Efeler Municipality kept the spirit of September 7 alive all day.

On the 102nd anniversary of Aydın’s liberation from enemy occupation, Efeler Municipality celebrated the spirit of September 7 with events, culminating in a lantern parade held in the evening.

While the independence day of Aydın, September 7, is celebrated with enthusiasm every year, this year’s festivities were also carried out with great fervor. The ceremonies began in the morning at Atatürk Kent Square with the firing of three cannon shots, followed by events organized by Efeler Municipality. As part of the celebrations for the 102nd anniversary of Aydın’s liberation from enemy occupation, Efeler Municipality, in collaboration with the Aydın Lovers of Antiquities Association, held an exhibition titled “Efeler in Photographs” along with a discussion program. The program started with a folk dance performance at the National Aydın Bank and continued with a discussion. Mehmet Özçakır, the President of the Aydın Lovers of Antiquities Association, delivered the opening speech of the program, which began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem. He stated that through the exhibition and discussion featuring photographs depicting Aydın after 1922, they aimed to provide an opportunity to get to know and promote Aydın more closely. After the discussion featuring old photographs of Aydın, protocol members visited the exhibition and examined the photographs.

Following the photo exhibition, Efeler Municipality continued to embody the spirit of September 7 throughout the day with a lantern parade held at 20:30. Citizens of Efeler gathered at the Stone Bridge, celebrating September 7 with torches and Turkish flags in hand. The crowd walked from the Stone Bridge to Adnan Menderes Boulevard and then along Cyprus Street towards Republic Street, marching back to Atatürk Kent Square. The most notable group in the lantern parade, which saw participation from car and motorcycle groups, was the horseback riding club performing a march on horseback. In this lantern parade, which saw high participation, citizens joyfully celebrated Aydın’s liberation.

“We crowned it with the lantern parade”
Efeler Deputy Mayor Barış Altıntaş expressed that they crowned the events held throughout the day with the lantern parade, stating, “On the 102nd anniversary of our Efeler’s liberation, we are celebrating this beautiful day, this victory with the lantern parade after our liberation events that started this morning and the art exhibition we opened at 15:00. May this beautiful day be blessed and happy for all the people of Efeler.”