Ottoman Empire sent troops to aid Azerbaijan during the 1918 Battle of Baku between Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Soviet Commune. 1130 Turkish soldiers died at the battle resulting in victory. Following Azerbaijan’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it was decided to commemorate the occasion by a joint committee from Turkish and Azerbaijani governments. In return, the State of Azerbaijan allocated a plot from the Baku Martyrs’ Lane, an urban park with significant spiritual value for the Azeri people, for also being home to the Karabakh Martyrs’ Cemetery and Memorial. The rectangular site measuring 27 by 72 meters is adjacent to the entrance of Martyrs’ Lane and is surrounded by mature plane trees. An old mosque and tomb are in close vicinity. As representation on the Martyrs’ Lane is of crucial importance to the Republic of Turkey, the project is developed to symbolize brotherhood of two nations. Both ceremonial and casual commemoration experiences were taken into account in design development.
Grounds are accessed from one narrow edge of the site facing the main alley. A relatively lengthy walking distance from the entrance until the monument helps visitors to gradually perceive the site and its surroundings while attributing to its ceremonial nature. The experience of walking until the monument references to the convention of laying red carpet along the path during ceremonies, as the ground is paved in red andesite stone. A low lying wall frame defines the edges. The frame, made from 1130 separate blocks of local Gülbak marble, hovers from the ground and recedes away from the center at an angle of 45 degrees. The decision of hovering the blocks with an indentation is an ode to the martyrdom of deceased soldiers.
The memorial has strong iconic expression thanks to its monument being positioned at the end of an alley surrounded by martyr stones. This expression is further explored with the placement of the monument structure on top of a low lying, 6 meter wide square platform. The structure is finished off with red granite as it emerges from the base as a truncated obelisk. Its 2,50 meter wide square base narrows down and sharpens towards the top in acute angularity along its 7 meter height. Upward facing crescent and stars made from white Afyon marble are embedded on all four faces.
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