Özet:

Borders are the lines that separate different authorities from each other and are indicated with fine contours on maps. The border between Turkey and Syria was drawn in accordance with the Treaty of Ankara dated 20 October 1921, signed with the French after the War of Independence. The study area that makes up a part of the border drawn by this treaty was shaped by gaining a border identity. This induced a process of alteration and transformation in the relative location of the region. This study is intended to discuss the alterations and transformations in Kilis caused by the border, based on historical instruments and documents. The structure, which changed and transformed with the drawing of the border, required the review of historical and geographical codes. While historical processes make up the case-oriented aspect of the border change, geographical processes constitute the space-oriented aspect. The questions used in the research under this study are; “How was the border drawn in the historical process?”, “Is the drawn border a physical border?”, “How did the border have a transformative effect on the functional structure of Kilis?”, “What is the extent of the population and spatial loss in Kilis caused by the border?”, and “Is the border a corridor of opportunity for Kilis?” To find the answers to these questions in line with the objective of the study, a set of tools were leveraged, including the literature review on the study area and subject, the document analysis technique allowed by access to the archived documents and newspapers, and the descriptive analysis technique using tables, maps and charts developed based on secondary data related to the field. The secondary data used in the study are the daily archives of Kilis newspaper archive, the Presidential Republic Archive, the Minutes of Secret Sessions at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the Minutes of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the General Population Census and ABPRS (Address Based Population Registry System) data at DIE (State Institute of Statistics)/TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute), Aleppo Provincial Yearbooks, and 1:200,000-scale Kilis-Aleppo-Manbij Topographic Maps. The findings of secondary data suggest four critical results: First, the Kilis part of the Turkish-Syrian border is an entirely political order that includes no physical components. Therefore, the border drawn is a feature that divides a geography and is considered peculiar by people. Secondly, the border drawn resulted in the loss of function by separating Kilis, which is located at the transportation hub, from Aleppo. Thirdly, the border caused 2/3 of Kilis to remain on the Syrian side. This induced both spatial and population loss. Fourthly, the border is a structure with a larger number of adverse impacts on Kilis considering its negative and positive aspects. Consequently, historical and political conflicts, land disputes, loss of economic function, migration, security concerns, mined areas, irregular migration route, and illegal structures, which all arise from the border in Kilis, account for undesirable negative aspects of the border. Therefore, the border turned into the fate of Kilis. While the border in Kilis denotes fear, threat and formality, it also provided the means of livelihood for a part of the community due to the illegal border trade that cannot be waived.

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