Turkey and the First Stages Process of Independent Sancak’s (Hatay) in Light Archives of Documents

Abstract

The Province of Hatay, popularly called Sancak in Turkish, was occupied hy Fraııce İn the aftermath of the Mondoros Ceasefire in 1918. Popular opposition rose in the Sancak against the French occupation during the Turkish National Struggle (1919-1922), during which the government of Ankara left the governance of Sancak to the French mandate, m accordance with the Ankara Treaty, signed between the French and Ankara governments in 20 October 1921. With the pressure of the government of Ankara, France applied a special status to the Sancak which continued until the end of the mandate in 1936, after which the Sancak became independent. Upon the withdrawal of the mandate by the French government Syria entered İn to an independece process. This process found reflection on the Sancak w he re its process of indepence also started. This article is concerned with tin s pre-independence period, particularly the process that involved the League of Nations, at the end of vvhich it became an independent unit in Syria. Archival material found in the Archive of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic has been used.