbid that this people should ever have to write an Independence March again.” This is a story handed down through retellings. There were disagreements in 1921 too: deputy Besim Atalay said that “commissioned” poems do not last, and the TBMM volume adds that some people were uneasy about the harsh words about the West and the strong religious content.
For more on Akif’s era, read Ottoman Jerusalem and Halide Edip Adıvar, about the writer who took part in the War of Independence.
The anthem’s music: why Üngör came later
The words were adopted in 1921, but the melody sung today was approved much later. At first, the anthem was sung to different tunes. Take the records off the shelf one by one.
Record shelf · 1921–1930
The tunes used for the anthem
War years
Anthem, 16 tunes
During the war, there was no single melody: according to the TBMM volume, the anthem was sung to as many as 16 different tunes.
TBMM volume
By May 1922
55 musical versions
According to the TBMM volume, this many versions were sent to the ministry. The Assembly took on the choice of melody: Minister Suphi asked it to hand the choice to a panel of specialists in Istanbul, but the deputies disagreed. Tunalı Hilmi, the deputy for Bolu, said: “Bu marş İstanbul’a gidemez. Ankara her şeyi kendisi yapar” — “This march cannot go to Istanbul. Ankara does everything itself.”
TBMM volume; MEB, “Beste / Tezkere”
1923 or 1924 — 1930
Ali Rıfat Çağatay’s melody
According to the TBMM volume, it was recognised as the anthem’s melody on 12 July 1923; Turkish Wikipedia gives 1924, so the year is disputed. The anthem was performed to this music until 1930.
TBMM volume; Turkish Wikipedia
Sung today
Osman Zeki Üngör’s melody
According to MEB, Üngör composed the melody in 1922, inspired by the liberation of İzmir. Contributors to the TBMM volume write that the music was not composed for Akif’s verses and was paired with them later, so word stresses and musical accents do not always match. It replaced Çağatay’s melody in 1930 under a ministry circular.
MEB, “Zeki Üngör”; TBMM volume
Choose a sleeve to place a record on the turntable. Üngör’s record spins while the recording at the top of the page plays.
Osman Zeki Üngör (1880–1958) was born in Istanbul. According to MEB, he joined the court orchestra “Mızıka-i Hümayun” in 1891, caught the attention of Sultan Abdülhamid II and rose to lead the orchestra. After the Republic was proclaimed, he moved to Ankara and led the presidential orchestra. From 1924 to 1934, he headed the Music Teachers’ School. By special permission, “İstiklâl Marşı” was played at his funeral.
Üngör himself recalled (MEB) that two or three days after the cavalry entered liberated İzmir, a primary school teacher named İhsan visited him and gave an emotional account of the events. The composer sat at the piano and began playing what was “being born within”; he continued the next day, and two days later the melody was ready.
Why only two stanzas are sung
MEB circular 101/1998, point 12
10 stanzas in the text, 2 at the ceremony.
“İstiklâl Marşımızın ilk iki kıtasının söylenmesi esastır” — “the basic rule is to sing the first two stanzas of our anthem”. This rule applies to flag-raising ceremonies in educational institutions.
The anthem itself has not been shortened. Article 3 of the Constitution states: “Milli marşı “İstiklal Marşı”dır” — “the national anthem is the ‘Independence March’”. The MEB instruction published on 18 January 1982 (Tebliğler Dergisi, No. 2104) says that, when appropriate, the anthem should be read in full as a poem in music lessons and its stanzas explained.
What we didn’t find
The documents we found do not explain why exactly two stanzas were chosen for ceremonies, and we will not invent a reason. We also found no separate law on how many stanzas to sing outside schools.
How to behave when the anthem plays
Briefly: stand up, stop talking and put your phone away while the anthem plays. The detailed rules are written for schools.
Our advice to visitors
This is a custom, rather than a rule from a document. If the anthem starts playing in a square, at a stadium or at a ceremony, stop, stand upright, put your phone away and do not talk until it ends. You do not have to sing: respect is what matters. The deputies themselves set the first example: on 12 March 1921, they stood as they listened to the anthem.
The anthem is played at ceremonies on national holidays; see the dates in Turkey Public Holidays 2026.
