Theocracy of Suladar
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Theocracy of Suladar (eng) الثيوقراطية من Suladar(ara) תיאוקרטיה של Suladar (hbr) | |
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Flag
Coat of arms
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| 'Motto: 'For God We Protect | |
| Anthem: Praise our Lord | |
 Location Click to expand. | |
| Capital | Antakya (Antioch) |
| Largest city | Iskenderun |
| Official languages | English (Official), Arabic, Syriac, Kurdish, Turkish, Hebrew |
| Demonym(s) | Suladari |
| Government | Theocracy |
| Legislature | Church Council |
| Establishment | 6th August 2015 |
| Population | |
• Census | 4 (1,480,571 people living on the territory) |
| Currency | Turkish lira |
| Time zone | (UTC-08:00) |
Suladar, officially the Theocracy of Suladar, is a micronation located in the Hatay Province of Turkey. Founded in 2015, Suladar hasn't claimed independence yet however Hatay was once was a independent state in 1938 and 1939.[1] It was created to help Christians and others being persecuted in the Syrian Civil War to have their own country and refuge. This was for Maronites and Syrian Christians but Muslims and others can enter. Hatay has strong support for the YPG fighters, Syriac Military Council, Lions of Rojava and the Lebanese Armed forces. Suladar is strongly against ISIS and Assad's regime.
History of Hatay/Suladar Province
Antiquity
Settled since the early Bronze Age, Hatay was once of the Akkadian Empire, then the Amorite Kingdom of Yamhad an Mitannis, then a succession of Hittites, the Neo-Hittite "Hattena" people that later gave the modern province of Hatay its name, then the Assyrians (except a brief occupation by Urartu) and Persians. The region was the center of the Hellenistic Seleucid empire, home to the four Greek cities of the Syrian tetrapolis (Antioch, Seleucia Pieria, Apamea, and Laodicea). From 64 BC onwards the city of Antioch became an important regional centre of the Roman Empire.
Islamic Era
The area was conquered by the armies of Islam in 638 and came under the control of the Ummayad and Abbasid Arab dynasties. From the 11th century onwards, the region was controlled by the Aleppo-based Hamdanids after a brief rule of Ikhshidids. In 969 the city of Antioch was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by Philaretos Brachamios, a Byzantine general in 1078. He founded a principality from Antioch to Edessa. It was captured by Suleiman I, who was Sultan of Rum (ruler of Anatolian Seljuks), in 1084. It passed to Tutush I, Sultan of Aleppo (ruler of Syria Seljuks), in 1086. Seljuk rule lasted 14 years until Hatay's capture by the Crusaders in 1098, when it became the centre of the Principality of Antioch. Hatay was captured from the Crusaders by the Mameluks in 1268.
Sanjak of Alexandretta
By the time it was taken from the Mameluks by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I in 1516, Antakya was a medium-sized town on 2 km² of land between the Orontes River and Mount Habib Neccar. Under the Ottomans the area was known as the sanjak (or governorate) of Alexandretta. Gertrude Bell in her book Syria The Desert & the Sown published in 1907 wrote extensively about her travels across Syria including Antioch & Alexandretta and she noted the heavy mix between Turks and Arabs in the region at that time. A map published circa 1911 highlighted that the ethnic make up (Alexandretta) was majority Arab with smaller communities of Armenians and Turks.
Many consider that Alexandretta had been traditionally part of Syria. Maps as far back as 1764 confirm this. During the First World War in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated most of Syria was occupied by the British forces. But when the armistice of Mudros was signed at the end of the war, Hatay was a still part of the Ottoman Empire. Nevertheless after the armistice it was occupied by the British forces an operation which was never accepted by the Ottoman side. Later like the rest of Syria it was handed to France by the British Empire.
After World War I and the Turkish War of Independence, the Ottoman Empire was disbanded and the modern Republic of Turkey was created, and Alexandretta was not part of the new republic, it was put within the French mandate of Syria after a signed agreement between the Allies and Turkey, the Treaty of Sèvres, which was neither ratified by the Ottoman parliament nor by the Turkish National Movement in Ankara. The subsequent Treaty of Lausanne also put Alexandretta within Syria. The document detailing the boundary between Turkey and Syria around 1920 and subsequent years is presented in a report by the Official Geographer of The Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the US Department of State. A French-Turkish treaty of 20 October 1921 rendered the Sanjak of Alexandretta autonomous, and remained so from 1921 to 1923. As well as Turks the population of the Sanjak included: Arabs of various religious denominations (Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Greek Orthodox); Greek Catholics, Syriac-Maronites; Jews; Syriacs; Kurds; and Armenians. In 1923 Hatay was attached to the State of Aleppo, and in 1925 it was directly attached to the French mandate of Syria, still with special administrative status.
