Sheikh Said rebellion begins
In the early years of the Republic, numerous revolts targeting the reform movement in Turkey erupted. One of the most important one of these was the Sheikh Said rebellion that commenced on February 13, 1925 in the Piran province of Genç.
A religious and ethnic revolt against the founding principles of the Republic, the Sheikh Said Rebellion was one of the biggest threats the new government faced, both in terms of its extensity and the possible dangers it harbored. Initially breaking out near Bingöl, the revolt soon gained momentum and came to include a force of fifteen thousand rebels. Maden, Siverek, Ergani, and Varto were seized by therebels and, in early March, Sheikh Said’s forces of ten thousand rebels laid siege to Diyarbakır.
The rebellion instigated a change in government. İsmet Pasha, who now replaced Fethi Okyar as the new prime minister, took extraordinary measures and declared martial law in the eastern regions where the rebellion had begun. The instigators were soon caught through the planned tactics of the military units. Sheikh Said was captured on April 15th near Varto. The quelling of the Sheikh Said Rebellion constituted an important turning point in allowing the Republic administration to maintain control over the eastern provinces of Turkey.