The anthem today: 12 March and the centenary
In Turkey, 12 March marks the adoption of the anthem and commemorates Mehmet Akif Ersoy (Ministry of Culture and Tourism page). The anthem is a required part of school flag-raising ceremonies.
For the centenary of its adoption, the Assembly declared 2021 the “Year of the Independence March”. According to the TBMM volume, this is recorded in provisional Article 1, added through Article 34 of Law No. 7261. Presidential circular No. 2021/6, published on 6 March 2021, named 2021 the “Year of Mehmet Akif and the Independence March”. On 12 March 2021, exactly a hundred years later, a symposium on the anthem and its author opened in the Assembly; its proceedings are one of our sources.
Frequently asked questions
How many stanzas does Turkey’s anthem have, and how many are sung?
Ten stanzas: nine with four lines each and a tenth with five, making 41 lines in total. Usually the first two are sung at ceremonies; for schools, this is set out in MEB circular 101/1998.
Who wrote the words and music?
The words are by Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873–1936), the music by Osman Zeki Üngör (1880–1958). Before Üngör’s melody, the anthem was sung to other tunes; from 1923 or 1924 to 1930, it used Ali Rıfat Çağatay’s music.
When was it adopted, and what does its name mean?
12 March 1921. According to the TDK dictionary, İstiklâl means “independence”, and marş means “march”; hence the English name “Independence March”.
Do you need to stand and sing?
Standing is customary. At school ceremonies, the first two stanzas are sung; we found no separate rules for visitors to the country. Simply standing quietly while the anthem plays is a sign of respect.
How should the name be written?
The Presidency’s file uses “İstiklâl Marşı”, with a mark over the a; the Constitution uses “İstiklal Marşı”, without it. Both spellings are used.
Is there a text in Arabic script?
In 1921, the anthem was printed in Ottoman script: Turkey switched to the Latin alphabet on 1 November 1928. We do not reproduce it because we found no source against which to check every letter and vowel mark. Today, the anthem is learned and sung from the Latin-script text.
How we checked and our sources
The Turkish text comes from the file on the Presidency’s website and was checked against the transcript of the sitting on 12 March 1921 on the MEB website and the TBMM anniversary volume “100. Yılında İstiklâl Marşı ve Mehmed Âkif”: the words match, with differences only in spelling and punctuation. Word meanings were checked in the TDK dictionary; for words not found there (garp, serhat, hüda, vecd, cerih, naaş), the explanations are our own. During our checks, mevzuat.gov.tr returned a certificate error, and mfa.gov.tr denied access; we did not try to bypass this and used texts on other government bodies’ websites.
What we did not find and therefore do not claim: the reason for the two-stanza rule, separate rules of conduct for tourists, confirmation of the story about a nail on the wall, or agreed dates for the adoption of Çağatay’s and Üngör’s melodies.
- “İstiklâl Marşı: Öykü” — creation, contest, Suphi’s letter, publication, gift of 500 lira — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- Transcript of the sitting on 12 March 1921 (“Meclisten / Kabulü”) — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Meclisten / Tezkere” — sittings on 26 February and 1 March 1921 — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Zeki Üngör” — the composer’s life and account of the melody — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Beste / Tezkere” — the Assembly’s choice of melody — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Beste / Nota” — anthem sheet music — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Sesler” — anthem recordings — MEB, checked 29 September 2026
- “Mevzuat” — Article 3 of the Constitution, Flag Regulations (85/9034), Art. 23, the 1982 instruction (No. 2104) and circular 101/1998, “İstiklâl Marşı — Bayrak Töreni”, points 9–12 — MEB, checked 11 October 2026
- “İstiklâl Marşı” file — Turkish text — Presidency of Turkey, checked 29 September 2026
- “100. Yılında İstiklâl Marşı ve Mehmed Âkif” — TBMM, checked 29 September 2026
- “Türk Bayrağı ve İstiklâl Marşı” — 12 March — Ministry of Culture and Tourism, checked 29 September 2026
- “Güncel Türkçe Sözlük” — TDK, checked 29 September 2026
- “İstiklal Marşı” — reference article, not a primary source — Turkish Wikipedia, checked 29 September 2026
