16. Corps Commander Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s Visits To Siirt

Abstract

During the First World War, Siirt was a very important place for the Ottoman Empire because it helped protect the eastern borders and control crucial routes. The people living is Siirt formed their own volunteer armies and fought hard against the possibility of Russia taking over the area. During this vital time, Mustafa Kemal Pasha visited Siirt to check on the soldiers and took several actions to strengthen the front line. Mustafa Kemal Pasha visited Siirt not only for military reasons but also to greatly boost the people’s spirits encourage them. In conclusion, the visits significantly aided in reinforcing the region’s defenses, reorganizing military resources and enhancing the resilience of the local population.

The strategic role of Siirt during the First World War and the two visits to the city by 16th Corps Commander Mustafa Kemal Pasha are the subjects of this article. This study aims to establish the precise dates of Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s visits to Siirt and to evaluate their significance within the accurate historical framework of the period’s military and social environment.

The first visit of Mustafa Kemal Pasha to Siirt is confirmed and historically supported by archival records and various memoirs from the period. On the other hand there are no archived records concerning Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s second visit to Siirt. Consequently, content and historical context of this second visit mainly rely on the notes kept by Mustafa Kemal Pasha during the First World War and the narratives of that time.