Abdurrahman Melek (1896 in

Antakya Antakya (), Turkish form of Antioch, is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is . Prior to the devastating 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, 2023 earthquakes, its population was recorded ...

– 13 January 1978 in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

), was a Turkish politician, who served as the Prime Minister of the

Republic of Hatay Hatay State (; ; ), also known informally as the Republic of Hatay (), was a transitional nation that existed from 2 September 1938 to 29 June 1939, being located in the territory of the Sanjak of Alexandretta of the French Mandate of Syria. The ...

founded following the constitution approved by the league of Nations on 19 May 1937. He started practicing medicine, after studying at the Aleppo Sultaniye, Beirut University and graduating from the

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

Faculty of Medicine. He became of the predominant leaders in the effort to integrate

Hatay Hatay Province (, ) is the southernmost Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is , and its population is 1,686,043 (2022). It is situated mostly outside Anatolia, ...

into

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 ...

. He served as the Istanbul director of the Hatay Maturity Society (“Hatay Erginlik Cemiyeti”), took part in the Turkish Delegation negotiating with the French in Geneva. Preceding the foundation of the State of Hatay, he was appointed Governor of Hatay and prepared the foundation of the State of Hatay. He was appointed as prime minister of that state with the approval of Atatürk. While Prime Minister of Hatay, and before the integration of Hatay into Turkey, he was elected to the

Turkish Grand National Assembly The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

for

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

(March 1939). He served as a member of parliament for Gaziantep in the 6., 7., and 8. terms, and for Hatay in the 9. term. In later years (1959–1961), he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the

Republic of 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 ...

. He was involved from beginning to end in the struggle to get

back from the French and published his memoirs in a book titled “How Hatay Was Liberated” (“Hatay Nasıl Kurtuldu”), published by the Turkish History Institute in 1966. Dr. Abdurrahman Melek died in

on 13 January 1978.

References

* Dr. Abdurrahman Melek, Hatay Nasıl Kurtuldu, Türk Tarih Kurumu, 1966 (“How Hatay Was Liberated”, published by the Turkish History Institute in 1966) {{DEFAULTSORT:Melek, Abdurrahman 1896 births 1978 deaths Government of Turkey Turkish politicians