Ariburnu Yarlari, Historic site on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey
Yarlari d'Ariburnu is a historic site on the Gallipoli Peninsula in northwestern Turkey, made up of steep sandstone and clay cliffs that rise sharply from the coastal plain. The terrain is broken and uneven, with deep gullies and high ridges shaped over centuries by wind and rain.
On April 25, 1915, Allied troops attempted a landing on this stretch of coast and met fierce resistance from Turkish forces holding the cliffs. The steep terrain forced soldiers on both sides to dig trenches and tunnels directly into the rock.
Soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who trained in Egypt before arriving here gave the cliffs the nickname 'Sfenks' because the rock shapes reminded them of the sphinx statues they had seen there. That name is still used today when people talk about this stretch of the peninsula.
The ground is rough and uneven throughout the site, so sturdy footwear is a good idea before setting out. Paths run along the cliffs and into the gullies, giving visitors a chance to move through the area at a comfortable pace.
Some of the tunnels and underground passages that soldiers dug directly into the cliffs during the 1915 campaign are still visible today. Because the sandstone and clay cliffs are naturally soft and prone to erosion, the landscape shifts a little more after every heavy rain.
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