Turgut Reis Tabyasi on the outskirts of Canakkale is situated in a national park area of wooded forestry. There are two notable gun placements here that were set up to defend the Dardenelles after the first world war. The battery placements were never used although they were manned for some time. The size and scale and indeed the condition of these battlements is amazing.

The history behind these german made guns can be found in the historic records of the SMS Weissenburg, a huge battleship of the Imperial German Navy which was built in 1894. The ship had been sold to the Turkish Navy in 1910 and was re-named the Turgut Reis after the famous 16th century Turkish Admiral. It is this ship from which the guns were taken and placed on land at their current siting. The Turgut Reis battleship was scrapped in the 1950’s.

Visitors can enter the gun placements and if you look carefully you will see that underground there are rooms and corridors where soldiers could hide in safety and where ammunition could have been kept. Everything is in very good condition considering the age. The guns were made by the German ammunition manufacturer Krupp in 1892.