Determination of historical graves by ground penetrating radar method: Sakarya Field Battle (August 23 – September 13, 1921, Turkey)

Abstract

The Sakarya Field Battle was the last phase of the forward operation of the Greek Asia Minor Army, which started at the end of March 1921. Although there are contradictory numbers regarding the losses of the parties in the Sakarya Field Battle in the literature, it is generally accepted that the Turkish Army lost 5,713 martyrs. The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) method was applied to determine the accuracy of findings observed on the surface and to determine burial sites. Geophysical anomalies were detected in 2D profiles from the obtained results. It was determined that the Turkish side buried the martyrs in east-west direction, depending on their religious traditions. The detected anomalies were evaluated in two and three dimensions and the boundaries of the burial areas and the approximate depths of the burials were obtained. The results obtained from data processing techniques showed that the GPR method is suitable for determining the locations of historical graves on battlefields. The new martyrs found as a result of the studies are thought to be soldiers whose fate was unknown, recorded as ‘missing’ in the records.