Despite this, a Turkish community remained in Alexandretta, and Mustafa Kemal said that Hatay had been a Turkish homeland for 4,000 years. This was due to the contested nationalist pseudoscientific Sun Language Theory prevalent in the 1930s in Turkey, which presumed that some ancient peoples of Anatolia and the Middle East such as the Sumerians and Hittites, hence the name Hatay, were related to the Turks. In truth, the Turks first appeared in Anatolia during the 11th century when the Seljuk Turks occupied the eastern province of the Abbasid Empire and captured Baghdad. Resident Arabs organised under the banner or Arabism, and in 1930, Zaki Alarsuzi, a teacher and lawyer from Arsuz on the coast of Alexandretta published a newspaper called 'Arabism' in Antioch that was shut down by Turkish and French authorities.
The 1936 elections returned two MPs favouring the independence of Syria from France, and this prompted communal riots as well as passionate articles in the Turkish and Syrian press. This then became the subject of a complaint to the League of Nations by the Turkish government concerning alleged mistreatment of the Turkish populations. Atatürk demanded that Hatay become part of Turkey claiming that the majority of its inhabitants were Turks (Arabs actually outnumbered Turks 46% to 39%). The sanjak was given autonomy in November 1937 in an arrangement brokered by the League. Under its new statute, the sanjak became 'distinct but not separated' from the French mandate of Syria on the diplomatic level, linked to both France and Turkey for defence matters.
State of Hatay history
Republic of Hatay
On 2 September 1938, as the Second World War loomed over Europe, the assembly proclaimed the Republic of Hatay. The Republic lasted for one year under joint French and Turkish military supervision. The name "Hatay" itself was proposed by Atatürk, and the government was under Turkish control. The president Tayfur Sökmen was a member of Turkish parliament elected in 1935 (representing Antalya), and the prime minister Abdurrahman Melek was also elected to the Turkish parliament (representing Gaziantep) in 1939 while still holding the prime-ministerial post.
Hatay as a Turkish Province
On 29 June 1939, following a popular referendum, Hatay became a Turkish province. This referendum has been labelled both "phoney" and "rigged", and a way for the French to let Turks take over the area, hoping that they would turn on Hitler. For the referendum, Turkey crossed tens of thousands of Turks into Alexandretta to vote. These were Turks born in Hatay who were now living elsewhere in Turkey. In two government communiqués in 1937 and 1938, the Turkish government asked all local government authorities to make lists of their employees originally from Hatay. Those who listed were then sent to Hatay to register as citizens and vote.
Syrian President Hashim al-Atassi resigned in protest at continued French intervention in Syrian affairs, maintaining that the French were obliged to refuse the annexation under the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence of 1936.
The Hassa district of Gaziantep and Dörtyol district of Adana were then incorporated to the province in order to increase the Turkish proportion of the population. The result was a flight of many Arabs and Armenians to Syria. Many of the Armenians had been prior victims to the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey that had fled for their lives to the French Mandate of Syria and were now forced to leave again by the Turks.
New Talks of Sovereignity
As a result of the Syrian war and the extremely tense Turkish-Syrian relations it brought, construction was halted. As part of the ongoing war, the question of the sovereignty of Hatay has resurfaced in Syria and the Syrian media silence has been broken. Syrian media began broadcasting documentaries on the history of the area, the Turkish annexation and "Turkification" policies. Syrian newspapers have also reported on demonstrations in Hatay and on organizations and parties in Syria demanding an "end to the Turkish occupation", However, although the Syrian regime has repeatedly criticized the Turkish policies towards Syria and the armed rebel groups operating on Syrian territory, it has not officially brought up the question of Hatay.
Foreign relations
The Theocracy of Suladar establishes and maintains diplomatic relations with other nations through the Foreign Office, led by the Chief Ambassador. The Chief Ambassador has the power to grant "states of friendship" and tacit recognition, but official recognition of another nation can only be granted by an Act of Parliament. The Chief Ambassador is aided in their duties by the Deputy Chief Ambassador.
Suladar remains neutral on the Georgian wars which include South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Suladar recognizes Georgia but will not recognize any of the other countries until thier wars are over and peace has been restored.
Suladar is an active member of the Syria civil war. On the 6th August 2015 Suladar declared war on The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Al Nusra. Suladar strongly supports the YPG fighters and the Lions of Rojava and supports them in every way necessary whether it be armament or supplies.
Suladar recognizes Kurdistan.
