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The Afyon Days of the Great Offensive, from Şuhut to Kocatepe
Cultural

The Afyon Days of the Great Offensive, from Şuhut to Kocatepe

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The last week of August 1922 is when the fate of the Turkish War of Independence was decided, and a large part of those days unfolded on the land of Afyonkarahisar. Today you can visit the same places in a single day, following the order of events.

Şuhut, Afyonkarahisar
Cultural
Radar Editör
October 19, 2026

About Trip

The last week of August 1922 is when the fate of the Turkish War of Independence was decided, and a large part of those days unfolded on the land of Afyonkarahisar. Today you can visit the same places in a single day, following the order of events. This trip starts at the headquarters mansion in Şuhut in the south, climbs to Kocatepe where the offensive was launched, and ends in the city centre, in the building used as headquarters after the victory. The aim is not to rewrite a history book, but to stand in the places where the history you have read took place and to see the land and the buildings with your own eyes.

Before the offensive

The Turkish Wikipedia article on the Great Offensive explains that after the Battle of Sakarya the Turkish army spent nearly a year preparing. The decision to attack was taken in mid-June 1922 and for a long time was shared with only a few people. The army corps began their march on 14 August, and the Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha travelled from Ankara to Akşehir on 19 August. The same article writes that the Greek army kept the Eskişehir and Afyon areas especially strong, and that the area south-west of Afyonkarahisar was organised as five defensive lines one behind the other. Under the Turkish plan, the 1st Army would attack northwards from this south-western area, while the 2nd Army would prevent the enemy from shifting its forces.

Keep this in mind, because the places you will see during the day lie right along this line. Şuhut is in the south, Kocatepe is south-west of the city, and the city centre lies north of both. The trip therefore roughly follows the direction of the offensive.

First stop, Şuhut

The history page of Şuhut Municipality describes the district as lying on a threshold of land that links Western Anatolia to Central Anatolia; at an altitude of one thousand one hundred and fifty-one metres it is one of the highest settlements in the province. The same page explains that the district's history goes back a very long way, that the ancient city of Synnada was founded on the site of today's Şuhut, and that during the War of Independence Şuhut briefly hosted the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief.

That headquarters is the mansion visited today as the Atatürk House. According to Afyonkarahisar Municipality's page, the building stands in the Yalı neighbourhood of Şuhut and is a house known as the Hacı Veli Mansion. On the nights of 24 and 25 August 1922, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Chief of the General Staff Fevzi Pasha, Western Front Commander İsmet Pasha and 1st Army Commander Nurettin Pasha made the final plans of the Great Offensive in this mansion. Turkish Wikipedia notes that the museum was established in 2004 after restoration work.

Inside the mansion, a desk, armchairs, maps, documents and images describing the war preparations from that period are on display. As you walk through the house, notice the scale of the two-storey mansion. Seeing that the final decisions of an army were taken not in a great barracks but in the rooms of an ordinary town house is a good starting point for understanding the conditions of those days. When you step back into the street, take one more look at the house's facade with its wooden windows from across the way.

Before leaving Şuhut you can also see the martyrs' cemetery in the district centre. The Afyonkarahisar Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that Turkish soldiers wounded or taken ill in the Great Offensive and the earlier battles were brought to Şuhut, and those who recovered were sent back to the front. The fallen were first buried in cemeteries around today's Demirciler Bazaar and later moved to the area now used as the martyrs' cemetery; a small pyramidal monument was built in their memory in 1971.

Second stop, Kocatepe

From Şuhut turn north towards Afyonkarahisar and climb to Kocatepe. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism describes the hill as lying about twenty kilometres south of the city, eight kilometres further up from the town of Kocatepe (Büyükkalecik), at an altitude of one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four metres. Afyonkarahisar Municipality gives the distance from the city centre as about twenty-two kilometres. The hill is now within the Kocatepe section of the Commander-in-Chief Historical National Park; Turkish Wikipedia writes that the park was declared on 31 August 1981 and covers a total area of 34,834 hectares within the borders of Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya and Uşak.

According to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Commander-in-Chief and his companions arrived at Kocatepe on the evening of 25 August 1922 and launched the offensive from here on the morning of 26 August. The first phase of the offensive was directed from the headquarters set up here and from the trench that still stands in place today, and the Commander-in-Chief left the hill around noon on 27 August. The Great Offensive article also describes how that morning unfolded: after the artillery fire, Turkish infantry captured Tınaztepe, then Belentepe and Kalecik Sivrisi were taken. By the end of the first day, units of the 1st Army had taken the enemy's first-line positions across a fifteen-kilometre stretch from Büyük Kaleciktepe to Çiğiltepe.

