I was surprised when I first found out who Nene Hatun was. I have always thought that it was a made up, pretty name for a beautiful street in the capital city. But no, even better, it is the name of a Turkish heroine!


Nene Hatun (1857-1955)
Nene Hatun was a twenty year old woman with a three month old baby, who during the Turkish-Russian war was known as “93 Harbi” (1877-1878). She was living in a region of Erzurum called Aziziye. One night in November of 1877, Aziziye was attacked suddenly but the enemies were defeated with the help of volunteer women fighters. Nene Hatun was the most heroic of them all and became a symbol of bravery.
Nene Hatun lived in Aziziye her entire life, and died there at the age of 98.

Hande Kaya (IR/III)