Nine years don pass since di night of 15 July 2016, wen Turkey face one of di bloodiest and most resilient moments for dia modern history.

One group for di military, wey dem say dey follow di Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), try use force take power. Di soldiers wey dey plan di coup attack key government places by air and ground, and dem even attack civilians wey no carry weapon, wey dey face tanks and automatic guns.

Plenty civilians waka enter street afta President Recep Tayyip Erdogan call di people make dem resist di coup. As e dey travel from Marmaris go Istanbul Airport, e talk live for TV, beg di people make dem stand gidigba against di coup join body with am.

Orders wey leak from di coup leaders dey very clear. One commander tell di soldiers say make dem shoot anybody wey resist dem: “If crowd dey resist, shoot dem straight, no pity anybody. No forgiveness for dem.”

One woman wey tell soldier, “Na me born you, my pikin,” no just dey try beg am, but she dey remind am of di bond wey dey between mama sacrifice and soldier duty. Di soldier reply: “God go forgive us, no worry.”

Di coup fail because civilians and police resist well well. But before e fail, 253 people don die, including eleven women, children, police officers, and hundreds of people wey wound.

For di Bosphorus Bridge, wey dem later rename as July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, two women, Ayse Aykac (44) and Sevgi Yesilyurt (51), die. Aykac, wey get four children, comot for house afta she hear President Erdogan talk for TV. Yesilyurt, wey get two children, do di same. Both of dem die for di bridge as di coup soldiers shoot dem.

Di youngest women wey die na 23-year-old police officers Kubra Doganay and Cennet Yigit, wey be classmates and colleagues. Dem die as dem dey resist di coup.

TRT World talk to some of di women wey survive dat night, and di family of di women wey die, wey still dey show di spirit of resistance.

‘If we stay, di homeland na our own’

One of di most powerful image of resistance dat night na di one of Adviyye Gul Ismailoglu from Fatih, Istanbul. She be just 14 years old dat time.

“We no carry anything for hand apart from our flag and di chant ‘soldiers go back to barracks,’” she tell TRT World. “I think say dem no go do anything bad or shoot di people wey dey stand for front of dem.”

But wetin she see no match di violence wey meet her. “About 150 people dey around, we see di traitors wey wear uniform form barricade, no let people pass go di municipality side,” she talk. “Dem start to shoot people directly to kill.”

One bullet enter her back, leave big hole about fifteen centimetres, e miss her spine but e damage her lungs. She spend one week for coma.

She no faint immediately as di bullet hit her. “Dat night na turning point for me and for Türkiye,” she talk. She end her story with one quote from Yavuz Sultan Selim Han: “If we die, paradise na our own; if we stay, di homeland na our own.”

‘I lose my pillar of support, but I no lose my country’

Another person, Turkmen Tekin, wey be 46-year-old mama of three, act immediately as di coup start. “Di country dey go, we gatz do something now,” she tell her husband.

She leave her three children for bed, do ablution (di washing wey dem dey do before prayer), and give house key to her sister-in-law, make she look afta di pikin dem. Her youngest pikin na just 11 years old.

“My wife dey so excited, she no even wear shoe. She no even stop to dress well,” her husband Ramazan tell TRT World.

Dem dey go di local police station for Esenler, one Istanbul area for di European side, but later change direction go Ataturk Airport afta dem hear say di president dey there, hoping to join am.

“We enter street for our homeland, for our flag, for di call to prayer. I no ever regret or think say, ‘Why we go out?’ Because without state, no homeland, no flag,” he add.

As dem dey waka, tanks dey move forward. “People dey shout ‘tank dey come,’ one afta di other, or e be like say na so. Di noise for di crowd too much, you no fit hear anything.”

As dem see say di tank dey come their side, Ramazan tell him wife make she shift. “Di traitors dey drive di tank come our side,” he tell TRT World.

“Wen I look my wife, I see her for ground.” Di tank don hit her for head. Him eye dey red as he talk how he carry her for him hand, dey call her name, but she no fit talk.

Dem rush her go hospital, but di doctors fit only confirm say she don die. He hold her as she die, later tell reporters: “Wen I look her, she still dey smile, her skin still dey white like di day we marry.”

Turkmen Tekin always dey wish for martyrdom. “She dey always talk say, ‘If to say I be soldier or I dey serve di state, I for don become martyr.’ God answer her prayer.”

Him find strength for di sacrifice wey him wife make for di country wey dem both love.

“I lose my wife. I lose my pillar and support. But I no lose my country.”

‘May di homeland live on’

Di stories of dat night dey full of heroism, courage and sacrifice. Di mama wey leave her children sleep, di teenage girl wey stand for front of armed men, di husband wey carry him wife body wey don wound pass crowd.

Dis moments and di stories wey dey keep dem alive na reminder of di night wey di republic almost lost, but dem save am. To forget di cost of dat resistance go even cost pass di sacrifice.

Di events of dat night don become part of di country memory, dem even make am public holiday, and di stories of di martyrs dey immortalised.

Di killing of 253 people, some as young as 15, dey remembered. 15 July dey marked with events and interviews with survivors and di families wey lose loved ones.

“Vatan sagolsun,” as one person tell TRT World. “May di homeland live on.”