A generation reflects on Türkiye's failed coup attempt, 10 years later

Many were too young to fully understand what was happening as crowds took to the streets in response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan s call to defend the country s constitutional order.

Now old enough to vote, study and work, they say their views have been shaped not only by the events of that night but also by what followed.

Nineteen-year-old Istanbul student Zulal said the attempted coup gave her generation a deeper appreciation of the country s values.

"I was nine on July 15. I d seen our flag every day at school and sung the national anthem countless times. But that night was probably the first time I understood why they mattered so much," she said.

"What I think about now is how millions of completely different people came together around something that night. July 15 took a lot from this country. But it also gave my generation an awareness of what we have and what it costs."

Ahmet Selim, a 20-year-old student from Konya, recalled waking up to the glow of the television as his father followed the unfolding events.

"My father woke me up that night. I remember the blue light of the television on his face more than anything he said," he said.

He later realised that his father s fear was rooted in Türkiye s history of military coups.

"My grandparents survived the 1960 coup, and my parents lived through the violence of 1980. We are a generation that learned from our families what it looks like when democracy fails. That is exactly why we will not allow it again."

Another contributor, now a primary school teacher, said she joined her father and brother after President Erdogan appeared on television via FaceTime urging people to defend the country.

"We lost martyrs that night. People stood in front of tanks because they believed the ground beneath them was worth that," she said.

"When I stand in front of my students and we recite the Turkish National Anthem, I think of that night. I want them to understand that this country was defended through real sacrifices."

A fourth contributor recalled staying at home during the coup attempt after his mother refused to let his father and brother leave because she feared for their safety.

In the days that followed, however, the family joined thousands of others gathering in Ankara s Kizilay Square.

"My father said you don t just defend something once and call it a day; you stay until the dust settles," he said.

"I m a patriot, and I m not going to apologise for it. What I saw in those weeks was ordinary people deciding to take a stand, night after night. That s the only thing that holds a country together when everything else fails."

The failed coup attempt, carried out by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), claimed the lives of 253 people and left 2,734 others injured.

Turkish authorities say the group had spent years infiltrating state institutions, including the military, police and judiciary, before attempting to overthrow the government.

The coup was defeated after citizens responded to President Erdogan s call and took to the streets to resist the plotters. The attempt was fully suppressed by the following morning.

Every year, Türkiye marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day to honour those who lost their lives defending the country s democratic order.

A decade later, those who witnessed the events as children say the experience continues to shape their understanding of democracy and their responsibility to safeguard it for future generations.