Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Salonika (today in Greece) in 1881. He is renowned as the founder of the Republic of Turkey. In 1915, he emerged as a military hero in the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli campaign and later became the leader of the Turkish national liberation struggle started in 1919. In 1923, as the creator of the new Republic of Turkey, Atatürk established a form of government that reflected the people’s wishes through the Parliament. Sweeping cultural and socio-political reforms took place. Between 1926 and 1930, legal changes led the way for Islamic religious laws to be abolished, and a secular system emerged.

Atatürk initiated a program for economic development in Turkey, which consisted of agricultural expansion, industrial and technological advances. Determined not to stop there, Atatürk undertook the greatest challenge of all, a reform of the existing language. In 1928, he decided to abolish the Arabic script and incorporated the Latin alphabet with the Turkish. With this came the impetus to develop the education of the country’s citizens. Primary education was declared compulsory and great prominence was given to the education of women.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was President for 15 years, until he died in 1938, on November 10th. His achievements are a legacy to Turkey’s modern state, and he is considered a pioneer of national liberation. Rare Turkey Republic Passport

Here is a rare passport from the Turkish Republic, issued in 1927 to a woman born in 1889 (age 38) for traveling to Paris, France. The language in the passport is Turkish and French. There are several border and revenue stamps and some visas, including a French visa. The passport pictures show the woman with a possible disability in her right eye. A great document of Turkish passport history which is nowadays pretty rare to find, especially in such a fine condition. Rare Turkey Republic Passport

Update: Many thanks to Kevin Shahrokhi who informed me today about the details of the passport content.
This woman is Armenian. She is only identified as “Madame Varter daughter of Kevork” (Kevork is a common Armenian male name). The passport was issued with the purpose of traveling to Aleppo and other foreign countries. Notice that her signature is in Armenian script and not either in Arabic or Latin script. The only stamps on these pages are for Aleppo and also an entry for Beirut. Both of these were part of the French Mandate that controlled an area that’s now Syria and Lebanon, and considered French territory, throughout the 1920s. The French visa issued by the Consulate General states that it is for travel to Aleppo (which is French territory). It also says she’s traveling alone.

During the years after the Armenian Genocide, there was mass immigration of Armenians to present-day Syria and Lebanon. She’s traveling alone – may be no longer has family and trying to get the heck out of there. She has no doubt seen the genocide first hand. This is an excellent find for a historic passport. Good job!

British passport 1897 issued in Jerusalem under Ottoman rule

ℹ️ Passport History, Collectibles and Travel History explained by Expert, Author & Collector Tom Topol. ➡️ Ask me anything!
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