Republic of Hatay

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Hatay Devleti
Republic of Hatay
←
1938 – 1939 →

Flag of Hatay

Flag
Motto: Yurtta Sulh, Dünyada Sulh
(English: "Peace at Home, Peace in the World")
Anthem: İstiklâl Marşı
Location of Hatay
Republic of Hatay, September 2, 1938.
Capital Antakya
Language(s) Turkish
Government Republic
Head of State Tayfur Sökmen
Prime minister Dr. Abdurrahman Melek
Historical era Interwar period
 - Independence September 2, 1938
 - Union with Turkey June 29, 1939
Area
 - 1938 5,678 km2
2,192 sq mi
Population
 - 1938 est. 234,379 
     Density 41.3 /km² 
106.9 /sq mi
Currency Turkish lira


The Republic of Hatay (Turkish: Hatay Devleti) was a short-lived Turkish state that formally existed for 9 months from September 7, 1938 to June 29, 1939 in the current Hatay district of Turkey. The state was annexed by Turkey on June 29, 1939.

Contents

[edit] History

On September 2, 1938 the French turned the Alexandretta district of the Syrian Republic into the autonomous Republic of Hatay. On June 23, 1939 it was given to Turkey. It is now the Hatay Province.

Hatay continues to be a problem in Turkish-Syrian relations. Syria continues to formally claim the territory, a claim that is reflected in official Syrian maps. After the First World War parts of the Ottoman Empire were captured by the allies — Britain, France, Italy and Greece. Syria became a French Colony and it contained the area surrounding Alexandretta (Turkish: İskenderun).

However, Hatay was mostly Turkish "Population of Hatay After the Turkish War of Independence, the Republic of Turkey was founded, the government began negotiations to regain Hatay back from France. Around 1938 an agreement was made between Turkey and France founding the independent Republic of Hatay. The following year a referendum was held in Hatay about joining to Turkey, and the majority of Hatay people voted for joining. Since 1939, Hatay is a province of Turkey.


[edit] Proclamation of Independence

On September 6, 1938 the constitution was adopted. It resembled strongly the constitution created by the League of Nations for the Iskenderun Sancağı. The constitution defined the new status of the country as follows:

  1. The Republic of Hatay is an independent state.
  2. The name of the state is: "Hatay Devleti" (State of Hatay)
  3. The state shall be divided into 4 districts: Antakya, İskenderun, Ordu (Yayladağı), Kırıkhan and Reyhaniye.
  4. The state language of Hatay shall be the Turkish language, while French shall be the secondary language. Schools teaching Arab shall continue teaching Arabic.
  5. This act comes valid immediately after its promulgation.


On September 7, 1938 the law passed, and the flag sketched by Kemal Atatürk was adopted. On February 6, 1939 all Turkish laws were taken over by Hatay. On March 13, 1939 the Turkish lira became the official currency.

[edit] Parliamentary elections

Stamp of the Republic of Hatay.
Stamp of the Republic of Hatay.

According to the official parliamentary elections on July 22, 1938 there were 56,613 voters in Hatay. These were as follows:

  • 63.32 % Turkish Sunni Muslims: 35,847
  • 20.00 % Alevis: 11,319
  • 9.72 % Armenians: 5,504
  • 3.71 % Orthodox Christians: 2,098
  • 3.26 % Arab Sunni Muslims: 1,845

The parliament was not occupied by parties but by the different Etnicities. The 40 seats of the parliament were distributed as follows:

  • 22 Turkish Sunni Muslims
  • 9 Turkish Alevis
  • 5 Armenians
  • 2 Arab Sunni Muslims
  • 2 Orthodox Christians

[edit] Allegations of Electoral Fraud

From the June 3rd 1939 issue of Time Magazine
"At another time a League of Nations plebiscite was to be held in the district, but when most of the non-Turks banded together and it became obvious that the Turks could not win, the obliging French invited the League Commission to leave". [1]

Robert Fisk, alleged in a 2001 article for The Independent, that "The Turks trucked tens of thousands of people into the sanjak for the referendum and, of course, the 'people' voted to be part of Turkey".[2]

[edit] Annexation

The Turkish president Mustafa İsmet İnönü with Turkish military officers raises the Turkish flag after the Turkish annexation of Hatay, June 1939.
Enlarge
The Turkish president Mustafa İsmet İnönü with Turkish military officers raises the Turkish flag after the Turkish annexation of Hatay, June 1939.

The following year a referendum was held in Hatay about joining to Turkey, and the majority of Hatay people voted for joining. On June 29, 1939, the Republic Hatay was annexed by Turkey as Turkish troops crossed the border, and has to this day been a province of Turkey.

The annexation was never recognized by Syria.

[edit] Popular culture

According to the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the Holy Grail is located in the "canyon of the crescent moon" outside of Alexandretta. In the movie, the Nazis offer the sultan of Hatay precious valuables to compensate for removing the Grail from his borders. He ignores the valuables, but accepts their Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Following that, we see the Jones boys head from Berlin to Alexandretta where they find the Holy Grail.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Semitic Friends. Time Magazine (1939-06-03). Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
  2. ^ Fisk, Robert (2001-06-02). Why exiled Armenians blame the French for their dreadful secret. The Independent. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.

[edit] Sources

  • Sökmen, Tayufur Hatay'ın Kurtuluşu İçin Harcanan Çabalar, Ankara 1992, ISBN 975-16-0499-0
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