Population Mobility in Ankara Sanjak during the Armistice Period (Vilayat-ı Şarkiye Muhajirs, Armenians and Arabs)

Following the outbreak of World War I, as in many other provinces of Anatolia Ankara also experienced significant population mobility. The issue of Eastern refugees, which emerged after the Russian occupation of the eastern provinces during the war, is one of them. Ankara is among the areas specifically designated for the resettlement of Kurdish refugees (although some Turkish refugees have arrived). In addition, as a reflection of the population policies pursued by the Government of Union and Progress, refugee Kurds had to be protected from repatriation to their hometowns and to stay here. They were transferred to Ankara for permanent settlement. The deportation decision that had to be taken in a war environment is another factor that led to demographic mobility. Although deportations were not carried out in Ankara in the first place, steps were taken in this direction in the city after the scope of deportation was expanded in the following period. As is well known the deportation was not a practice exclusive to Armenians. In this context, several Greeks and Assyrians and many Arabs, who are seen as troublemakers and potential troublemakers, were also included and subjected to deportation. Accordingly, some Arabs were also transferred to Ankara. In late 1917, after the revolution and the fall of the tsarist regime, Russia's withdrawal from the war, and the end of World War I, the return of the displaced (oriental refugees, Armenians, Arabs, Greeks) to their homelands came to the agenda. In this process, it is understood that some Turkish refugees who were resettled in Ankara were transferred to their hometowns. Although there were instructions not to send them back to their hometowns, it was recorded that some Kurdish refugees were returned to their hometowns when they were found to have acted unfavorably. The Arabs who were subjected to temporary resettlement in Ankara were left free to choose where they wanted to go. While some Armenians who were in the city as part of the deportation were returned to their hometowns, Armenians who had been transferred from the city to other locations began to return to their hometowns in Ankara. This study deals with the situation of the Eastern refugees in Ankara from the beginning of World War I until the end of the armistice years and the Armenian and Arab population mobility in the city within the scope of the deportation.

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