Geography
Climate
46% of the land is mountain, 33% plain and 20% plateau and hillside. The most prominent feature is the north-south leading Nur Mountains and the highest peak is Mığırtepe (2240m), other peaks include Ziyaret dağı and Keldağ (Jebel Akra or Casius) at 1739 m. The folds of land that make up the landscape of the province were formed as the land masses of Arabian-Nubian Shield and Anatolia have pushed into each other, meeting here in Suladar, a classic example of the Horst–graben formation. The Orontes River rises in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and runs through Syria and Suladar, where it reserves the Karasu and the Afrin River. It flows into the Mediterranean at its delta in Samandağ. There was a lake in the plain of Amik but this was drained in the 1970s, and today Amik is now the largest of the plains and an important agricultural center. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean, with warm wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mountain areas inland are drier than the coast. There are some mineral deposits, İskenderun is home to Turkey's largest iron and steel plant, and the district of Yayladağı produces a colourful marble called Rose of Hatay.
Climate
Suladar has a Mediterranean climate which has very hot, long and dry summers with cool rainy winters.
| Climate data for Hatay | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 12.3 (54.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.1 (88) |
27.6 (81.7) |
20.1 (68.2) |
13.9 (57) |
23.28 (73.91) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
12.2 (54) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.8 (74.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
21.1 (70) |
15.4 (59.7) |
9.2 (48.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
13.98 (57.16) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 172.7 (6.799) |
156.8 (6.173) |
141.3 (5.563) |
101.5 (3.996) |
90.4 (3.559) |
20.4 (0.803) |
21.9 (0.862) |
5.9 (0.232) |
39.8 (1.567) |
74.0 (2.913) |
114.2 (4.496) |
172.1 (6.776) |
1,111 (43.74) |
| Average rainy days | 14.2 | 13.5 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 7.5 | 9.7 | 13.3 | 96.8 |
| Sunshine hours | 105.4 | 123.2 | 186 | 225 | 297.6 | 330 | 356.5 | 337.9 | 291 | 220.1 | 147 | 102.3 | 2,722 |
| Source: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü [2] | |||||||||||||
Demography
The majority of population adheres to Islam belonging to either Alawi branch of Shia Islam or Sunni Islam. But other minorities are also found including Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Maronites, Antiochian Greeks and Armenian communities. The village of Vakıflı in the district of Samandağ is Turkey's last remaining rural Armenian community while Arabs form the majority in three districts out of the twelve: Samandağ (Suwaidiyyah) (Alawi), Altınözü (Qusair) and Reyhanlı (Rihaniyyah) (Sunni). Unlike most Mediterranean provinces, Suladar has not experienced mass migration from other parts of Turkey in recent decades and has therefore preserved much of its traditional culture; for example, Arabic is still widely spoken in the country.[3] To celebrate this cultural mix, in 2005 "Hatay Meeting of Civilisations" congress was organised by Dr Aydın Bozkurt of Mustafa Kemal University and his "Hatay Association for the Protection of Universal Values".[4] Suladar is traversed by the north-easterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Administrative districts
Suladar is divided into 12 districts: Altınözü, Antakya, Belen, Dörtyol, Erzin, Hassa, İskenderun, Kırıkhan, Kumlu, Reyhanlı, Samandağ and Yayladağı.
In 2014, 3 more districts are split: Defne, Arsuz and Payas.
Government
Suladar is a constitutional monarchy ruled by the House of Luke. Luke ---- is head of state as Monarch, and holds vast executive, legislative, and judicial powers. He is advised by the Advisory Council, a body which he can consult for and which can issue the Monarch with non-binding advice and suggestions.
On a daily basis, most executive power is exercised by the Monarch and Cabinet of Suladar, with the Prime Minister acting mostly as a go-between who helps to co-ordinate the policies of Cabinet in accordance with the wishes of the Monarch. Legislative power is vested in the Suladar Church Council, which is comprised of the Monarch, Prime Minister, and House of Priests. The judiciary is comprised of Town Courts, High Courts, and a Grand Court, to try differing degrees of crimes, with the Consuls issuing sentences for those found guilty.
There are 15 districts of Suladar and each has a 6 member local council for that district and a representative equalling 7. They can appeal directly to the Monarch or Prime minister for changes but the monarch has a final say. All laws are run through by the House of Priests to make sure they're just and do not infringe the Christian religion or anyone else's. The local council have some control over their district and can build parks etc but have to report profits and budgets to the treasury twice a year.
If the King should die without leaving an heir then the Prime minister takes control of the country until a new king is elected. Even though Suladar is a theocracy the King does not say he's divine and has spiritual encounters meaning any member of government could become King. The time without a king is called a Boş Taht (vacant throne). The new king is elected this way: The Prime minister doesn't actually become king. The Cabinet of Suladar are all the candidates after serving with one of the ministries at one point. The public vote over a 15 day period and after 15 days the votes are counted and once the votes are counted to newly elected King swears the oath to protect Suladar and is awarded a holy cross of Jesus that will be passed down royal line. The priests are just ordinary priests elected by the king to maked up the House of Priests too. They judge things on whether its too much of a sin to pass a certain law or not.
