Full History Of Turkey In Timeline From 1907

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1907: Based on the Swiss Civil Code

With the founding of the Republic, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system. The Civil Code, adopted in 1926, was based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.

1911: Based on the Swiss Code of Obligations

With the founding of the Republic, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system. The Civil Code, adopted in 1926, was based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.

1912: Loss of territories in Europe

In 1912, Ottoman territories in Europe (Rumelia) were lost in the First Balkan War.

1913: Three Pashas take control of the Ottoman government

Following the 1913 coup d'état, the Three Pashas took control of the Ottoman government.

1913: Recovery of territory in Europe

In 1913, Ottomans managed to recover some territory in Europe, such as Edirne, in the Second Balkan War.

1914: Percentage of Non-Muslims

In 1914, the percentage of non-Muslims in modern-day Turkey was 19.1%.

1914: Ottoman Empire entered World War I

In 1914, under the control of the Three Pashas, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I, during which the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian subjects.

1915: Çanakkale 1915 Bridge

The Çanakkale 1915 Bridge on the Dardanelles strait is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

1918: Beginning of Architectural Period

Beginning in 1918, Turkish architecture can be divided into three parts. From 1918 to 1950, the first one includes the First National Architectural Movement period, which transitioned into modernist architecture.

1918: Armistice of Mudros

Following the Armistice of Mudros in 1918, the victorious Allied Powers sought the partition of the Ottoman Empire.

1918: Occupation of Istanbul

In 1918, the occupation of Istanbul by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I initiated the Turkish National Movement.

1919: Occupation of İzmir

In 1919, the occupation of İzmir by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I initiated the Turkish National Movement.

April 1920: Turkish Provisional Government declared

In April 1920, The Turkish Provisional Government in Ankara declared itself the legitimate government of the country.

1920: Treaty of Sèvres

In 1920, following the Armistice of Mudros in 1918, the victorious Allied Powers sought the partition of the Ottoman Empire through the Treaty of Sèvres.

1921: Armed and diplomatic struggle

Between 1921–1923, the Armenian, Greek, French, and British armies had been expelled.

1921: Treaty with Afghanistan

In 1921, in the treaty signed with Afghanistan, the expression Devlet-i Âliyye-i Türkiyye ("Sublime Turkish State") was used.

October 1922: Armistice of Mudanya signed

In October 1922, the military advance and diplomatic success of the Ankara Government resulted in the signing of the Armistice of Mudanya.

November 1922: Abolishment of the Sultanate

In November 1922, the Turkish Parliament in Ankara formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of monarchical Ottoman rule.

July 1923: Treaty of Lausanne

On July 24, 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne, which superseded the Treaty of Sèvres, led to the international recognition of the sovereignty of the new Turkish state.

October 1923: Proclamation of the Republic

In October 1923, The Republic of Turkey was proclaimed, modeled on the reforms initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

October 1923: End of Allied occupation

On October 4, 1923, the Allied occupation of Turkey ended with the withdrawal of the last Allied troops from Istanbul. The Turkish Republic was officially proclaimed on 29 October 1923.

1923: Reforms Instituted

After the proclamation of the republic in Turkey in 1923, Atatürk instituted reforms such as the language reform and alphabet reform.

1923: Armenian, Greek, French, and British armies expelled

Between 1921–1923, the Armenian, Greek, French, and British armies had been expelled.

1923: Turkish War of Independence ends

The Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923) was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres (1920).

1925: Sheikh Said rebellion

In 1925, Atatürk's reforms caused discontent in some Kurdish and Zaza tribes leading to the Sheikh Said rebellion.

1926: Civil Code adopted

In 1926, Turkey adopted a civil law legal system, replacing Sharia-derived Ottoman law. The Civil Code was based on the Swiss Civil Code of 1907 and the Swiss Code of Obligations of 1911.

1927: Percentage of Non-Muslims

In 1927, the percentage of non-Muslims in modern-day Turkey had fallen to 2.5%.

1934: Women gain the right to vote

In 1934, women gained the right to vote nationally in Turkey.

1934: Universal suffrage applied

Since 1934, universal suffrage for both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey.

