It is not possible to govern a state without knowing geography.

“Geography is everything.” or “Geography is destiny.” You've heard words like Of course, these are quite ambitious words. However, it is certain that geography has a great impact on both individuals and societies. Even if geography is not everything, it is one of the basic elements that affects and even shapes everything.

For example, the fact that Africans are black is a result of geography. Although some circles claim the opposite, the reason why Northern Europeans are white and blonde is not their racial origins but geography. In some genetic studies, it is written and drawn that the British, who are now light-skinned and colored-eyed, were found to have dark skin when they first arrived on the island. The fact that people living in the same regions have similar skin, hair and eye colors even though they look different in different parts of the world shows that this is the case.

Geography is not only effective on the emergence of racial characteristics. Social, cultural and economic structure is also the work of geography. The agricultural revolution first emerged in the Middle East and Anatolia. It is not because the people living in these regions are smarter or more hardworking, but because the plants suitable for agriculture are found in these regions. In addition, the soil and climate are also suitable for agriculture.

The fact that the Turkish communities in the Asian steppes created a nomadic equestrian culture and lived mainly on animal husbandry until recently, is not because they love animals or animal husbandry, but because this region is the homeland of the horse and the geography is not suitable for agriculture and provides animal husbandry. Therefore, those who say that geography is everything are not saying anything too exaggerated.

As such, it is not possible to understand people, nations, languages, culture and wars without understanding geography. Everything that belongs to humans and even to other living things belongs to geography and is the work of geography. For this reason, it is very important for those who manage the state and its institutions to know the geography accurately and in detail. When I say geography, I don't just mean mountains and hills. Managers, besides physical geography, economic, political, demographic, etc. They should also have knowledge of geography.

In the 1990s, I personally realized how important it was for the executive cadres to know all about geography. Interestingly, it wasn't the books I read or the lessons I saw that made me realize this. It was purely a coincidence. As you know, after its first attacks in 1984, the PKK Terrorist Organization became one of Turkey's most important problems. For this reason, many activities have been carried out in the name of combating terrorism almost every year since then. Almost no one among the officers and non-commissioned officers who served in these activities did not participate in these activities. I also participated in some of these activities during my service as an officer.

In the nineties, the most common activity in the fight against terrorism was village searches. Due to the search for a village in this context, we went to a small village in Muş between the mountains. While I was searching, the village headman came close to me and said he wanted to meet privately. I thought he'd report a terrorist hiding in the village or a nearby terrorist group. I just pulled the guy into a corner.

The man took a look around first, and when he was convinced that no one had seen us, he put his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket. I immediately put my hand on the trigger in case there was an attempted attack, but I was relieved to see the man pull out some papers wrapped in a plastic bag. This time, I started to wonder what they were. With great care and respect, the man began to pull the papers out of the plastic bag, as if opening a scripture, and handed the first piece of paper to me.

I took the paper and looked, it was writing something in the Arabic (or Ottoman) alphabet. The paper was much thicker and longer, like parchment, than conventional A4 paper. From its wear and yellowing color, it was clear that it was a very old paper. I glanced briefly at the paper, but could neither read nor see any writing in the Latin alphabet. I learned to read the Qur'an when I was a child, but it was not possible to read it because there is neither esre nor otre in this article.

I asked the man what it was that I couldn't read Arabic letters. The man is "Atatürk's letter." she whispered. At the same time, he took out the other papers from the plastic bag and handed them to me. Glad to see these papers. Because the texts were written in the Latin alphabet. I started reading right away. As I read it, I couldn't help but be surprised. The papers were a notarized document. The document also stated who the text belonged to and who transcribed it.

I began to carefully read the document. I don't remember the exact year now, but it was clear from the note under the letter that it was sent by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Pasha during the First World War. The letter was written to the person whom the headman said was his grandfather. The letter summarized, “How patriotic you, your family and your tribe are.

I know. As you know, we are currently at war with the Russians. I have full faith that you will work hard for the country in this struggle. It will be very helpful if you hold those gates in your area and send your detachments to that area.” There were expressions.

I was very surprised to come across such an article in a village at the top of a mountain. However, what surprised me even more was that Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Pasha knew so well the people of the region, who he was, what he could do and what he could not do, and most importantly, the land failures of a region he came to for the first time in terms of their effects on military operations.

