← 1978 1977 1976 1979 in Turkey → 1980 1981 1982
Centuries:	20th 21st
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	List of years in Turkey

Events in the year 1979 in Turkey.^[1]

Parliament

• 16th Parliament of Turkey

Incumbents

• President – Fahri Korutürk
• Prime Minister –

Bülent Ecevit (up to 12 November)

Süleyman Demirel (from 12 November)

• Leader of the opposition –

Süleyman Demirel (up to 12 November)

Bülent Ecevit (from 12 November)

Ruling party and the main opposition

• Ruling party

Republican People's Party (CHP) (up to 12 November)

Justice Party (AP) (from 12 November)

• Main opposition

Justice Party (AP) (up to 12 November)

Republican People's Party (CHP) (from 12 November)

Cabinet

• 42nd government of Turkey (up to 12 November)
• 43rd government of Turkey (from 12 November)

Events

February

• 1 February 1979 – Abdi İpekçi is assassinated.

March

• 3 March – Sürü wins Best Film in the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.
• 15 March – Turkey withdraws from CENTO.
• 29 March – U.S. Congress approves $200,000,000 in military aid.^[2]

April

• 12 April – U.S. serviceman killed in Izmir.^[2]

May

• 24 May – First local airplane in Kayseri is operational.

June

• 3 June – Trabzonspor wins the championship.^[3]
• 15 June – Turkish and Greek officials commence talks on Cyprus^[2]

July

• 10 July – Mehmet Ali Ağca, charged with the murder of Abdi İpekçi, is arrested.
• 13 July – A Palestinian group raids the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara.^[4]

August

• 8 August – Students at the opening ceremony of Middle East Technical University sing The Internationale instead of the Turkish national anthem.^[2]

October

• 5 October – A permanent Palestine Liberation Organization office opens in Ankara.^[2]
• 14 October – The ruling party CHP is defeated in the general election.

November

• 20 November – Deputy dean of Istanbul University, Ümit Doğanay, is killed by terrorists.^[2]
• 25 November – Mehmet Ali Ağca escapes from prison.

Births

• 15 April – Nezihe Kalkan (Nez), singer
• 23 April – Bengü Erden (Bengü) singer
• 2 May – Yasemin Dalkılıç, female free diver

Deaths

• 1 February – Abdi İpekçi (assassinated at age 49), journalist
• 29 April – Muhsin Ertuğrul (aged 54), theatre actor
• 16 June – Ayhan Işık (aged 50), movie actor
• 12 September – Agop Dilaçar (aged 84), Turkish linguist of Armenian descent
• 28 September – Cevat Yurdakul (assassinated at age 37), prosecutor and police chief of Adana

Gallery

• 
  Bülent Ecevit
• 
  Süleyman Demirel
• 
  Bengü