1937: Dersim rebellion

In 1937, Atatürk's reforms caused discontent in some Kurdish and Zaza tribes leading to the Dersim rebellion.

1938: İsmet İnönü becomes president

In 1938, İsmet İnönü became the country's second president following Atatürk's death.

1939: Republic of Hatay joins Turkey

In 1939, the Republic of Hatay voted in favor of joining Turkey with a referendum.

February 1945: Turkey enters World War II

On February 23, 1945, Turkey entered World War II on the side of the Allies.

1950: Beginning of Architectural Period

Beginning in 1918, Turkish architecture can be divided into three parts. From 1918 to 1950, the first one includes the First National Architectural Movement period, which transitioned into modernist architecture.

1950: Population Growth

Between 1950 and 2020, Turkey's population more than quadrupled from 20.9 million to 83.6 million.

1950: Turkey joins Council of Europe

In 1950 Turkey became a member of the Council of Europe.

1952: Turkey joins NATO

In 1952, after fighting as part of the UN forces in the Korean War, Turkey joined NATO.

1960: Military coup

In 1960, a military coup complicated Turkey's transition to a democratic multiparty system.

1965: Censuses do not include statistics on ethnicity

After the 1965 Turkish census, census figures stopped including statistics on ethnicity.

1971: Military memorandum

In 1971, a military memorandum complicated Turkey's transition to a democratic multiparty system.

1973: First Nobel Prize in Literature Nominee

Memed, My Hawk by Yaşar Kemal, was Turkey's first Nobel Prize in Literature nominee in 1973.

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1974: Troops in Northern Cyprus

Since 1974, Turkey maintains a force of 36,000 troops in Northern Cyprus.

1980: Second Architectural Period

From 1950 to 1980, the second part includes urbanization, modernization, and internationalization of architecture.

1980: Military coup

In 1980, a military coup complicated Turkey's transition to a democratic multiparty system.

1982: Constitution approved by referendum

In 1982, the current constitution was approved by referendum.

1987: Turkey applies for EEC membership

In 1987, Turkey applied for full membership of the EEC.

1991: Influx of Kurds during the Gulf War

During the Gulf War in 1991, millions of Kurds fled to Turkey and the Kurdish areas of Iran.

1993: Tansu Çiller becomes prime minister

In 1993, Tansu Çiller became the first female prime minister of Turkey.

1995: Turkey Joins EU Customs Union

In 1995, Turkey joined the European Union Customs Union as part of its pursuit of economic growth.

1997: Military memorandum

In 1997, a military memorandum complicated Turkey's transition to a democratic multiparty system.

1999: İzmit and Düzce earthquakes

After 1999 İzmit and 1999 Düzce earthquakes, North Anatolian Fault zone activity "is considered to be one of the most dangerous natural hazards in Turkey".

2000: Historical records start with clay tablets

Around 2000 BC, Anatolia's historical records start with clay tablets that were found in modern-day Kültepe, belonging to an Assyrian trade colony.

2000: Galatasaray Wins UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup

Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000.

2000: Research and Development Spending

Turkey's spending on research and development as a share of GDP was 0.47% in 2000.

2002: Civil Code changes

Although it underwent a number of changes in 2002, it retains much of the basis of the original Code.

2002: Turkey National Football Team at FIFA World Cup

The Turkey national football team won the bronze medal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

2003: Inauguration of Istanbul Pride

In 2003, the annual Istanbul Pride was inaugurated, making Turkey the first Muslim-majority country to hold a gay pride march.

2003: Universal Public Healthcare System

Since 2003, the Ministry of Health has run a universal public healthcare system in Turkey, known as Universal Health Insurance (Genel Sağlık Sigortası).

2003: Turkey National Football Team at FIFA Confederations Cup

The Turkey national football team won the bronze medal at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

2005: Accession negotiations with the European Union

In 2005, Turkey started accession negotiations with the European Union.

2005: Criminal Code replaced

In 2005, the Criminal Code, originally based on the Italian Criminal Code, was replaced by a Code with principles similar to the German Penal Code and German law generally.

