Believing that the War of Independence could best be directed from Ankara due to its geographical location and equidistant from the fronts, Atatürk decided to gather there. 3000 mounted and 700 foot soldiers (Seymen) eagerly awaited Mustafa Kemal's arrival.

On December 27, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was greeted with great enthusiasm on the Dikmen ridges by the "Seymen Regiment," consisting of 3000 mounted and 700 foot soldiers (men and women). This day, marking Atatürk's first arrival in Ankara, and the enthusiastic welcome he received from the Seymen, the Ankara elite, and the people of Ankara, actually marks the beginning of very important events for the future and history of Ankara and the Republic of Turkey.

The "Seymen Regiment" held on December 27th was more than a simple welcoming ceremony; it was the election by the people of Ankara and the Seymens of a new leader who would rescue the country from its darkness, a leader who would unite the scattered National Struggle movement, and the designation of Ankara as a "National Center," a "National Headquarters," for the steps towards liberation in the National Struggle.

From now on, Ankara becomes the center of our national War of Liberation, our independence, our Republic, and our modernization process, which will leave its mark on the century and serve as a model for all oppressed peoples in the world. Welcome, Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.