Early life and education Öcalan was born in Ömerli, a village in Halfeti, Şanlıurfa Province in eastern Turkey. While some sources report his date of birth as 4 April 1949, no official birth records exist. He has claimed not to know exactly when he was born, estimating the year to be 1946 or 1947. He is the oldest of seven children.Aliza Marcus, Blood and Belief, New York University Press, 2007. (p. 16) He attended elementary school in a neighboring village and wanted to join the Turkish army. He applied to the military high school but failed in the admission exam.Marcus, Aliza (2009), pp. 17–18 In 1966 he began to study at a vocational high school in Ankara () and attended meetings of anti-communists but also of circles active in left wing politics interested in improving Kurdish rights. He was also a very conservative Muslim in his youth and he admired Necip Fazıl Kısakürek.Uğur Mumcu (Haziran 2020). Kürt Dosyası. SBF'de Şafak Bildirisi Dağıtılıyor. Uğur Mumcu Araştırmacı Gazetecilik Vakfı. p. 7. After graduating in 1969, Öcalan began working at the Title Deeds Office of Diyarbakır. It was at this time his political affiliation began to take a form. He was relocated one year later to Istanbul where he participated in the meetings of the Revolutionary Cultural Eastern Hearths (DDKO).Marcus, Aliza (2009) p. 23 Later, he entered the Istanbul Law Faculty but after the first year transferred to Ankara University to study political science.
Early life and education Öcalan was born in Ömerli, a village in Halfeti, Şanlıurfa Province in eastern Turkey. While some sources report his date of birth as 4 April 1949, no official birth records exist. He has claimed not to know exactly when he was born, estimating the year to be 1946 or 1947. He is the oldest of seven children.Aliza Marcus, Blood and Belief, New York University Press, 2007. (p. 16) He attended e.lementary school in a neighboring village and wanted to join the Turkish army. He applied to the military high school but failed in the admission exam.Marcus, Aliza (2009), pp. 17–18 In 1966 he began to study at a vocational high school in Ankara () and attended meetings of anti-communists but also of circles active in left wing politics interested in improving Kurdish rights. He was also a very conservative Muslim in his youth and he admired Necip Fazıl Kısakürek.Uğur Mumcu (Haziran 2020). Kürt Dosyası. SBF'de Şafak Bildirisi Dağıtılıyor Uğur Mumcu Araştırmacı Gazetecilik Vakfı. p. 7. After graduating in 1969, Öcalan began working at the Title Deeds Office of Diyarbakır. It was at this time his political affiliation began to take a form. He was relocated one year later to Istanbul where he participated in the meetings of the Revolutionary Cultural Eastern Hearths (DDKO).Marcus, Aliza (2009) p. 23 Later, he entered the Istanbul Law Faculty but after the first year transferred to Ankara University to study political science.