Q U A R T E R L Y
C U L T U R E
A N D
A R T
M A G A Z I N E
Published by Ministry of Family and Social Policies.
Year 3
| January February March 2015 | 9
th
The 100ANNIVERSARY OF
THE ÇANAKKALE VICTORY
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FAMILY
We are a family
incidental teaching
within the family Prof. Dr. Nevzat TARHAN
BERGAMA
Among the World Heritage Sites
Turkish Coffee culture little details Prof. Dr. Üstün DÖKMEN
Introduction Ayşenur İSLAM Minister of Family and Social Policies
The Çanakkale Victory which achieved a unique place in the history as a turning point in our nation’s fight for independence; the joint effort and struggle demonstrated by women, men, children, youth and elderly against all kinds of difficulties was the most beautiful example of our homeland defence made against the enemy which was superior in terms of material conditions. The Battle of Çanakkale described as “ The sky is descending death; the earth is spewing out death / Such a blizzard is it; that the wretch of humanity is blowing away...” by Mehmet Akif, which was one of the most violent fights of the World War became the scene of terrifying battle and extraordinary heroism. The Battle of Çanakkale was not only a war between the two sides but beyond it became the proof for the return of our nation’s greatness and power and made these land for us an everlasting homeland. Thus this legend has to be read and evaluated in a sophisticated way. Each of the martyrs and veterans who made this history has their own stories. The students who left the school and ran to the front, the brave men who left their lovers, the heroes who made their wives widowed and their children orphaned for the sake of the sacred matters and the fathers who gave names to their children in letters without seeing them made this history gradually. Thousands of people including youth, elderly, women and men who gathered together from every part of the Ottoman Empire protected the territory where they lived and the sacred matter even at the cost of their lives. As it was expressed in a poem, the Dardanelles were “the place where the heart of the homeland beat”. The view which appeared when we listened to the heart of the homeland was depicted by Gazi Mustafa Kemal in the following way; “The death is certain since the distance between the opposing shields is about eight or ten meters… Those who are at the first shields are all becoming martyrs and those who are at the second shields are replacing them. Yet can you imagine what a desirable calmness and resignation
they have? He sees his friends dying and knows that he is going to die in three minutes but he never hesitates even for a while. No convulsions … Those who can are reciting Quran and getting ready to go to heaven. Those who cannot are walking by uttering the Kalima Shahadah. This is the example that demonstrates the power of the Turkish solders’ spirits which is worth for wonder and congratulation. Be sure that it is the high spirit which wins the Battle of the Dardanelles.” Just as it was told by Ismail Hakki Bey who was a professor at the University of Istanbul; “Çanakkale was defended and the battle was gained. However, the duty was over only for the solders and commanders. But it is not over for us; even it has not begun yet. Everyone should know that those who gave their bloods died for this history, this honour and virtue. We must pay the debt of their blood. The poets should write their poems, the painters should draw on their sheets, the sculptors should reveal their monuments, the writers should write their stories and the survivors should recite the mercy and grace of God…” Currently we are sustaining this legend as a duty and we are reciting the mercy and grace of God for our ancestors by supplicating God to provide graves as the gardens of paradise for them. There is one more important thing to remember; Today, our duty is not only to consider the Çanakkale Victory as the source of heroism and as a historical event which is brought to mind once in a year but to discover the spirit which was there in the Dardanelles and carry it to the present as well. Because it is the duty of all of us to bring this land for whose sake our ancestors gave their lives and which was entrusted to us into a country where everyone can live in peace and its secret is hidden in the soul of the Dardanelles.
CONTENTS th 0 0 1 e h T ANNIVERSARY OF
The Senegalese...................................................................7
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THE ÇANAKKALE VICTORY
The Spirit of Çanakkale.....................................................10
Mehmet Âkif & İdeal Youth Asım Generation....................13
incidental
teachingwithin the family
4
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan
BERGAMA
Among the World Heritage Sites
28
Melih Uslu
Islamic Social Complexes..................................................16
10 Important Phases That Should be Considered.............18 During the Development of the Infant
If You Want You Can Succeed in Everything!.....................20
My Grandfather Did Not Obey...........................................24 the Orders of Mustafa Kemal
Interview with Mesut Cem Erkul.......................................38
Turkish Coffee
culture and its specifics
56
Muhammed Musab Sungur
Prof. Dr. Üstün Dökmen
Guide Woman...................................................................41
Past Times Tables...............................................................42
Trabzon Köşk Nursing Home.............................................45
Interview with Grandson of Koca Seyit .............................46
catching the instantaneities:
creating
great happiness
60
from little details
Conscious Health and Health Improvement.....................48
Interview with Özhan Eren................................................52
Spring Festivals.................................................................54
“We are a family”
is a publication of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies. It is published once in three months.