2006: Non-Islamic Religions Percentage

In 2006, KONDA estimated that 0.18% of the population in Turkey adhered to non-Islamic religions.

2006: Percentage of People With No Religion

In 2006, KONDA estimated that 0.47% of the population in Turkey had no religion.

2006: KONDA's Ethnic Background Estimation

In 2006, KONDA estimated that 76% of the country's citizens were ethnic Turks, with 78% of adult citizens self-identifying as such.

2006: Muslim Percentage

In 2006, KONDA estimated that Muslims constituted 99.4% of the population in Turkey.

2006: Estimation of Non-Kurdish Ethnic Minorities

In 2006, KONDA estimated that non-Kurdish and non-Zaza ethnic minorities constituted 8.2% of the population in Turkey.

2006: Interethnic Marriages Estimation

In 2006, it was estimated that approximately 2.7 million ethnic Turks and Kurds were related through interethnic marriages.

2006: Nobel Prize in Literature Winner

Orhan Pamuk won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature.

2007: Poverty Decline Since 2007

Between 2007 and 2021, the share of population below the PPP-$6.85 per day international poverty threshold declined from 20% to 7.6%.

2007: Peak in Foreign Direct Investment

Foreign direct investment in Turkey peaked at $22.05 billion in 2007.

2008: Turkey National Football Team at UEFA Euro

The Turkey national football team reached the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2008.

2009: Contemporary Turkish Art Sale

The inaugural contemporary Turkish art sale by Sotheby's London was in 2009.

2010: Gaza Flotilla Raid Damages Relations with Israel

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel were damaged after the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.

2011: Share of Adult Citizens Identifying as Nonbelievers

According to KONDA, the share of adult citizens in Turkey who identified as nonbelievers was 2% in 2011.

2011: Influx of Refugees

Before the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the estimated number of Arabs in Turkey varied from 1 million to more than 2 million.

2011: Improvements in education access

From 2011 to 2021, Turkey made significant improvements in education access including significant rise in the rates of upper secondary and tertiary education completion, and quadrupling of pre-school institutions.

2013: Court Ruling on Assyrian Minority Rights

In 2013, the Ankara 13th Circuit Administrative Court ruled that the minority provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne should also apply to Assyrians in Turkey and the Syriac language.

2013: 2013–14 EuroLeague Women Final

In 2013, the final of the 2013–14 EuroLeague Women basketball championship was played between two Turkish teams, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, with Galatasaray emerging as the winner.

2013: Widespread Protests Erupt

In 2013, widespread protests erupted, sparked by a plan to demolish Gezi Park but soon growing into general anti-government dissent.

2013: City Hospitals Plan

Since 2013, the Turkish government has planned several hospital complexes, known as city hospitals, to be constructed.

2013: Doubts Raised About Judiciary Independence

Starting in 2013, during the Justice and Development Party and Erdoğan's government, institutions, parliamentarians, and journalists both within and outside of Turkey increasingly questioned the independence and integrity of the Turkish judiciary due to political interference.

2014: Erdoğan wins presidential election

In 2014, prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won Turkey's first direct presidential election.

2015: EuroLeague Final

Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague in three consecutive seasons (2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018).

2015: Parades Denied Government Permission

Since 2015, parades at Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue have been denied government permission, citing security concerns, leading to criticism.

May 2016: Parliament Strips Members of Immunity

On May 20, 2016, the Turkish parliament stripped almost a quarter of its members of immunity from prosecution, including 101 deputies from the pro-Kurdish HDP and the main opposition CHP party.

July 2016: Coup attempt

On July 15, 2016, an unsuccessful coup attempt tried to oust the government.

2016: Assistance to Peshmerga and Somali Armed Forces

As of 2016, Turkey has assisted Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq and the Somali Armed Forces with security and training.

2016: EuroLeague Final

Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague in three consecutive seasons (2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018).

2016: Turkish TV Shows Air in South and Central America

In 2016, Turkish television dramas aired in more than a dozen South and Central American countries, following their success in the Middle East's television market.

2016: Turkey and Israel Normalize Relations

In 2016, diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel, which were damaged after the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, were normalized.

