Adoption of the Independence March

In early 1921, the War of Independence was raging across every corner of Anatolia. While the Turkish army fought a fierce battle on the front lines, there was a pressing need for a unifying anthem that would strengthen the resolve of the people and soldiers and solidify their belief in independence. To this end, the Ministry of National Education (Maarif Vekaleti) launched a competition on 18 September 1920. The terms of the competition were announced in newspapers: the winning poet would receive a prize of 500 liras. This sum was substantial for the time, enough to purchase a house.

A total of 724 poems were submitted from all parts of the country. However, the selection committee found that none of the entries fully captured the expected “national spirit.” The Minister of National Education, Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, knew that only Mehmet Akif Ersoy, known as the “Poet of the Homeland,” could compose such an epic. Yet Akif had not entered the competition. His reason was deeply principled: "A poem written for the nation’s flag and freedom cannot be rewarded with money."

Hamdullah Suphi wrote to Akif, assuring him that his sensitivity regarding the prize would be respected, and persuaded him to participate. Mehmet Akif secluded himself in his modest residence in Ankara, the Taceddin Dergâhı. So absorbed was he in his work that when verses came to him and he could not find paper, he carved them into the walls of the dergâh. His historic address to the Turkish nation and army began with a powerful call: "Do not fear!" This word was not merely an opening—it was a declaration that the nation would never surrender.

Mehmet Akif Ersoy writing the İstiklal Marşı. (Generated by artificial intelligence)

Once completed, the poem was presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 12 March 1921. Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver recited the ten stanzas in a powerful voice from the podium. Each stanza ended to thunderous applause. Deputies enthusiastically demanded that the poem be read aloud four times in succession. Mehmet Akif’s poem was unanimously adopted as the “National Anthem.” As this great honor unfolded, Akif, overcome with humility, could not remain in the hall and left the building.

The İstiklal Marşı being recited in the Assembly. (Generated by artificial intelligence)

After the competition, Akif was offered the 500-lira prize. Despite having not a single kuruş in his pocket and enduring the winter without a coat, he refused to accept it. Instead, he donated the entire sum to Darülmesai (Work House), a foundation that taught trades to poor women and children and sewed uniforms for soldiers at the front. He once again proved that the anthem he wrote could not be compensated with material gain.

Mehmet Akif deliberately excluded the İstiklal Marşı from his collected works in the volume Safahat. When asked why, he gave this historic reply:

"It does not belong to me, but to my nation. This is my most precious gift to my people. May God never again compel anyone to write an İstiklal Marşı!"