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ATATURK

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Salonika in 1881. His father is Ali Rıza Effendi, his mother is Zübeyde Hanim. Ali Rıza Effendi was from the local people of Salonika. His early grandfathers had settled down in Serez leaving Vidin, and went to Salonika from there. Ali Rıza Effendi, worked as a customs officer in the beginning of his life, and then left working as an officer and was engaged in timber trade.

Ataturk’s mother, Zubeyde Hanim was from an old Turkish family settled down in a town named Langaza near Salonika. This family was one of the yoruks passed from Anatolia to Rumeli and were known as 'Varyemezoğulları'. This family had big farms in Langaza and they were engaged in both farming and animal husbandry. Upon Ali Rıza Effendi’s death in his fifty in 1888, who married Zubeyde Hanim in 1871, the duty of growing and bringing up little Mustafa was left to Zubeyde Hanim. Little Mustafa, obeying his mother, went to the quarter school of Hafiz Mehmet Effendi for his primary education. But, in a short period of time, he passed to Şemsi Effendi School in Salonika upon his father’s will, and completed the school there. His father died while he was studying in this school. At this time, he had two sisters younger than him whose names were Makbule and Naciye.

When their father died, little Mustafa was seven years old, and Makbule had just completed her first age; Naciye was 40 days old. This youngest sister died in Salonika in her youth. Upon Ali Rıza Effendi’s death, Zubeyde Hanim settled down in Huseyin Effendi’s house, who worked as a steward in Rapla farm near Salonika. The education of little Mustafa was willy-nilly hampered because of farm life. However, after a short period of time, he turned back to Salonika and went on his education from where he left in his aunt’s house.

Little Mustafa went for a period of time to Salonika Civil Service Secondary School after Şemsi Effendi Primary School, but he left this school and applied to Military Secondary school in 1893 with his own decision and carried on his education there.

He went to his uncle Huseyin Effendi’s farm in summers and stayed there until it is the school time. Mustafa really loved this school. He showed himself among his friends in a short time with his intelligence and superior skills and made his teachers like him.