2016: Survey on Equal Rights for LGBT People

In a survey conducted in 2016, 33% of respondents said that LGBT people should have equal rights.

2016: Appointment of University Rectors

Since 2016, the president of Turkey directly appoints all rectors of all state and private universities.

2017: Fossil Fuel Subsidies

As of 2017, the government had invested in low carbon energy transition, but fossil fuels were still subsidized.

2017: Fenerbahçe Became European Champions

Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague in three consecutive seasons (2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018), becoming the European champions in 2017.

2017: Referendum replaces parliamentary republic

In 2017, with a referendum, the parliamentary republic was replaced by an executive presidential system.

2018: Survey on Homosexual Neighbors

Another survey in 2018 found that the proportion of people who would not want a homosexual neighbor decreased from 55% in 2018.

2018: EuroLeague Final

Fenerbahçe reached the final of the EuroLeague in three consecutive seasons (2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018).

2018: Operation in Syria Against YPG

In 2018, the Turkish military and Turkish-backed forces started an operation in Syria to oust the US-backed YPG from Afrin.

2018: Healthcare Expenditure

In 2018, total expenditure on health as a share of GDP in Turkey was the lowest among OECD countries at 6.3% of GDP.

2018: Health Survey

In a 2018 health survey, the ideal number of children per woman in Turkey was reported to be 2.8, increasing to 3 for married women.

2019: National Technology Initiative Launched

In 2019, Turkey launched its National Technology Initiative to boost the output of high-value-added products.

2019: Electricity Generation from Renewable Sources

In 2019, Turkey produced 43.8% of its electricity from renewable sources.

2019: Decrease in People Not Wanting Homosexual Neighbor

In 2019, a survey showed that the proportion of people who would not want a homosexual neighbor was 47%.

2019: Annual Ridership of Istanbul Metro

Istanbul Metro is the largest subway network in the country with around 704 million annual ridership in 2019.

April 2020: Refugee Crisis

As of April 2020, Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees in the world.

November 2020: Syrian Refugees

In November 2020, Turkey hosted 3.6 million Syrian refugees, including Syrian Kurds and Syrian Turkmens.

2020: Identification as Irreligious Among Generation Z

A 2020 Gezici Araştırma poll found that 28.5% of Generation Z in Turkey identified as irreligious.

2020: Forest coverage

As of 2020, Turkey's forests covered 29% of Turkey's surface area.

2020: Population Growth

Between 1950 and 2020, Turkey's population more than quadrupled from 20.9 million to 83.6 million.

2020: Increase in Support for Equal Rights for LGBT People

In 2020, a survey showed that 45% of respondents said that LGBT people should have equal rights, an increase from 2016.

December 2021: President Erdoğan calls for expanded official usage of Türkiye

In December 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for expanded official usage of Türkiye, stating it best represents Turkish culture and values.

2021: Share of Adult Citizens Identifying as Nonbelievers

According to KONDA, the share of adult citizens in Turkey who identified as nonbelievers increased from 2% in 2011 to 6% in 2021.

2021: Improvements in education access

From 2011 to 2021, Turkey made significant improvements in education access including significant rise in the rates of upper secondary and tertiary education completion, and quadrupling of pre-school institutions.

2021: Population at Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion

In 2021, 34% of the population in Turkey were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, using the Eurostat definition.

2021: Kurdish Ethnic Identification

In 2021, a survey indicated that 19% of adult citizens in Turkey identified as ethnic Kurds.

2021: Ethnic Background Identification

In 2021, a survey indicated that 77% of adult citizens in Turkey identified their ethnic background as Turk.

2021: Identification of Non-Turk and Non-Kurd Ethnic Groups

In 2021, a survey showed that 4% of adult citizens in Turkey identified as non-ethnic Turk or non-ethnic Kurd.

2021: Migration of Russian Citizens to Turkey

In 2022, nearly 100,000 Russian citizens migrated to Turkey, marking a 218% increase from 2021.

February 2022: Turkey's Military Strength in NATO

As of February 2022, Turkey has the second-largest military force in NATO, after the United States, with an estimated strength of 890,700 military personnel.