As I retired and got my doctorate in Atatürk's Principles and History of Revolution, my amazement increased even more. Of course, during my education at military schools, information about the First World War and the National Struggle was given in the Revolution History and War History courses. I have also read some books on these subjects. But during my doctorate, I had the opportunity to do more intensive reading and research, including the memories of people who lived at that time and whose memoirs were published.

As I read, I found it difficult to understand how the officers who participated in the battles by going from one end to the other over the three continents of a huge empire adapted to regions with very different characteristics in a short time and how they could know all the details of the regions. For example, Atatürk went to Tripoli, that is, the territory of today's Libya, in 1909 and 1911 and participated in the struggles in this region. He fought on the fronts of Çanakkale, Eastern Anatolia and Syria during World War I. Atatürk, who participated in the battles in these regions as a headquarters officer and commander, planned and carried out many military operations during these duties.

Looking at the official documents and published works, it is clear that these operational plans are based on a detailed analysis of geography. The same is true for the period of the National Struggle. It is not possible to make these plans without knowing all the dimensions of its geography. When the interviews that Mustafa Kemal Pasha made before and after the Erzurum Congress and the people to whom he wrote letters are examined, it is seen that he also has a knowledge of the demographic structure. But how is this possible?

While these questions were circulating in my mind, I had to do a research on Atatürk's education life at school. When I studied the courses of the Military Academy and the Military Academy, I found the answers to these questions that occupied my mind for a long time. Because I saw that a very detailed cartography education was given in the Military Academy and the Military Academy of the period.

This training begins with a topography theory lesson, in which theoretical knowledge about methods used in cartography, making and reading maps is taught. Then, in the light of this theoretical knowledge, a topography surgery course is taught, in which drawing a landscape sketch of a hill or a region and mapping the landforms are taught practically. After that, the map inversion (map drawing) lesson about map making is given.

After learning this technical information about cartography, a military geography lesson is taught, in which the effects of geography on military operations are explained. This course is a course that teaches the issues that determine where to fight and how to fight, such as suitable advancing axis for armies, lines suitable for defense. When the textbook taught at that time is examined, it is seen that Libya, Egypt, the Middle East, Iran, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, Anatolia and the whole of the Balkans are explained in great detail in terms of military geography.

Cartography education does not end there. The Strategic Geography course, which covers the subjects of the field we call geostrategy today, is offered at the Military Academy. In this course, in addition to military geography, subjects such as the regions where important wars took place, the effects of the state of the borders on wars and the security of countries are also explained. It is understood from these courses that a very excellent geography education was given in the military schools of the period. The notebooks and published memoirs of the officers who participated in the internal security operations and battles at that time, including Enver Pasha, clearly show this. In these memoirs, the regions where the events took place were not drawn in the form of landscape sketches, but in the form of maps, as in the maps.

At that time, geography teaching continued after school. In field exercises, staff tours and other military activities, geographical factors are examined and evaluated in detail by first visiting the land. Since the map printing was limited due to the primitive conditions of the period, the maps of the land were drawn manually. During these trips, the economic, social and demographic structure of the region is also examined.

That's why the officers and generals of that period had no difficulty in adapting to the geography while they were going from one corner of the country to the other and managing the military units in battles. The military staff who carried out this struggle in the National Struggle It has been achieved success thanks to the very good knowledge of geography.

This awareness is clearly seen in the telegram that Mustafa Kemal Pasha sent to the 15th Corps Commander Kazım (Karabekir) Pasha on 29 May 1919, in which he briefly explained how the military dimension of the National Struggle would be managed and the strategy to be implemented.[1]

The same thing can be seen in the operation plan prepared by Ali Fuat (Cebesoy) Pasha on the orders of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and explaining how the military dimension of the National Struggle will be carried out.[2]

As a result, it is essential for those who manage the state and its institutions to know the geography of the country very well in order to demonstrate a successful administration. The fact that the cadres who led the National Struggle planned the war in the most appropriate way thanks to their deep geographical knowledge and that they carried out the war successfully and brought it to victory clearly shows that this is the case.

[1] This order is found in Kazım Karabekir's book titled Our War of Independence.

[2] This plan is described in Ali Fuat Pasha's Memoirs of the National Struggle and Unknown Memories.