Ministries
- Home Office - led by the Home Secretary, responsible for maintaining, guarding and administrating the borders of the country, keeping a census of all residents and subjects of Suladar, and supervising the running of the Suladar Police. Requirements are knowledge of fighting terrorism and basic combat experience.
- Treasury - led by the Chancellor, responsible for managing the income of the country through tax and legal fines, and the financial policy of the country.
- Foreign Office - led by the Chief Ambassador, responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations with other nations. King also performs this duty.
- Environmental Office - led by the Minister for the Environment, responsible for protecting the Suladari natural environment and for implementing the country's environmental policy, as well as overseeing the Geographical Society.
- Ministry of Defence - led by the Minister of Defence, responsible for the implementation of government defence policy and, together with the Treasury, the funding of the Suladari Armed Forces. Must have military training and serivce of atleast 20 years and knowledge of guerilla tactics and figting terrorism.
- Ministry for Religion - led by the Minister for Religion, responsible for promoting and preserving the Christian culture while also increasing realtions with other religions.
- Ministry of Immigration - led by the Minister of Immigration and the Home Secretary, the Ministry of Immigration deals issues relating to Immigration
Law and order
Law enforcement in Suladar is the responsibility of the Suladari Police. Jurisprudence operates on a religious legal system, with crimes being tried by a Town Court, a High Court, or the Grand Court, depending on the severity of the offence. If a person is found guilty of a crime, then their punishment is decided by the Suladari consuls. Civil disputes are resolved by a magistrate appointed by the Monarch. Policing the 10 commandments is difficult as not everyone agress with it and is religious so many are not crimes however stealing is and if caught lying to the court on a criminal case it could add 1 year to the sentence. obvious crimes are illegal too obviously such as murder, arson, fraud, drug abuse, rape etc..
Capital punishment in Suladar is outlawed and euthanasia is too. Abortion is also illegal.
Marijuana is legal in Suladar. However you have to be 18 or over to buy it in a store and it must be used for recreational purposes only. Medical purposes are left to the hospitals. Other drugs like Cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and ecstasy are illegal.
Military
The Suladar Armed Forces are the military of the Theocracy of Suladar, administrated and partially funded by the Ministry of Defence. The main branch of the SAF is the Suladar Army. The SAF is also comprised of the Suladar Navy and the Suladar Air Force. There is a War council led by the King in times of war. Members are the minister of defence and the highest ranking members of the SAF.
There are special sections of the armed forces too. The Suladari Royal Guard are have the responsibility of guarding the King and his Palace. The Özel Harp Operasyonu Askerler (OHOA) are a branch of Special Operations for Suladar. The Suladar Anti Terrorism Unit (SATU) are used in terrorist crisis' and to rescue hostages. All snipers have to have had SATU training. There are many more like the Suladar Border Guards who are heavily armed.
Demographics
Population
Suladar has 4 registered citizens however 1,480,571 live on its land. This is becuase Suladar hasn't declared independence. If you are born inside the country you are a citizen and you have citizenship if you were born to Suladari citizens outside of Suladar. You can become a citizen by staying in the country for longer than 3 years and you have to prove to be able to take care of yourself. Any refugess that we accept are givin citizenship.
Languages
English is the official language however other languages are used in daily life like Arabic and Turkish. Syriac is recognized beacuse of the country's national religion.
Religion
Suladar is fully Christian and follows the Maronite Church. All Maronites are given Visas that let them enter the country for free. Only Christianity can be advertised and no other religions can try and convert people otherwise your fined. Scientology is banned outright. Other religions can practice freely and a limited number of their religious buildings can be built for them to practice their religions. No matter what religion your are or if you are athiest you have all human rights grangted and no harsher taxes or anything.
The state religion will not change and protests will be met with Riot Police.
Media
There is no ban on media, other than the official Turkish state gov who own all the cables ban over all types of indecent content. You can access the internet at will and can read any book or newspaper. TV and radio is fine too and you can watch any channels or listen to stations you desire.
Suladar news is state run however. Other news channels are allowed to start.
Social media is not limited. However using it to spread terrorism or radicalisation is a crime and that counts for any method using the media and inducing terrorism's penalty is deportation and a large fine without trial. Jail time can be up to 20 years if you cannot be deported.
Landmarks
1.World's second-largest collection of Roman mosaics in Antakya museum
2.Rock-carved Church of St Peter in Antakya, a site of Christian pilgimage.
3.Gündüz cinema, once parliament building of the Republic of Hatay.
4.Titus Tunnel of Vespasian, in Samandağı, built as a water channel in the 2nd century.
References
- ↑ "List of Micronations by Date Founded", MicroWikia, Retrieved 4 November 2011
- ↑ http://www.dmi.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=Suladar
- ↑ Radikal-çevrimiçi / Türkiye / Samandağ'da 'Alluş'la dans
- ↑ Spiritual leaders speak up in Hatay for global peace - Turkish Daily News Sep 27, 2005