History
On 28 June 1963, the Turkish Army celebrated the 600th anniversary of its foundation. They accepted that it have been founded in 1363, when the Penchik corps that was the root of the Janissary corps had been formed. In the same year, one of the prominent Pan-Turanists Nihal Atsız claimed that the Turkish Army should have been founded in 209 BC, when Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu is thought to have formed an army based on decimal system. In 1968, Yılmaz Öztuna proposed to Cemal Tural, who was the chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey at the time, that the year of foundation would be changed to 209 BC. In 1973, when the Turkish Army celebrated 610th anniversary of its foundation, Nihal Atsız published his claim again. After the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, the Turkish Army commenced to accept 209 BC, and today, the Turkish Army officially uses this date as its year of foundation.
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