Atatürk's 1928 Visit to Kayseri and the Koramaz Valley to Present the New Alphabet

Kayseri has, throughout known history, been a very valuable city for all the civilisations that lived here. During both the Seljuk and Ottoman periods it was, in many respects, a centre of attraction for its region. Kayseri was also extremely important to Atatürk — so much so that, in periods when transport was very limited, it is known that Atatürk visited it five times, though some sources say four. The sources stating four visits leave out the visit of 18 November 1930; yet there are photographs and even a video taken in Kayseri during that visit. The visit that is the subject of this article is the chronologically third one, of 20 September 1928.

The Alphabet Reform took place on 1 November 1928. Before the reform, Atatürk made visits to various Anatolian cities where he also examined the new alphabet; one of these was to Kayseri exactly 40 days before the reform, on 20 September 1928.

Various sources relate that during this visit he carried out an alphabet inspection together with İsmet Paşa in the Gesi township. But Hüseyin Cömert, elaborating in his book Koramaz Valley, writes that in 1928, as Mustafa Kemal Paşa came to Kayseri with his delegation to examine the new script, he was met and hosted at the Han there by the people, teachers and students of the villages of Gesi, Mancusun, Vekse, Ispıdın and Efkere; the mayor of Gesi read out the names of the welcoming dignitaries one by one. Cömert suspects the claim that he was met "in Gesi" arises from Ispıdın being administratively tied to the Gesi township. As these explanations show, during his 20 September 1928 visit Atatürk gathered with students to examine the new letters at the Kayır Han in Ispıdın — within the Koramaz Valley — which today, sadly, has been left to its fate.

The Koramaz Valley, within the bounds of Kayseri's Melikgazi Municipality, lies about 20 km north-east of the city. With work currently under way for a UNESCO World Heritage nomination, it is a roughly 12 km-long valley that has hosted millennia-old civilisations and holds unique natural beauty. To regard Atatürk's visit as mere coincidence would be unfair; one can imagine that the region's natural and cultural heritage drew his interest as a nature and culture enthusiast. It was well known at the time that Raşit Efendi — once the Ottoman foreign minister — was from Ispıdın, that Mimar Sinan was from Ağırnas, and that all these settlements lay together within a single valley. An inspection before the alphabet reform would be expected to be carried out with the best-educated students. That the Koramaz Valley hosted this meeting is, in our view, a deliberate choice rather than coincidence.

The Kayır Han that hosted the meeting today stands abandoned and on the verge of collapse, as if it never witnessed it. Yet in Kayseri Atatürk's visits were met with great excitement; the İmamizade Raşit Ağa Mansion where he stayed is today the Kayseri Atatürk House museum. Why the Kayır Han has been forgotten is unknown. How fitting it would be if this han, on the Sivas road, were restored to its former glory and used as an "Education Museum" or, given its proximity, as a "Kültepe Museum."

In closing, I'd like to correct, on Kayseri's behalf, a historical error by the French magazine L'Illustration (1843–1944). On the cover of its 13 October 1928 issue, it shared the photograph of Atatürk presenting the new letters at a blackboard, stating it was taken in Sivas. Yet it is established by various sources that the photograph was taken during the 20 September 1928 visit, in which Atatürk, with the title "Başöğretmen" (Head Teacher), presents the new letters to people, students and teachers in the municipal garden. Comparing the two pictures, it is clear that L'Illustration, instead of using the original, created and printed a different image with certain additions — some background soldiers, not present in the original, appear in its print.

Kayseri draws the value it holds for Turkey today, especially in education, from its past. This article once more affirms that Kayseri is among the cities that most embraced the alphabet reform and is an important cultural centre. On this occasion I wish a happy Teachers' Day to all our teachers, foremost the "Head Teacher" Atatürk.

Figure 1: Cover of L'Illustration, 13 October 1928. Figure 2: Atatürk presenting the new letters as Head Teacher in the garden of Kayseri Municipality (20 September 1928). Figure 3: Kayır Han, 2018. Figure 4: Ispıdın in front, the Koramaz Valley behind.