People walk along Istiklal Street decorated with Turkish flags on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. Ataturk proclaimed the Republic on 29 October 1923, a year after the official end of the Ottoman Empire. Ibrahim Oner/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Turkey marked the 100th anniversary on Sunday of its founding by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with nationwide festivities displaying the country's colours and portraits of Atatürk. In Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid a wreath at Atatürk's mausoleum. Atatürk proclaimed the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923, more than a year after the official end of the Ottoman Empire. He placed Turkey on a course of secularism, including the strict separation of church and state, and charted a pro-Western course. Women were allowed to vote and to stand for public office, and the Roman alphabet replace...
