The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Turkey.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...

(until 24 May),

Binali Yıldırım Binali Yıldırım (; born 20 December 1955) is a Turkish politician who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 27th and last prime minister of Turkey from 2016 to 2018 and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly from 2018 to 2019. He w ...

(from 24 May) *

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

İsmail Kahraman İsmail Kahraman (born 7 December 1940) is a Turkish politician from the AK Party who served as the 27th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly from 22 November 2015 to 9 July 2018. He has been the Member of Parliament for Istanbul's first ele ...

Events

Purges in Turkey (2016–present) Since 2016, the government of Turkey has conducted a series of purges, enabled by a state of emergency in reaction to the failed coup attempt on 15 July that year. The purges began with the arrest of Turkish Armed Forces personnel reportedly li ...

16 July Events Pre-1600 * 622 – The Hijrah of Muhammad begins, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar. * 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouran ...

2016–current *

Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish nationalist uprisings have periodically occurred in Turkey, beginning with the Turkish War of Independence and the consequent transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state and continuing to the pre ...

24 July Events Pre-1600 *1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. * 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. * 1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of St ...

2015–current * Turkey–ISIL conflict,

11 May Events Pre-1600 * 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. * 868 – A copy of the Diamond S ...

2013–current

January

*12 January – At least ten people were killed and 15 were injured following an explosion in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Sultanahmet Square The Hippodrome of Constantinople (; ; ) was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square (). The word ''hippodrome'' ...

. A

suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

was reported to be responsible. *14 January –

PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurdish militant political organization and armed gue ...

rebels bombed police headquarters in Cinar,

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

, killing five people and injuring another 39. *27 January – .istanbul and .ist begin to be used as

domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...

s on the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

. *30 January –

Bakırköy Bakırköy is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district in the European part of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 29 km2, and its population is 226,685 (2022). Bakırköy lies between the State road D.100 (Turkey), D.100 highway (l ...

;

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

's previously stolen painting " Naked Woman Scanning" is recovered by police in Istanbul.

February

*17 February – 28 people were killed in a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

ing in Ankara.

March

*4 March – The Turkish government seized control of the Zaman newspaper. *13 March – 37 people were killed in a car bombing in Ankara. *19 March – 5 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Istanbul.

April

*10 April – Vodafone Arena was opened. *23 - 30 October – the international exhibition organization

Expo 2016 Expo 2016 was an international horticultural exposition held in Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Tur ...

was held in

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

May

*1 May – May 2016 Gaziantep bombing

June

*7 June – A

bomb attack The following is a list of terrorist incidents that were not carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are presented in List of assassinations and unsuccessful attempts at List of ...

occurs in Istanbul's

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

district by ISIS. *17 June - The Istanbul government bans pride marches in

. *28 June –

2016 Atatürk Airport attack The Atatürk Airport attack, consisting of shootings and suicide bombings, occurred on 28 June 2016 at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Gunmen armed with automatic weapons and explosive belts staged a simultaneous attack at the internation ...

by ISIS.

July

*1 July – The world's fourth longest span suspension bridge, the

Osman Gazi Bridge The Osman Gazi Bridge () is a suspension bridge spanning the Gulf of İzmit at its narrowest point, . The bridge links the Turkish city of Gebze to the Yalova Province and carries the O-5 motorway across the gulf. The bridge was opened on 1 Jul ...

was opened to service. *15 July –

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt In the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted ...

*19 July – Turkey has made a formal request to the U.S. for the extradition of Gülen movement leader

Fethullah Gülen Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish Ulama, Muslim scholar, preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement who as of 2016 had millions of followers. Gülen was an influential Neo-Ottomanism, neo-Ottomanist, A ...

August

*24 August – Turkey has launched a cross border operation with

Jarabulus Jarabulus (, ALA-LC: , Syrian Arabic, Aleppo dialect: ; or ; ) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Aleppo Governorate, under the de facto control of the Syrian Opposition. Jarabulus lies on the western bank of the Euphrates and north ...

under the code name "

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield () was an offensive by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out in the region between the Euphrates river to th ...

". The region was cleared by

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

and handed over to the

Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA; ), also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participate in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the sta ...

. *27 August –

Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (), also known as the Third Bosphorus Bridge'','' is a vehicular bridge over the Bosphorus strait, to the north of Istanbul's two older suspension bridges, the 15 July Martyrs Bridge being the First Bosphorus Bridge ...

opened to service. *29 August – The Loud House (Gürültü Ailesi) subsequently premieres on Nickelodeon HD CEE.

October

*5 October –

9 October Events Pre-1600 * 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks. *1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia. *1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock. *1446 – The ...

–

2016 Extreme Sailing Series The 2016 Extreme Sailing Series was the tenth edition of the sailing series and the sixth year of it being a fully global event. 2016 saw the series move away from the Extreme 40 catamaran, and into the GC32 Sailing hydrofoil, foiling catamaran. ...

Deaths

January

*January 2 –

Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu Süleyman Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu (1 September 1928 – 2 January 2016) was a Turkish general. He was Secretary-General of the National Security Council from 1988 to 1990. Career Yirmibeşoğlu was first Chief of Staff, then Chief of the Turkish Arm ...

