World’s Largest Portrait
Continuing the never-ending stream of “World’s largest…” we present The World’s Largest Portrait, which adorns the hills of Erzincan in Turkey.
The massive 7.5 square km painting is of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of Turkey until his death in 1938. Despite his passing some time ago, Atatürk’s face is still a very popular image and is featured on banknotes, public buildings, schools, and (in this case) mountains.
The image was painted in 1982 by the order of the then-ruling military junta and it took 3000 soldiers just under a month to finish their handiwork.
Over the years the Turkish army have continued to write on the country’s hills, more recently writing one of Ataturk’s favourite sayings: “Ne Mutlu Türküm Diyene!“.
With the second largest standing armed force in NATO (after the much larger USA), perhaps the soldiers have spare time on their hands?
Previously: Portraits Paintings in Google Earth.
Thanks to ssaatci and baharbahar
wow
something I have always wondered….which came first, the bird name Turkey, or the country name?
@Patrick: JFWI.
“When Europeans first encountered turkeys in the Americas, they incorrectly identified the birds as a type of guinea fowl, also known as a turkey-cock from its importation to Central Europe through Turkey, and the name of that country stuck as the name of the bird.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_%28bird%29#Naming
I was just in Turkey and his face was literally everywhere. There were 3 storey high flags and posters of his face. The American patriotism was seriously trounced by this. I’ll get you a picture soon.
According to the map measurement, the painting is about 200 meters tall, which even when adjusted for perspective would make it significantly smaller than 7.5 sq km.
@knabar: Funny you should question that fact as I have an actual published journal as my source (rather than my usual source of some random Wikipedia page)!
“In 1982, the junta made a mountain portrait of Ataturk in Erzincan that covered a 7.5-square-kilometer area.” Ozyurek, E. (2004). Miniaturizing Ataturk. American Ethnologist, 31(3), 374–391
But you’re right: it’s clearly not that big when measured in Google Earth. Blame American Ethnologist!
Wow James, that sounds dangerously like *actual research* right there…
I think it is better to have the Turkish Generals busy controlling massive paintings,or even bricolage, than having too many spare time for their thinkings
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6548815.stm
This is probably the least documented holder of the world’s largest portrait record… ever. I’m trying to find a ground level shot of this, but I can’t find anything. =(
For those of you who like large type, there’s some off to the West of this on this dam:
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
I also tried to find further information, but came up empty handed. Tho I did manage a ground level picture here.
Not sure how long-lived these portraits are. Could it be, that the record-breaking one has meanwhile gone and this is a newer, smaller version?
dünyanın en büyük askeri. ulu önder Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK.
James / Knabar… I think there’s a clue in what you both wrote:
Knabar: “200 meters tall”
James: “covered a 7.5-square-kilometer area”
>/smug git mode<
Oops. That showed me!
Ben… that large type on the dam appears to be upside down! Is it actually there on the ground I wonder? It looks as if it is, but presumably the dam slopes down from the reservoir, which would make the letters upside down.
ROB: If you look on Google Earth, and spin down to a perspective view, you see the slope where the writing is, is a long shallow run down from the top of the dam - looks like a lot of gravel or shale - so is the right way up, when viewed from ground level. I think!
Thanks for the ground level shot, Fred. This guy seems to be larger than life (no pun intended), basically the George Washington of Turkey from what I’ve read.
Yakışır…
You’re right Ben - I was reading it as iSa, but it’s actually DSi, so it is the right way up!
Yes, Ataturk is larger than life for us Turks. I am proud to say that we love our long-gone leader dearly. If it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t have been a “Republic of Turkey” today that rose from the ashes of the “Ottoman Empire” which before WWI was labeled as “Sick man of Europe” by the imperialists of Europe. Ataturk mobilized the Turkish nation to fight against imperialists right after the land we live in now was invaded and divided by Britain, France, Italy and Greece. Ataturk is the commander in chief of the legendary “Independance War of Turkey” (1919-1923)that took place after the occupation of Ottoman Empire during WWI. After the independance, he was elected as the first President of Turkey by the national assembly, and he kept this title until his early death in 1938.
He was a very progressive leader almost revolutionary(He was a commander in Ottoman Army, who became a member of progressive “Young Turks”),. t took a lot of guts and courage to change the Islamic ways of Ottoman Empire which ruled about 600 years in 3 continents, into a secular republic.
His original name is Mustafa Kemal, however the nation and the parliement later gave him his last name “Ataturk” , which means “The father of Turks” .That is how much the sane Turks love him. The insane religious fundamentalists are against him because he secularized the Turkish State.
As for the name “Turkey”, only in English it is called “Turkey”, the story above is quite true for the British labeling the country as “turkey”. However the other countries do not call Turkiye ‘Turkey’ , they use other names which has no association with the bird turkey. We call it in Turkish”TURKIYE” which means the land of Turks.