Abstract :
Antakya is a city that has been a home to many civilizations. The region has come to know Islamsince its first ages but has been considered sacred by the Christians as well. Apart from its religious importance, the city has been at the focus geostrategically and Europeans have always devised plans to seize this region to establish their presence in the Middle East. Indeed, Crusaders were successful in doing so. However, later in time Muslims recaptured the region. Ottoman State was the last ruler of the region. With the Tanzimat, Christians increased their presence in the area. Eventually, the rule of Islam continued until World War I. A French Mandate was established in Antakya when it was occupied in 1918 and a Christian power arose in the region. Armenians gained prominence as the majority of the population. Mandate administration populated Keseb, an important town of Antakya, with more Armenians after the 1921 Ankara Treaty. Thus, Keseb became an Armenian town. Drawing strength from this and relying on the discriminating approach of the Mandate administration towards them, Armenians wanted to leave the administration of Autonomous AlexandrettaSanjak and join Latakia in an annexation where Nusayris were present in great numbers. French Mandate granted this request and therefore, Keseb, which was a part of Antakya for thousands of years, joined Latakia.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Alexandretta Sanjak , French Mandate , Antioch , Middle East , Town of Keseb