May 2022: Turkish government requests UN to use Türkiye officially

In May 2022, the Turkish government requested the United Nations and other international organizations to use Türkiye officially in English, and the UN agreed.

2022: Turkey Ranked Second in International Contractors

In 2022, Turkey ranked second in the world in terms of the number of international contractors in the top 250 list.

2022: Drop in Foreign Direct Investment

In 2022, foreign direct investment in Turkey dropped to $13.09 billion.

2022: Migration of Russian Citizens to Turkey

In 2022, nearly 100,000 Russian citizens migrated to Turkey, marking a 218% increase from 2021.

2022: Most visited national parks

In 2022, the most visited national parks were Marmaris National Park and Beydağları Coastal National Park.

2022: Unemployment Rate

In 2022, the unemployment rate in Turkey was 10.4%.

2022: Euroleague Win

In the 2022–23 season, Fenerbahçe secured one of their two consecutive Euroleague wins, the other being in 2023-24.

May 2023: Ukrainian Refugees

As of May 2023, approximately 96,000 Ukrainian refugees from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine had sought refuge in Turkey.

August 2023: Syrian Refugees

As of August 2023, the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey was estimated to be 3.3 million, a decrease of about 200,000 since the beginning of the year.

November 2023: Government Grants Citizenship to Syrians

By November 2023, the Turkish government had granted citizenship to 238,000 Syrians.

2023: Kilometers of Highways

As of 2023, Turkey has 3,726 kilometers of controlled-access highways and 29,373 kilometers of divided highways.

2023: Gas Production Begins in Sakarya Gas Field

Gas production began in 2023 in the recently discovered Sakarya gas field, which when fully operational, will supply about 30% of the natural gas needed domestically.

2023: Population Below National Poverty Rate

In 2023, 13.9% of the population in Turkey was below the national at-risk-of-poverty rate.

2023: Fenerbahçe Wins 2023 FIBA Europe SuperCup Women

In 2023, Fenerbahçe won the 2023 FIBA Europe SuperCup Women.

2023: Population Statistics

In 2023, Turkey's population was recorded as 85,372,377, excluding Syrians under temporary protection, with a growth rate of 0.1%. The total fertility rate was 1.51 children per woman.

2023: Increase in Research and Development Spending

In 2023, Turkey's spending on research and development as a share of GDP has risen to 1.40%.

2023: Number of Foreign Citizens

In 2023, there were 1,570,543 foreign citizens in Turkey, excluding Syrians under temporary protection.

2023: European Commission Criticizes Democratic Institutions

In its 2023 report, the European Commission criticized how democratic institutions in Turkey operate. Also as of 2023, Turkey was the country with the highest number of European Court of Human Rights cases.

2023: Turkey–Syria earthquakes

The 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes were the deadliest in contemporary Turkish history.

2024: Top Universities Ranking

According to the 2024 Times Higher Education ranking, the top universities in Turkey were Koç University, Middle East Technical University, Sabancı University, and Istanbul Technical University.

2024: Arrested or convicted people in jail

According to the Turkish government, there are 13,251 arrested or convicted people in jail as of 2024, related to the 2016 coup attempt.

2024: EU Accession Talks Frozen

As of 2024, Turkey's EU accession talks are frozen.

2024: Turkey Ranked Fourth in Tourist Arrivals

In 2024, Turkey ranked fourth in the world in the number of international tourist arrivals with 60.6 million foreign tourists. Also in 2024, Euromonitor International ranked Istanbul and Antalya among the top ten most visited cities in the world.

2024: Turkey Stops Trading with Israel

In 2024, Turkey stopped trading with Israel following the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

2024: Domestically Manufactured Electron Accelerator

In 2024, Turkey's first domestically manufactured electron accelerator became operational.

2024: Agreements to Link Iraqi Port Facilities to Turkey

In 2024, Turkey, Iraq, UAE, and Qatar signed an agreement to link Iraqi port facilities to Turkey via road and rail connections. As of 2024, there are 115 airports and Istanbul Airport is one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world.