The Owner of the Magazine
Dr Mustafa Durmuş, in the name of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies
Editorial
Editor –in –Chief and Responsible Editor Tanıl Can BAYOĞLU
Publishing Council
İrfan ÇAYBOYLU Dr. Sermet BAŞARAN Emre TÖRE Dr. Dursun AYAN Samet CEYHAN Ozan İLTER Bengin EFETÜRK Aysun TÜRÜT Oya TANYERİ Handan ARSLAN Özlem YÜKSELBABA Serpil PENEZ ŞAHİN Nermin ÖZTÜRK Hakan AYDIN
Consultative Council
Çiğdem ERDOĞAN ATABEK Nesrin ÇELİK Ebubekir ŞAHİN İmambey ERTEM Mustafa KARAMAN İsmail YÜKSEKTEPE Temindar AYTEKİN Gülser USTAOĞLU Gamze AYRIM Selami GÜDER Kenan ÖNALAN Prof. Dr. Vedat IŞIKHAN Doç. Dr. Ayşe Sezen SERPEN Doç. Dr. Cengiz ÖZBESLER Hümeyra ŞAHİN Dr. Murat YILMAZ
Address of the Directorate
Söğütözü Mah. 2177. Sok. A Blok No: 10 Çankaya/Ankara
Production arti5medya.com Tel: +90 312 286 13 00
Cover Photograph
From the Archive of the Chief of General Staff
Art Director
Gürkan Akbaş
Place of Printing
Uzman Matbaacılık Tel: +90 312 394 43 64
Date of Printing 21.05.2015
The legal responsibility of the article belongs to the author. For your criticism, review or article you may want to publish bizbiraileyiz@aile.gov.tr For the digital magazine: kutuphane.aile.gov.tr/sayfa/ bizbiraileyiz
Tanıl Can BAYOĞLU
Dear Readers We are pleased to meet our readers in the spring with the first issue of the year. Spring means renewal and refreshment. This issue is full of innovation which you may notice for the first time you took the magazine in your hands. These innovations are not only about the outer appearance. You will also feel the significant changes in the spirit of the magazine and we hope you will not give it away. The 100th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory has become the main subject in this issue. Even if we discussed only this subject throughout many pages, of course we could not say that we discussed it adequately. We approach the Çanakkale Victory from the unknown directions. For instance, did you know that the Muslim Senegalese fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Battle of Dardanelles? It is an interesting topic. From the dusty shelves of the history, Dr Ahmet Uçar has compiled for us the letters written from the front by the solders. The life story which was put on paper by Prof. Dr. Binnur Yeşilyaprak from the interview she made with her mother is as devastating as a film could be. When it comes to cinema we could not pass without mentioning our cinema, which left its 100th year behind. We made pleasant conversations on this issue for you to read. One of our interviews is about the Turkish coffee. I recommend reading it with the company of a Turkish coffee. In the interview made with Eşref ARMAĞAN you will witness how beautiful a sight-disabled person is able to paint pictures. Our famous travel writer Melih Uslu is going to lead us to Bergama to the capitol of health. After reading this article, you may add Bergama which is on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites to your trip routes. Our dear author in another article talks over the spring festivals in Turkey. I am sure that the articles of Prof. Dr Üstün Dökmen, Prof. Dr Nevzat Tarhan and Prof. Dr Ertuğrul Yaman will be read all in one breath. In a nutshell, we prepared an issue full of content that you will not give out of your hands. I wish you a good read and hope you will be waiting for the next issue impatiently.
4 AİLE | January February March 2015 | 9 >
Teaching
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I n c i d e n t a l Te a c h i n g w i t h i n t h e F a m i l y
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan Rector of the Üsküdar University
incidental
teaching
within the family
The new generation or the couples step on the digital street of internet which is an open door in every home and grow up and live within this virtual world. We must consider this seriously. We should try to be a good person before being a good partner, a good father or a good businessman. The roots of being a good person comes from a good family environment, we do not have any choice other than reviving the values which keep the family together! >>
The “Incidental Teaching within the Family” which is natural behaviour training is an opportunity today in order to keep on standing the family values, to educate our children better and to be able to establish better relationship with our partners.
matter and we will return to that again” makes living meaningless. The new generations are far much secularized. The generation which does not recognize any higher value instead of its own ego and comfort, threatens the future of the humanity.
Now it is the Time of Finding Solutions and Not the Time of Making Complaints!
What is Incidental teaching?
