ATATURK MUSTAFA KEMAL: (1881-1938) Turkish Army Officer and Revolutionary, founder of the Republic of Turkey ...

ATATURK MUSTAFA KEMAL: (1881-1938) Turkish Army Officer and Revolutionary, founder of the Republic of Turkey serving as its first President 1923-38.
A rare autograph plan in Ataturk's hand, unsigned, one page (faintly squared graph paper), folio, n.p. (Ankara), n.d. (1927). In bold pencil Ataturk has drawn a rough plan outlining the geographical positions of several Turkish cities which he identifies, most with abbreviations. Ataturk marks Usak, a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey and capital of the Usak Province, as well as Dagyenice ('D'), also in the region of Usak and southwest of Ankara, Eskisehir ('Esk') a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskisehir Province, and Bursa ('B'), the fourth most populous city in Turkey, located in northwestern Anatolia within the Marmara Region. Ataturk has identified each of the towns and cities with circles (some shaded) and drawn various lines between each. An interesting document relating to Turkey's geography in the hand of the Republic's founder. Some light folds and creasing, otherwise VGProvenance: The present document originates from the papers of Dr. Eugene Pittard (1867-1962) the Swiss Anthropologist. Pittard authored several works on Turkey, including Le visage nouveau de la Turquie (1931), and in 1927 he and his wife, Hélène Dufour, visited Ankara and were entertained by Ataturk. It was during this trip and whilst discussing Turkey that Ataturk drew the present plan to illustrate the distances between various key Turkish cities. Another similar document relating to Turkey (and the modernisation of the country's language, with which Pittard assisted) in Ataturk's hand and also from Pittard's papers was included in the Albin Schram Collection of Autograph Letters (see Christie's auction in London, 3rd July 2007, lot 326).Ataturk rose to prominence in the Turkish War of Independence where he led the Turkish National Movement to victory. After establishing a provisional government in Ankara, Ataturk then embarked on a programme of political, economic and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern and secular nation-state. The principles of Ataturk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism. His achievements in Turkey are an enduring monument to Ataturk.