On the hilltop, look at the monuments first. In 1953 the Ministry of National Defence built a monument of cut stone and placed a marble inscription with floral reliefs on it. In 1993 the Ministry of Culture completed the Atatürk Monument and the landscaping around it. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that the bronze monument weighs four tonnes and, together with its pedestal, reaches seven and a half metres in height. Then walk to the edge where the trench lies and turn towards the plain. Afyonkarahisar Municipality notes that from here you can see the Afyon Plain, the positions where the enemy was stationed and the strategic lines of the Turkish army. Trying to match the hill names you have just read with the land in front of you is the most instructive part of the time spent at Kocatepe.

On the way down to the town of Kocatepe, remember the martyrs' cemetery at Kurtkaya. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that Captain Agah Efendi of Bayburt, First Lieutenant Feyzullah Efendi of Sinop and 101 of their comrades in arms, who fell on 27 August 1922, lie here, and that the cemetery was renewed in 1993.

Third stop, the city centre

According to the Great Offensive article, on the morning of 27 August the Turkish army attacked again on all fronts and Afyonkarahisar was retaken the same day. The headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief and of the Western Front moved into the city. On your way back to the city you can stop at the Işıktepe Martyrs' Cemetery. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that this cemetery stands at the Afyonkarahisar-Antalya-İzmir road junction, sixteen kilometres from the city, and was built in 1993 in memory of 275 officers and 2,150 soldiers who fell between 26 and 29 August 1922.

The last stop of the day is the Victory Museum. The Culture Portal explains that the building was built in 1913-1914 by the mayor of the time, Esbabzade Hüseyin Tevfik Efendi, as a municipal service building. After the liberation of the city, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, İsmet Pasha, Fevzi Pasha and Tevfik Bıyıkoğlu used the building as the Western Front headquarters, and the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief was planned here. The building was vacated in 1935 when a new town hall was built, and in 1985 it was handed over to the Directorate of the Commander-in-Chief Historical National Park to become a museum.

The museum displays photographs, a topographic map, documents, weapons, and materials used in the war such as defence wire and tin cans, all related to the War of Independence. The Culture Portal gives the number of objects as 213 and writes that the rooms where the commanders stayed were rearranged and opened to visitors in 1995. Stop outside the building as well: on the two-storey structure, the ground-floor windows are flattened, the upper-floor windows are pointed arches, and the window surrounds are of cut stone.

The museum stands opposite Anıtpark in the city. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that the Victory Monument in the park was unveiled in 1936 and was made by Krippel. The faces of the cubic pedestal carry reliefs of the preparation of the War of Independence plan and of moments from the battle. Walk slowly around the pedestal to see all four faces; this way you close the day with a summary, in the heart of the city, of the story you have followed all day.

If you have time left, also stop by the park in the city's Örnekevler neighbourhood. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that a statue monument showing the moment Atatürk climbed Kocatepe stands here in the middle of a high terrace reached by steps, that the monument was unveiled in 1970, and that its sculptor was Namık Denizhan. This city interpretation of the place you saw on the hilltop in the morning ties the beginning and the end of the day together.

What came next

The offensive launched at Kocatepe reached its decisive result four days later. The Great Offensive article writes that the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief ended on 30 August 1922 with the victory of the Turkish army. The areas where this battle took place lie in the Dumlupınar section of the Commander-in-Chief Historical National Park; Turkish Wikipedia notes that this section spreads across the districts of Sinanpaşa in Afyonkarahisar, Altıntaş and Dumlupınar in Kütahya, and Banaz in Uşak. These areas deserve a separate day.

Season and time of day

The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that Victory Week ceremonies are held in Afyonkarahisar every year between 26 and 30 August, and that the first ceremony takes place at Kocatepe on 26 August. Afyonkarahisar Municipality also describes the commemorations held at sunrise. During these days the hill gets crowded; if you want a quiet visit, choose another week, and if you want to see the ceremonies, check the programme in advance. Because Kocatepe rises clearly above the plain, find out about road conditions before going in the winter months.

Practical notes

  • The trip is made by private vehicle. Afyonkarahisar Municipality notes that public transport options to Kocatepe are arranged during Victory Week.
  • Check the visiting days and hours of the Atatürk House and the Victory Museum on their official websites.
  • Martyrs' cemeteries are places of remembrance; be quiet and respectful.
  • The monument area at Kocatepe is a wide terrace; bring a hat and water for protection from the sun.

Sources

Location - The Afyon Days of the Great Offensive, from Şuhut to Kocatepe

Trip Info
CityŞuhut, Afyonkarahisar
TypeCultural
DateOctober 19, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions