Panorama 25 December Gaziantep Defense Heroism Panorama and Museum

A National Resistance!

Antep Defense...

Antep, which was within the borders of the Southern Front during the years of the National Struggle, was first occupied by the British on December 17, 1918, and by the French on October 27, 1919, after the Syrian Agreement signed between the British and the French on September 15, 1919. British Occupation in Antep The British occupied Antep on 17 December 1918 with the pretext that "Since there are many soldiers and animals in Aleppo, to spend the winter alone and not be stuck with food...". The British, who seized the telegraph office that connects Antep with the outside world, also took control of the train stations in the vicinity. The American college and the Armenian houses around it and Beyazınoğlu's inn were turned into barracks and headquarters. Revealing their real intentions, the British declared martial law in the city by increasing the pressure on the people. Not content with this, the British had all the sharp and piercing weapons collected from the people, including bread knives. Thousands of Armenians who came to the city with the British expressed their gratitude to the British at every opportunity. The hatred and enmity they felt against the Turks had emerged. The Armenians claimed that their houses and lands were usurped by the Turks after the deportation, and the houses they showed were forcibly evacuated and confiscated, no matter who they were. Following this, British pressure in Antep was increasing. So much so that on January 23, 1919, some of the city's leading figures were exiled to Aleppo and then to Egypt prisoner camps before they were even allowed to meet with their families without question, on the grounds that they were related to the Armenian deportation.

French Occupation in Antep

The British and the French, citing the Armistice of Mudros, based on the Syria Agreement they prepared and signed between them on September 15, 1919; They shared Mosul, the south of Anatolia and Syria. Accordingly: Mosul was left to the British, Syria, Antep, Maraş, Urfa and its surroundings were left to the French. British; Following the Syrian Treaty, they handed over Antep to the French. On October 27, 1919, a French force of 200 people, consisting of Armenians and French, and then on October 29, 1919, two French squadrons of 2,000 people, consisting of three classes allocated by the French, entered Antep. Armenian collaborators in the city threw flowers and applauded the occupation forces that entered the city. The martyrdom of Mehmet Kamil on January 21 and Şahinbey on March 27 on Kilis Road once again reminded us of the necessity of fighting for Religion, Honor and Homeland in the City. Kılıç Ali, who was appointed as the Commander of National Forces in Maraş and Antep by Mustafa Kemal Pasha on 28 March 1920, also came to Gaziantep. (He served until the arrival of Özdemir Bey on June 2, 1920.) Finally, on April 1, 1920, the war started with the bullet fired by Körükçüzâde Ahmet, a member of the Antep Defense of Law Society, against the French. The people of Gaziantep, who wrote an epic with the street conflicts that spread to almost every part of the city, are in insufficient arms and ammunition, hunger and poverty; Gaziantep has made Antep with its unique struggle, regardless of women, children, youth and old people. On February 8, 1921, this unique struggle was crowned with the title of "Gazi" by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Gaziantep, thousands of martyrs, thousands of injured as a result of the struggle; Ankara Agreement was signed between the Ankara Government and the French; On December 25, 1921, he got rid of the occupation and joined the motherland.

Panorama 25 December Gaziantep Defense Heroism Panorama and Museum

Panorama from Redif Warehouse to December 25

According to the Redif Regulation of 1869, it was decided that the redif units should be trained in the redif offices they belong to once a year in order to be ready for a war at any time. During the drills of the Redif troops; It was also decided by this law that they should be trained to mobilize, to take the order of war, to know the weapons and to use them well. According to the law, when soldiers were recruited for training, they were given a salary and appointment. The clothing materials they needed were met from the redif warehouses in their regions. For this purpose, Ayntâb Redif Depot, which was established by the Alleben Stream, served the Ottoman army until 1912. The place of Redşf Depot, which was destroyed in the French bombardment, was used as the Headquarters of the 1st Mobile Gendarmerie Division in the 1960s and later as the 23rd Mobile Gendarmerie Brigade. Until recently, it continued to be used by the Turkish Armed Forces as the NCO Lodging and Tavern.

It was transferred to Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality with the protocol signed between Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and Ministry of National Defense. Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality built the Panorama 25 December Gaziantep Defense Heroism Panorama and Museum in this area, under the leadership of Mayor Fatma Şahin, to immortalize the epic Antep war, which is rare in history.

At Panorama 25 December Museum; Antep Defense is explained in all its aspects with 14 paintings made with oil painting technique, 3 dioramas and a unique panoramic area with a length of 120 meters and a height of 13 meters. In addition, Panorama 25 December, which hosts dozens of works donated by the relatives of martyrs and veterans of the Antep War, also includes interactive spaces required by contemporary and modern museology.