ANZAC Commemorative Site, Gallipoli, turkey

Bordered between the escarpment of Gallipoli peninsula and the Aegean Sea, this globally significant site was unveiled in 2000 by the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand. On this site, the ANZAC Day Dawn Service is held which is a day of national significance and remembrance that is recognised worldwide. The site is situated on the former battlefield and resonates with all communities, in particular Australia, New Zealand and Turkey where the legacy of the ANZAC spirit is celebrated and commemorated.

The Dawn Service, held on the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, draws over 20,000 people from around the world. It is a place of reconciliation and pilgrimage drawing visitation year-round. The design of the site is defined by a broad open grassed glade that is drawn from the dramatic surrounding landscape. The design is sourced from two intersecting geometrical ellipses, drawing their location and inspiration from the sea and the escarpment. This design is defined by a series of low parallel stone walls, one of which is located by the sea and is inscribed with the letters ANZAC forming the focal element for the site and the Dawn Service. Supplementary walls lead the visitor from access points to the core of the site and facilitating views of the sea and the surrounds. Interpretation panels are located on these walls that outline the history of the site and the role of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. Native shrubs surround the site that leads to the broader landscape of the Gallipoli Historical National Park that includes ANZAC Cove, Ari Burnu and the historic places of the Gallipoli campaign.