NENE HATUN          

        The Turkish woman who wrote her name into Turkish history with her heroism in Aziziye bastion of Erzurum during Turkish-Russian war known as "93 War" in our history.She was born in Erzurum in 1857. She lived there for exactly ninety eight years. She was known and remembered as a symbol of heroism. She passed the last days of his life as the "mother of Third Army". In 1955, after being elected as the "mother of the year", she died on 22 May 1255 in Erzurum because of tuberculosis.

 

       The bloody and dark days of Turkish-Russian war. In the night between 7 and 8 November of 1877, a crowded gang moving from two Armenian villages in the vicinity, approached slyly and succeeded in entering famous Aziziye bastion of Erzurum. A few Turkish soldiers defending the bastion were in deep sleep. They were raided during their sleep and put to sword. The Russian forces following, placed themselves in Aziziye bastion without any resistance.

 

       A soldier saving himself wounded from this malicious raid arrived in Erzurum running, and gave the bad news. The minarets shouted "Russians entered Aziziye" instead of morning call-to-prayer. Whole Erzurum heard this bad news at the same moment. And at the same time, all Erzurum flied into a passion. People having rifles took them, others took what they could find, like scythes, pickaxes, shovels, and sticks, and ran to the streets. All of Erzurum people, both women and men began to run toward Aziziye.

 

       There was a newly married bride living in a humble house in suburban quarter of the city. His brother Hasan was taken home being severely injured the day before, and passed away in the arms of this new bride a few hours ago. Her husband was on the front. The voices from the minarets saying "Russians entered Aziziye" was mixed with the hum of running mobilized people. The bride suckled her three-month-old baby, who began to cry as if to have heard the bad news, and made it sleep. She put it on its cradle slowly, and muttered in an excited voice:

 

       - It is Allah who gave you to me, and I entrust you to Allah my baby.
      Then she rushed to the bed of her martyr brother. She kissed him on his forehead:
       - I will kill the one who killed you, in a voice full of grudge.

 

      And immediately went out from the door taking the meat cleaver. She mingled among the crowd consisting of women and men with stones and sticks with them running toward Aziziye madly.

 

       Whole Erzurum, those dadas', rushed. They flew like flood toward Aziziye bastion, which they considered more beloved than their own living.

 

       Russians opened running fire on the people approaching the bastion, which killed many Erzurumers. Seeing their death made those who could stand, angrier and the crowd immediately went in the bastion leaning against the iron doors of the same. Iron doors could not stand such extraordinary belief.

 

       A bloody and violent fight started in Aziziye. People who did not have any axes, scythes, or sticks, used their claws to throttle Russians. That army with artilleries and rifles, was totally defeated against such rush. Russian soldiers who could not say Turk, abbreviated Ottoman and said only "Osman". Anyone in trouble said "Osman surrender" and tried to save their lives.

 

       If it was some other time, Turkish mercy would overwhelm, maybe. But this was a totally different situation. Hundreds of Erzurumers were lying in blood within and outside of Aziziye, some of them being women, elderly and children. Did not day open fire on them? Nobody listened to "Osman" nor "Surrender". The new bride was hitting her meat cleaver on the face and head of any Russian before her. She would never be able to end the pain of her martyred brother even if she killed a thousand Russians...

 

       Nearly 2.000 Russian soldiers were killed and Aziziye was saved. The rest of the enemies reached safety by escaping on their horses. Erzurumers had no horses to follow them. But people on foot could follow, catch and kill horsemen.

 

       The new bride was among the wounded. She fell down in blood due to an injury she got during her fight with the meat cleaver in her hand. She was unconscious when they found her wounded, even then she did not let that bloody meat cleaver be taken....
The name of this young bride was Nene. She got among the people known and respected by all Erzurumers after that day.

 

       She told about how Russians were killed in Aziziye to all Erzurumers during her life of ninety eight years. However, she told about herself with only a few words. She told to the NATO Chief Commander who visited her one year before her death that "I did what was necessary then. I would do the same if necessary now too", and stroke him with admiration...