, Turkish soldier (born 1928) *January 3 – Halis Toprak, a Turkish businessman *January 4 – Sedat Üründül, Turkish businessman *January 5 – Önol Şakar, Turkish politician *January 7 – Remzi Evren, Turkish cinematographer *January 14 – Şefik Döğen, Turkish actor *January 21 –

Mustafa Vehbi Koç Mustafa Vehbi Koç (October 29, 1960 – January 21, 2016) was a Turkish businessman and a third generation member of the Koç family. He is best known as the chairman of Koç Holding, a position he held from 2003 until his death in 2016. Privat ...

, Turkish businessman (born 1960) *January 22 –

Kamer Genç Kamer Genç (February 23, 1940 – January 22, 2016) was a Turkish politician, elected a member of parliament for the Republican People's Party in the 1987 and 1991 elections, for the True Path Party in the 1995 and 1999 elections, as an indep ...

, Turkish politician (born 1940)

February

*February 23 – Tosun Terzioğlu, Former President of

TÜBİTAK The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (, TÜBİTAK) is a national agency of Turkey whose stated goal is to develop "science, technology and innovation" (STI) policies, support and conduct research and development, and to ...

(born 1942)

April

*April 20 –

Attila Özdemiroğlu Attila Özdemiroğlu (5 January 1943 – 20 April 2016) was a Turkish composer, arranger and music producer. He was best known for his award winning film scores in the 1970s and 1980s. Career Born on 5 January 1943 in Ankara, Özdemiroğlu got ...

, Turkish composer and singer (born 1943)

May

*May 15 –

Oya Aydoğan Oya Aydoğan (10 February 1957 – 15 May 2016) was a Turkish actress, model, and television presenter. She was the winner of the ' Movie Actress Contest in 1976. She suffered from an aortic aneurysm on 7 May 2016, before Mother's Day and died on ...

, Turkish cinematographer (d 1957)

July

*July 7 –

Turgay Şeren Turkay Sabit Şeren (15 May 1932 – 7 July 2016) was a Turkish football player, who was a one-time goalkeeper of Galatasaray. He played for Galatasaray between 1947 and 1966 and was capped 52 times for Turkey, including two matches at the 195 ...

, Turkish Football Player and Former Technical Director (born 1932) *July 15 –

Nevzat Yalçıntaş Nevzat Yalçıntaş (1933–2016) was a Turkish economist, academic and conservative politician. He worked at Ankara University and Istanbul University. He headed a conservative think entitled Intellectuals' Hearth from 1988 to 1998. He served a ...

, economist, academic and politician (born 1933) *July 25 –

Halil İnalcık Halil İnalcık (7 September 1916 – 25 July 2016) was a Turkish historian. His highly influential research centered on social and economic approaches to the Ottoman Empire. His academic career started at Ankara University, where he completed h ...

, Turkish historian, history professor (born 1916)

August

*August 23 – İsrafil Köse, Turkish actress (born 1970) *August 29 – Vedat Türkali, Turkish writer (born 1919) *August 30 – Naşide Göktürk, Turkish composer, writer and commentator (born 1965)

September

*September 8 – Arif Ahmet Denizolgun, 55. Minister of Transport of the Turkish Government (born 1955) *September 16 –

Tarık Akan Tarık Akan (born Tarık Tahsin Üregül; 13 October 1949 – 16 September 2016) was a Turkish film actor and producer, who started his activity in the 1965s. Early life Akan was born as Tarık Tahsin Üregül in Istanbul on 13 October 1949. He ...

, Turkish cinema and serial player (born 1949)

October

*October 12 –

Kemal Unakıtan Kemal Unakıtan (February 14, 1946 – October 12, 2016) was the Minister of Finance of Turkey from November 2002 to May 2009 and a Member of Parliament for Istanbul of the Justice and Development Party. He was born in Edirne. On March 7, 2008, ...

– Turkish politician (born 1946) *October 20 – Altemur Kılıç – Turkish journalist and writer (born 1924) *October 26 – Nail Güreli – Turkish journalist and writer (born 1932)

November

*November 2 –

Korkut Özal Korkut Özal (29 May 1929 – 2 November 2016) was a Turkish engineer and politician. He was the brother of Turkish President Turgut Özal and . His cause of death in 2016 was respiratory and circulatory failure. Academic career Korkut Özal stu ...

, Turkish politician (born 1929) *November 2 – Gönül Ülkü Özcan, Turkish cinema theater and series player (born 1931) *November 2 –

Mete Akyol Mete Akyol (1935, Ordu - 2 November 2016, Istanbul) was a Turkish journalist. Akyol studied in Talas American Junior High school and Tarsus American High school. He graduated from the English Literature section of Ankara University in 1960. ...

, Turkish journalist (born 1935) *November 30 –

Erdal Tosun Erdal Tosun (9 April 1963 – 30 November 2016) was a Turkish actor. Biography Born in Istanbul to actor Necdet Tosun and the older brother of actor Gürdal Tosun, he graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 1982 and began his career ...

– Turkish actor (born 1963)

December

December 18 –

Süleyman Yalçın Süleyman Yalçın (1926–2016) was a Turkish physician, academic, conservative political figure and journalist who headed a conservative nationalist think-tank called the Aydınlar Ocağı () in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a faculty member at I ...

– physician and conservative thinker (born 1926)

References

{{Europe topic, 2016 in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

2010s in Turkey Years of the 21st century in Turkey

Incumbents

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

October

Deaths

January

February

April

May

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

References