Sandjak d\' Alexandrette

The Sandjak of Alexandrette corresponds about to the old principality of Antioche.

Definition

A sandjak means " literally; étendard" and is the name of one of principal divisions of the provinces of the Ottoman Empire.

Antioche is also historically one of the capitals of the Christian Church and the place where the first church was born. It is always the capital of the Syrian Churches, and shelters churches syriaque, Greek orthodoxe, Greek catholic (melkite) and Maronite.

History

Ottoman Empire

During the First World War, Alexandrette belonged to the province of Syria of the Ottoman Empire. At the time of the Armenian genocide of 1915, the populations Armenian born local were illustrated by their savage resistance to the Turkish oppressor and last their safety only on arrival of war buildings French which evacuated them.

French mandate

After 1918, Sandjak is attached to the Syria under French mandate and becomes autonomous in 1920. Its population is then divided between Turkish-speaking (a third approximately) and Arabic-speaking people. The seconds are mainly Alaouites (Moslem) with 65%, but also sunnites (20 %) and Christians orthodoxe (15 %). Other minorities cohabit: Arménie NS, Kurdish, Tcherkesses. This population, peaceful before the First World War, divides under the French mandate between separatists pro-Syrians and kemalists, in favor of fastening to the Turkey or independence. This political opposition doubles of a social opposition: the separatists are especially the land great landowners, the kemalists youth and the middle-classes.

Starting from 1925, it belongs to the State d' Alep and returns in the Syrian State with a special statute: it belonged to the territories of the Syrian Republic under French mandate and enjoyed an autonomous mode from the administrative and financial point of view. As a territory of the Syrian Republic, Sandjak took part in the legislative elections and its deputies sat at the Syrian room of Damas. Some of these deputies formed even part of certain Syrian cabinets in the capacity as Ministers for the nation's economy In November 1937, the sandjak is separated from the Syria.

As of 1936, the Turkey had stated that it would not accept only this territory where an important Turkish minority saw passes under the control of an independent Syrian State. The confrontations multiply between the two parties, and Turkey encourages the installation of Turks in the area. The elections of May 20th 1937 show with SDN that 47 percent of the population are Turkish. Consequently, by various stratagems Ankara gets busy to make assemble this percentage to 55 percent, in particular by the violence or of the transfers of population.

In September 1938, with the agreement of the France (directed by a parliamentary majority resulting from the Popular front of 1936) and into writing pad of the the United Kingdom, the province changes name and becomes the République of Hatay. Indeed the two great powers want to spare the susceptibility of Turkey, keystone of the regional policy, and even to make of it an ally in the event of conflict with the Germany hitlérienne. The Turks are from now on majority there, they control the principal levers of the capacity and the Parliament of the Republic of Hatay votes its fastening in Turkey. It is made thing on June 23rd 1939. This one recovers a territory of almost 4.700 km ², populated approximately 200 000 inhabitants. Alexandrette takes the name of Iskenderun.

Following that more than 5.000 Arménie NS (remain only the Armenians of the village of Vakif) as well as many others Christian, as well Arab as Assyrian, takes the way of the exile, leaving behind them all that they had. The French troop escorts the convoys of Réfugié S without however carrying assistance to them. The Turkey waits until February 1945 to declare the war in Germany after having held an ambiguous position during all the duration of the conflict.

Subject of discord turco-Syrian

Nowadays Sandjak d' Alexandrette is always a subject of discord between Turkey and Syria. This one considers that this area was stolen to him, and of the charts still appear it like belonging to Syria.

This diplomatic conflict was extended to the Arab world: in 1985, the Saudi Arabia decides not to allot of visa to the people born in Hatay.

In 1989, a plane of the topographic service Turkish flying above Hatay is cut down by the Syrian forces, act followed by martial declarations of each with dimensions.

This litigation which re-appears regularly between Syria and Turkey is poked by the fact that Alaouites, (half of the 25 % of Arabic-speaking people of Hatay) are a poor and scorned minority of Hatay, and that the Syrian leaders come from this minority. It is reinforced by the conflict on the use of water of the rivers Oronte and Euphrate, which runs in Syria and Turkey.

See too

External bonds

the sandjak of Alexandrette 1934-1939.

Sources

the Tiger. Hatay (gulf of Alexandrette . N° 000 (from January 20th to 26th 2006), p 15-17

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