Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi

Abstract

During World War I, the decision to deport Armenians in order to secure the safety of the war front and maintain order throughout the country affected many provinces. Among these, Konya holds a special place. Even before the official deportation law was enacted and the deportations began, it was decided that the rebellious Armenians from the Maraş-Zeytun region would be settled in Konya. This decision was influenced by the relatively small number of Armenians living in the Konya province and the fact that the existing Konya Armenians had not been involved in separatist activities. On the other hand, during the deportation period, Konya province became a gathering and distribution center for Armenian convoys directed from other provinces due to its transportation facilities and economic resources. Indeed, the number of Armenians deported to Konya in September and October of 1915 increased so much that the Konya Governor began to have security concerns and requested assistance from the government. As a result of the problems that arose in parallel with the increase in the number of deported Armenians and the measures taken, Konya province became a place that reflected the panorama of deportation. Thus, Konya became a province where all aspects of the deportation were experienced, both in terms of the deportation and resettlement of Armenians before the deportation and their gathering and deportation after the Law of May 27, 1915.

The article discusses how Armenian convoys were gathered in Konya, the events that occurred during their assembly, the problems the convoys encountered along the province, and their interactions and relations with administrative and local elements in the region. The article also covers the economic aspects of the issue, restrictions and conversions, security measures, negligence during the implementation of the deportation, health issues, and the repercussions of the returns after the deportation. Previous studies have been reviewed, and a literature scanning has been conducted. It has been identified that while new documents have been published, many documents in the archives have not yet been used in research. By utilizing both previously unexamined and newly published documents, the developments in Konya before, during, and after the deportation have been examined.

This study aims to determine how and by which routes and means Armenian convoys were gathered in Konya, the developments that emerged during the gathering, and the problems encountered by the convoys throughout the province. It also aims to examine the contact and relations of the convoys with the central administration and local elements in the province, economic problems, restrictions and conversion events, security measures and negligence during the application of deportation, health problems and the effects of postdeportation returns on Konya.