Today in 1920s Turkey: 18 October 1923 (On the New Turkey’s New Capital City)

(Cartoon by Ahmet Münif Bey, Kelebek or “Butterfly,” 18 October 1923, no. 28, page 1.)

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Ninety-five years ago today the nascent Turkish state—still without an official form of regime until October 29—found itself in the midst of a great deal of change. Heir to the core territories of the defunct Ottoman Empire, the nationalist revolutionary administration that both organized and won the War of Independence (1919-1922) was now heavily invested in the business of statecraft and nation-building. This “Turkish Grand National Assembly” Government was established on 23 April 1920 in the small, insignificant, land-locked town of Ankara. The decision to house the assembly in Ankara was a strategic one: firstly, the Ottoman capital city of Istanbul was under direct occupation and the sultan unable to govern (or commence a war) from his position; and secondly, Ankara was located a safe distance from all of the foreign occupation forces encroaching upon Anatolia, especially from the east and south.

Once the war was won the Ankara government abolished the Ottoman sultanate (1 November 1922) and while official orders were issued now exclusively from the unassuming Anatolian town no real decision had been made regarding the status of the capital city. Istanbul was, after all, more cosmopolitan and had been the capital city of the Ottoman Empire since 1453. It was not unrealistic for Istanbulites (vis-à-vis the Istanbul press) to expect the new capital of the new state to move out of its “temporary,” rural location in Ankara and back to the greatest city the country had to offer: Istanbul. Thus, when the proposal to make Ankara the capital of the new state was accepted on 13 October 1923 the Istanbul press was shocked that the honor of becoming the new nation-state’s capital city was bestowed upon Ankara instead of their own world-class city.

Not satisfied with merely expressing disapproval, Kelebek cartoonist Ahmet Münif Bey attempts to garner the support of the whole nation by focusing on Ankara’s flaws rather than Istanbul’s qualifications. He presents Ankara’s ascent to capital city status as an enthronement scene taking place among a gathering of Turkish cities (personified as women). On the right is the queen-to-be, Ankara seated upon a throne. Old and barefoot, the ugly Ankara is depicted wearing shapeless, basic, furry garments indicative of her small-town origins. On the left is a group of three women, Bursa, Istanbul, and Edirne (labeled right to left) reluctantly presenting a crown to the new queen. Unlike Ankara, these women are young, attractive, and civilized (as evidenced by their fine garments). The cities that these women represent are each former Ottoman capitals. Bursa served as capital from 1335 until 1363; and Edirne from 1363 until 1453. Istanbul, the most recent capital city, is represented by the woman in the center extending the pillow and crown to Ankara. The inclusion of the other two belles (Bursa and Edirne) is meant to highlight that besides Istanbul, there are many other, more eligible candidates for the position of capital city that are better suited than Ankara.

The sting of this news must have lingered on for a while as the same cartoonist chose to deal with this subject again on the cover of Kelebek’s the following week as well. This cartoon, which takes a different approach to the same matter, was also covered by Today in 1920s Turkey, see: post #120: Innocent Istanbul, You Deserve Better).

(Entire page, Kelebek or “Butterfly,” 18 October 1923, no. 28, page 1.)

English
The ceremony of the dethroned capitals pledging allegiance to the new [منیکه یه].

Türkçe
Mahlu payitahtların yeni [منیکه یه] bey’atları merasimi.

This article has been updated and modified from its first iteration published right here on Steemit on 18 October 2016. For the original version see:
26. Today in 1920s Turkey: 18 October 1923 (Ankara Becomes Turkey’s New Capital City)