In the digital era, the aimless children of the “App Generation” are sweeping humanity like flood. The three apples of Prophet Adam, Newton and the Apple Corporation have changed the humanity. Prohibitions have no meanings anymore. It is the digital media which educates the yet unformed generation and the young people. The aimlessness keeps the humanity open to stress. The anomic modernity and the materialism saying “If you cannot succeed in life you may die” encourage the people to commit suicide. The perception saying that “We came from a lifeless
The incidental teaching is a very useful educational format in cultures and systems which want to use the time effectively. Especially in our age where the ego gets too high, the people tend to close themselves from “teacher manner” applications immediately. In the era of speed and intensity we are living, the ProblemOriented Education / Incidental Teaching is one of the fields in the education that uses the principle of productivity in the most effective way and at the same time it ensures the quality standards and innovations.
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AİLE 5
The ability to experience the natural consequences of the mistakes and to enjoy the taste of the beautiful behaviour is what makes us human.
The conducted researches pointed out that 60-70 % of the diseases occur due to the malnutrition, wrong lifestyle, wrong habits, distorted thinking patterns, meaningless prejudices and groundless fears. Just like it was predicted before the Aristotelian era “ The mankind wishes to be happy about everything”. People are meant to be happy throughout the life. In the past, psychiatry had taken three areas seriously: emotionsthoughts-behaviours. Nowadays two more areas have gained importance; these are: physical reactions and value system.
While analysing the humanity, the “Bio psychosocial spiritual model” which includes familial, professional, universal and existential relations should be considered as a whole. While living on the ground that I tried to summarize, it would be a clever attitude to make learning material from each activity we do in the daily life. The ability to experience the natural consequences of the mistakes and to enjoy the taste of the beautiful behaviour is what makes us human. For a person who cares to be organic in everything even in nutrition it is more beneficial to prefer natural learning instead of the artificial relations and experiences.
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Teaching
What is Natural Learning? The researches which were conducted on how the autistic children could learn in a best way show that the ideal learning method is the natural way of learning. It is the type of education conducted by actions rather than words. The languages of emotions, thoughts and behaviour are all used. It provides permanent learning for a child instead of giving lessons about how to be tidy, you ensure him or her to find the lost toy by giving no help. If a fussy-eater child is given the opportunity to fast for the whole day when he does not want to eat the prepared food will be a much better education than giving speech for hours. A mother who tells the followings to her child who lied about a broken vase: “Look sweetie, it is sure that you are the one who broke that vase. But you have just made a greater mistake than breaking a vase. You said something which was not true” will give two lessons at the same time about how she loved and cared about the child and that being honest is more beneficial by evaluating this opportunity. Instead of helping your child directly, you may encourage him/her when he/she wants to climb up the armchair with the following words “Come on, try it, do not worry I will catch you if you fall”…
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I n c i d e n t a l Te a c h i n g w i t h i n t h e F a m i l y
A woman who uses humour as a tool to tell the husband how much it is annoying when he comes home and stays silent by sticking a tape on her own mouth. This action will leave some traces in the memory as a form of expression. All these are incidental teachings made by the way of natural learning.
What Does it Mean That the Family Life is Appropriate to the Social Entropy? Entropy is the second law, of the thermodynamics. According to this law everything in the universe is going towards the irregularities inevitably. Without external control, the hot water is getting cold, daylight is turning to darkness, new is becoming old, the young is getting older, the living creatures are dying, our room is getting dirty and the universe is expanding. Each of the living creatures has a control area. If we do not care about the garden, it will get weedy or if we neglect our job we will go bankrupt or get fired. If we do not clean the house or ourselves, we will smell and get sick. If we do not try to be a good person, we will turn into a selfish monster. Likewise, if we do not invest into our family or life, if our children who are the fruit of the family grow up in a wrong way, we will not have peace and comfort at home or in life.
Being able to make your partner feel that he /she is loved by care and satisfaction during sickness.
This means that instead of looking for the magic formula, we should take some time,
To sustain the hope and expectation that there could occur positive happenings in life by whispering “There is a lot to give thanks to God” when the husband has problems with his job or when the meal is not ready.
This means that we should spend as much time with our partners and children as we spend with the work.
Instead of helping your child directly, you may encourage him/her when he/she wants to climb up the armchair with the following words “Come on, try it, do not worry I will catch you if you fall”…
So at the same time we should try to make the persons and areas we are responsible for more beautiful while we are trying to satisfy our ego otherwise the law of entropy will not forgive us. The life before getting married or as a part of the family may not be always full of optimism. The important thing is that your approaches towards the problems which need to be resolved and the troubles that narrow the world for you and for the family can be turned in a moment into opportunity for the long-term happiness.
