Abstract
The violence and homicides starting with French occupations in Maras and nearby cities in the period of War of Independence were received with great sadness and reaction in the whole country and especially in Erzurum. The folk of Erzurum strongly protested the occupation of Maras and massacres of Turkish people through both demonstrations and the telegraphs they sent to the agencies of the Allied Powers in Istanbul. Moreover, the women of Erzurum gathering in Murat Pasha Mosque condemned these occupations and violence and sent protest telegraphs.
Having gathered with the resolution of 15th Corps Commander Kazım Karabekir Pasha, Provincial Administration Board of Erzurum decided to change the name of the park, known as Nation Garden or Municipality Garden in Erzurum, as “Maras Garden”, and to name one of the baths in Ilıca near Erzurum as “Maras Bath” in order to eternalize the name of Maras.
A play with seven acts called “Maras Homicides” was prepared in order to better tell the violence and massacres in Maras, and it was staged by the young of Erzurum in the theatre called “İbret Yeri” in Maras Garden in Erzurum.
Apart from these, tens of news and articles about the events in Maras were published in Albayrak newspaper in Erzurum in the period of War of Independence, the folk of Erzurum was informed about the occupations and massacres in Maras, and it was struggled to keep the folk’s sensation and reaction alive.
In this paper, we deal with the repercussions on Erzurum of the occupation of Maras pointed out in general terms above and the massacres in this area.