Çayyüzü Martyr’s Cemetery

Çayyüzü Village, located 5 km North of Umurlu Neighborhood of Efeler District, is one of the important villages in the history of national struggle (war of independence) in Aydın. It was decided that the militia who gathered together to fight against invading Greek forces would be put under a single command inspired by the proverb “United we stand, divided we fall”. Starting from this point, National Meander and Aydın Regiments were formed. The forces under the command of Yörük Ali Efe constituted the National Aydın Regiment. The headquarters of the regiment was established in Çayyüzü Village. Regiment Commander Zekai Bey and his staff decided to build a martyr’s cemetery here and bury the soldiers, Efe and officers who fell martyr during the western front battles. Thus, they had the distinct honor of establishing the first martyr’s cemetery of the national struggle. They also had a monument built in the middle of the cemetery that listed the names of the deceased. The monument, described as “the place very few citizens of Aydın know of” by Zekai Bey, is known and visited by many of the citizens of Aydın today.

The writing on the monument: “The ones who died for the country lies here. National Aydın Regiment” March 1336 (1920)