Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay facts for kids
Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay (born 1906, died December 23, 1930) was a Turkish teacher and a young army officer. In Turkey, he is remembered as a "Martyr of the Revolution." He gave his life while serving his country during a difficult time.
Who Was Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay?
Mustafa Fehmi was born in 1906 in Kozan, Adana, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. His parents, Hüseyin and Zeynep, were Cretan Turks who had moved to Turkey before a big population exchange. They wanted to escape violence and unfair treatment.
Kubilay went to school in Aydın from 1913 to 1919. After that, he started learning to be a tailor. But he also passed an exam to train as a teacher. He earned his teaching certificate in 1926. After graduating, Mustafa Fehmi chose the surname Kubilay. This was part of new rules from Kemalist leaders, who wanted everyone to have a family name.
Kubilay taught in Aydın and later at Zafer Elementary School in Menemen. He was also doing his required military service in Menemen. He was married to Fatma Vedide and had a son named Vedat Aktuğ.
The Menemen Incident
Lieutenant Kubilay was killed during an event known as the Menemen Incident. This happened when he faced a group of armed protesters. These protesters were members of the Naqshbandi (Nakşibendi) order, a religious group. They wanted to bring back old religious laws, called Sharia law, and the old system of the Caliphate.
Kubilay became a symbol of the new, modern Turkish Republic led by Atatürk. He is seen as a hero who died for the country's new way of life.
Remembering Kubilay
To honor Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay, the Zafer Elementary School in Menemen, where he taught, was renamed Kubilay Elementary School. There is also a Kubilay Secondary School in Menemen named after him.
Every year on December 23, the Turkish army holds a special parade. This parade takes place at the Martyr Kubilay Memorial, which is on a hill overlooking Menemen. The memorial remembers Kubilay and two local watchmen, Bekçi Hasan and Bekçi Şevki, who also died during the incident.
The monument has a tall sculpture created by Ratip Aşir Acudoğlu in 1932. The Kubilay Memorial is part of the Kubilay Barracks, but it is open to the public. Soldiers stand guard at the memorial site all the time. The site also holds the graves of other Turkish soldiers who died while serving their country.
