Şerife Bacı is a prominent folk heroine who demonstrated great sacrifice during the Turkish War of Independence and symbolizes the struggle of Turkish women. Born in the early 1900s, Şerife Bacı came from a village in the Seydiler district of Kastamonu. In 1921, she took part in a convoy transporting ammunition from İnebolu to Kastamonu, enduring harsh winter conditions.

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During the War of Independence, while men fought on the front lines, women and the elderly provided vital logistical support. Ammunition collected in İnebolu was transported via Kastamonu and Çankırı to Ankara, with women playing a crucial role in this effort. In the winter of 1921, Şerife Bacı, carrying ammunition while nursing her nine-month-old baby, lined the inside of her cart with straw to create a mattress and covered her child to protect it from the cold. This arduous journey cemented her status as one of the iconic figures representing the struggle of Turkish women during the National Struggle.

Şerife Bacı was martyred after falling behind the convoy near Kastamonu Barracks, where she succumbed to the freezing winter conditions. She was found dead in her cart, lying on top of her baby, having wrapped herself around the child to shield it from the cold. Her body was discovered frozen at the front of the cart, while her infant daughter survived. She gave her life to protect her child from the freezing temperatures.

Şerife Bacı’s martyrdom has endured as a symbol of the immense sacrifices made by women in Türkiye’s struggle for freedom. Although the exact location of her grave remains unknown, it is believed she was buried in the village of Satılar in Seydiler.

The memory of Şerife Bacı is preserved through various monuments, especially in Kastamonu, Seydiler, and İnebolu. The Seydiler Municipality opened a cultural center in her name and erected a statue of her. In 1973, the Seydiler Municipality installed a relief of her on the front of the municipal building. Additionally, in 1990, a monument known as the Atatürk and Martyr Şerife Bacı Monument was constructed in Kastamonu. This monument, also recognized as the Turkish Women’s Monument, was built to pass on Şerife Bacı’s heroic story to future generations.

In 2001, the Martyr Şerife Bacı Monument was erected on the shoreline of İnebolu by former Turkish Land Forces Commander Aytaç Yalman.

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