# Zübeyde Hanım

Zübeyde Hanım (1857 – 15 January 1923) was the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. She was born in 1857 in Langaza, a village located in the region that is now part of Thessaloniki, Greece. Zübeyde Hanım was the only daughter of the Hacısofular family, which also included her two brothers. Her family migrated to Macedonia following the collapse of the Karamanid dynasty. Zübeyde Hanım is remembered for her role as the mother of Atatürk and for her significant influence on his early life.

## Early life

Zübeyde Hanım was born in 1857 in Lagkadas (now part of the Thessaloniki region in Greece) to a Turkish family. According to historian Şevket Süreyya Aydemir, she was of Turkic Yörük origin. However, there have been various claims regarding her ancestry, with some suggesting Macedonian, Bulgarian, or Albanian roots. Zübeyde Hanım spent her early years on a farm in southern Albania, where she was raised as the daughter of a small tenant farmer. She was described as having blonde hair, blue eyes, and a robust stature. This ethnic background is believed to have influenced her son, Mustafa Kemal, later known as Atatürk, in his development and leadership style.
Zübeyde Hanım's education was simplistic, primarily consisting of learning to read and write. Due to her ability to read and write, she earned the nickname "Zübeyde Molla" among some people. The term "Molla" refers to someone who is knowledgeable and often serves as a teacher, particularly in the context of theology. This nickname reflected the respect she garnered for her literacy, despite her limited formal education.
Zübeyde Hanım was a devout Muslim, and her pious upbringing had a significant influence on her son, Mustafa Kemal. As a result, she enrolled him in a local school, known as a mahalle mektebi, an Islamic school that primarily focused on teaching the Qur'an. This early education played a part in shaping Mustafa Kemal's character and values.
Zübeyde Hanım's first marriage in 1871 was to Ali Rıza Efendi. She was 14 or 15 years old and he was 32. With her dark blonde hair, deep blue eyes and fair skin, she won the admiration of Ali Rıza, a border guard. Ali Rıza's older sister arranged this marriage - as was the tradition at that time. Zübeyde Hanım was in her early teens and 20 years younger than her husband. Their first child was Fatma, followed by Ömer and Ahmet, but they all died in childhood. In 1881, she gave birth to a son Mustafa, her daughters, Makbule in 1885, and Naciye in 1889, who died of tuberculosis in childhood.

## Zübeyde and Kemal

She was widowed at a young age, as her husband died when their son Mustafa was six years old.
Following his death, Zübeyde Hanım moved with her two children, Mustafa and Makbule to live with her brother, Husein, who was the manager of a farm outside Salonica.
In her second marriage she was married to Ragıp Bey, who had four children from his previous marriage. She could not see Mustafa Kemal during the Turkish War of Independence in 1919.

## Later life

After the Balkan Wars, when the Ottomans lost Salonica (now Thessaloniki) to Greece, Zübeyde Hanım moved to a house in Beşiktaş-Akaretler, Istanbul, with her daughter, Makbule. In 1922, she relocated to Ankara, but the climate there was not suitable for her health. As a result, she was sent to İzmir for better conditions. Zübeyde Hanım passed away on 15 January 1923. In 1940, a memorial was built in her honor, where she is buried.