Niğde During the National Struggle

Niğde, which has been home to many civilizations throughout history, came under Seljuk rule in the 11th century and maintained its importance as an administrative unit with the status of a sanjak during the Ottoman period. Rather than being a temporary armistice treaty that ended World War I for the Ottoman Empire, the Armistice of Mondros de facto abolished the independence of the state with its political, military and economic provisions and opened the Anatolian lands to occupation. After the Armistice, the Entente states put into effect the distribution plans they had made during the war. British, French, Italian and Greek occupations started in Anatolia. Niğde is one of the settlements that were not occupied in this process. In the face of the occupations, upon the Istanbul Government's surrenderist policies, Mudafaa-i Hukuk Societies began to be established throughout the country, and protests and rallies were organized against the occupations. After Mustafa Kemal Pasha moved to Anatolia, the resistance that started regionally gained a national character and turned into the National Struggle. In this process, the Mudafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti was established in Niğde and the occupations were protested. Starting from May 16, 1919, the day after the occupation of Izmir, protest telegrams were sent to the Istanbul Government against the occupations. Three representatives were sent from Niğde to the Sivas Congress, and Mustafa Bey (Soylu) took part in the delegation. The people of Niğde supported the National Struggle and made all kinds of sacrifices by actually taking part in the wars on the Southern and Western fronts. Especially in the liberation of Pozantı on the Southern Front, volunteers from Niğde and its surroundings were effective.

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