Attitudes of Şırnak Tribes to the National Struggle

The ongoing struggle between the powers that dominate world politics and the relatively weak states and societies that are between the political and economic goals of these states reached its peak with World War I. In this process, the people of the Ottoman Empire, which had weakened considerably in the process, were squeezed into Anatolia and faced a new period of struggle. During the years of the War of Independence, society-state relations and the work of the missionary elements and the collaborators of the Entente states who tried to disrupt these relations had a decisive impact on the fate of the Anatolian peoples. Especially in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, the tribes, which came to the forefront as an effective power element, became the target of the missionary forces serving the Allied powers, and these missionaries carried out various activities to attract the tribes to their side. The occupation attempts and missionary activities that emerged all over Anatolia were also seen in the vicinity of Şırnak. Geographically located on the borders of Van, Bitlis and Diyarbakır provinces, Şırnak's proximity to Mosul, which was under British rule during this period, increased its importance even more. The names of Şırnak tribal leaders were also included in the letters Mustafa Kemal sent to the tribal leaders in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia after the Erzurum Congress, in which he outlined the conditions in Anatolia and the main characteristics of the struggle he launched. After the Armistice of Mudros, a branch of the Anatolian and Rumelia Association for Defence of National Rights, which was established in various cities of Anatolia and Rumelia under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, was also established in Şırnak. During this period, Şırnak tribal leaders declared their loyalty to the National Struggle, which disturbed the British and their supporters. In this study, by looking at the National Struggle from a local perspective, information about the developments in and around Şırnak and the activities of Şırnak tribal elders during this period is given. The main sources of the research are the documents in the Ottoman Archives and the documents held by the people of Şırnak during the period. The study will contribute to research on the Southern and Eastern fronts of the National Struggle.

Click to cite.

Note: You can access the citation text via the ‘Actions’ tab in Crossref.