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The Republic of Gumuljina (Gumuldjina) was a small republic that occupied Western Thrace from July 28 until September 16, 1913. The country was created during the Balkan Wars by a Turkish and Pomak rebellion against occupying Bulgarian and Greek forces in that area. Soon after, the Bulgarians took over Western Thrace, but in 1919 the area was transferred to Greece. Gumuljina is the Turkish name of Komotini.

Overview

Capital: Gümülcine (Greek: Κομοτηνή, Komotini), now in Greece
President: Hoca Salih Efendi
Territory: All Western Thrace (Area surrounded by: Maritsa (Turkish: Meriç, Greek: Evros) in the east, Mesta River (Nestos) of Macedonia in the west, Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria in north and the Aegean Sea in the south. Total territory encompassed was 8.578 Km².
Army: Standing force of 29,170, largely infantry. Commander of the Armed Forces was Süleyman Askeri

As soon as independence was declared, the government of the Turkish Republic of Western Thrace determined the borders of the country, put up the new flags on the official buildings, commissioned a national anthem, raised an army, published its own stamps and passports. It also prepared the budget of the new country.

A Jewish citizen, Samuel Karaso had charged by government to establish an official press agency and to publish a newspaper named Müstakil (Independence) in Turkish and French. The Ottoman Laws and Regulations were adopted without any change and the cases started to be heard by the Court of Western Thrace.

Bulgaria, after a brief period of control over the area following the Istanbul Convention, passed the sovereighty of Western Thrace to Greece at the end of the World War I, when Greece entered the war against the Central Powers. The Muslim population of Western Thrace was excluded from the population exchange of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, and posses a legal minority status in Greece.

National anthem

ey batıtrakya’lı asil türk çocuğu ne mutlu sana;
sen hayat verdin kanınla milli kurtuluş savaşına;
yüce kahramanlığın naksedildi cihanın her yanına;
selam duruyor milletler senin şu milli bayrağına.

bastığın şu yerler senin şanlı şehitlerinde dolu;
düşmanlar taciz edemez yüce kahramanların ruhunu;

şanlı şehitlerin sarılmış kurtuluş bayrağına;
bu ne ulvi şereftir gömülmek ecdad toprağına;
yurtta hürriyetin, istiklalin rüzgarı esiyor;

kahraman mücahitler şu pis esareti deviriyor;

bu şanlı milli istiklal savaşından asla dönülmez!
karşımıza çelik ordular da çıksa, bizi ürkütemez!

biz; milli istiklal için meriç’i,karasu’yu aştık;
bütün müstevlileri ezerek,yenerek hedefe ulaştık;
balkan’larda şanlı bir cumhuriyet çığırını açtık;
ilk defa hürriyet mes’alesini biz yaktık;

bu bayrak dalgalanacak, cumhuriyet yaşayacak!
karşımızdaki düşmanlar bizden ürküp kaçacak!

binlerce yıl hür yaşayan bir milletin torunlarıyız;
su steplerin kurd’u, arslan’ı göklerin kartalıyız;
mücahitlerin hamlesi her zaman fırtınalar andırır;
savaşta heybetimiz dehşetinden düşmanlar bayılır;

batı trakya cumhuriyeti yaşayacak,yaşayacak!
terakkimizin karşısında milletler şaşıracak!

ey şirin batı trakya!... işte nihayet esaretten kurtuldun
ey düşmanlar!... sanmayın savaşlardan bu millet yorgun;
cumhuriyetin yüce bayrağı her an bu yurtta dalgalanacak;
şu bütün batı trakyalılar kıyamete kadar hür yaşayacak!

Süleyman Askeri
Staff Major
Turkish Republic of Western Thrace
Commander of the Armed Forces
Dedeağaç, (Alexandroupoli) 3 September 1913

See also

• Muslim minority of Greece
• Turks of Western Thrace
• History of Turkey

References

• AYDINLI Ahmet, Batı Trakya Faciasının İç Yüzü, Akın Yayınları, İst. 1971
• BATIBEY Kemal Şevket, Bati Trakya Türk Devleti, Boğaziçi Yayınları, İst. 1978
• Batı Trakya’nın Sesi, Sayı: 65, Ağustos 1988
• BIYIKLIOĞLU Tevfik, Trakya’da Milli Mücadele, Cilt I, II. Baskı, TTK Yay., Ank.1987
• GÜNDAĞ Nevzat, Garbi Trakya Hükümet-i Müstakilesi, Kültür ve Turizm Bak. Yay. Ank.1987
• ÖZKAN Tuncay, Mit’in Gizli Tarihi, Alfa Yay., İst.2003
• YALÇIN Soner, Teşkilatın İki Silahşörü, Doğan Kitap, İst. 2001
• Dr. Tahir Tamer Kumkale, Batı Trakya, Önce VATAN 17-20 MAYIS 2003

External links

• International Assembly of Western Thrace Turks Template:Tr icon
• Batı trakya Template:Tr icon
• Umbrella organisation of Western Thrace Turks and UN-ECOSOC member: Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe

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