The Senegalese
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History
> 9 | January February March 2015 |
AİLE 7
Doç. Dr. Muhammet ERAT
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
the
SENEGALESE
in the French Army Fighting Against
the Ottoman Empire During the Çanakkale Battle After the Çanakkale Victory on March 18th , 1915 the Allies did not give up the idea to occupy Istanbul through the Dardanelles. For this purpose, they wanted to pass the Dardenelles by landing solders to different places of the Çanakkale Peninsula and to Kumkale on the Anatolian Side and they began to make the preparations. In order to carry out this plane they started to train the troops brought from the Entente States and from the colonial countries. The entente army included British, Anzac, Scottish, Irish soldiers as well as French military troops. Muslim soldiers brought from Senegal were also involved in the French Army.1
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History
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>> The Battle of
Çanakkale and the Senegalese Soldiers In 1914 when the 1st World War started France formed military units from the soldiers coming from various African countries also from Senegal in order to fight for France at various fronts of the War. The African soldiers were taken to France where they were trained first and then sent to the fronts of the 1st World War. After the start of the Çanakkale Battle when it became obvious that the Allies could not pass over the sea, France began to make preparation for realizing ground operations and placed troops including Muslim soldiers who were coming from the colonies to Çanakkale and were forced to fight against the Turkish soldiers.
The 10th and 11th squadrons of the French troops who were taken to Kumkale in the morning of April 25th, 1915 consisted of the Senegalese. A team of the 6th Division Command was faced by these unions at Kumkale. After holding on for an hour or so, the outnumbered Turkish troops were forced to retreat behind Kumkale village despite the half team which was coming behind. Here the street fights continued. After a while the Turkish side withdrew to the Kumkale Cemetery by leaving the village and the most intense fights took place here and around Azmak. In the morning of April 26th the Ottoman troops which did not capitulate as a result of a disagreement attacked some of the houses guarded by the Senegalese soldiers and seized two machine guns together with a field gun. With the order given by General Hamilton the French troops were asked to withdraw quietly from Kumkale during the night of 26/27 April. Thereupon, the French troops which included Senegalese soldiers withdrew from Kumkale at 10 pm.2 During the ground attack which lasted for two days from
The Senegalese
25th to 26th April, 1915. Some of the Senegalese soldiers who understood that they collided with the Muslim Turkish soldiers denied fighting. The following statements which are included in the Ottoman Archives of the Prime Ministry draw the attention; 14/27 April (1915): The enemy forces in Kumkale were locked in Kumkale village and got stuck in a very narrow area. The Muslims of the battalion in Kumkale which comprised of French units deserted to our side”.3 This archive document tells us that the Muslim Senegalese soldiers who were brought to Dardanelles during the war by various propagandas wanted to escape when they understand that they were fighting against the Caliph’s army. Senegalese soldiers were fighting against the Ottoman Army not only in Kumkale but also during the ground operations carried out in the area of Seddülbahir. The most remarkable information about the allies’ recruitment process in the colonies was given due to the statement of a Senegalese soldier who was brought to Çanakkale along with the French army and was prisoned in the middle of August. According to the Muslim Senegalese soldier France forced them to join the army and he explained how they gave false information about Turkey in the following way: “I am Senegalese, my father’s name is Muhammed. French soldiers do not allow us to fulfil our religious worship as it is required. We were collected from our homeland and brought here by force and were immediately driven to the war. We did not know that we were fighting against Muslims. We did not want to fight in this land which does not have any relation to our county. We were told that Turks execute the captives. Therefore, we were afraid of capitulating. If we knew that we would be treated so well,
9 | January February March 2015 |
then all of us would pass to the side of the Turks. The French gathered all our weapons and collected daily 4 francs as tax from us. This time they declared the war against the Germans. They came to our country and asked for solders from our leader. When he told that there was no soldier, they beat him up and gather everyone by force and drove us to the front. Many of us died during the war in Germany and there is not any adult men left in our country.”4 The notes taken by the 2nd Army Intelligence Department are also remarkable about Davuda Kamara who belonged to the 10th Divison of the 7th Colonial Facade and was taken prisoner during the Çanakkale Battle: “He does not speak Arabian, but some French.” “Above mentioned person started to recite prayers and verses from the Quran. During a medical examination the doctors proved that he was circumcised. All these proved without any doubt that he was a Muslim. He says that they did not want to get involved in a war which has nothing to do with them. “When they asked why they had to fight against a society which was Muslim like them, they were told by French that the Turks did not accept them as Muslims… They were told that the Turks execute the captives and therefore they should not have been captured. “… They collected annual tax of 1 franc for every 4 person. Finally, they declared the war against Germany; then they came to our village and asked our leader to give them soldiers. When they were told that there wasn’t left anybody who could be sent as soldier, they beat our leader until he died and they collected all the village people and sent them to the war. Most of the Senegalese died during the war against the Germans, while some of them died on the way. Now, there are no Senegalese left. 5 Nowadays the Senegalese Muslims have regrets because their ancestors fought against the Turks at the Dardanelles during the World War. They are not happy with the fact that the Muslim Senegalese who died in the front are resting in the French
AİLE 9
cemetery with cross placed on their graves saying that they died for France. The president of the Senegalese- Turkish Businessmen Association Mahary Diakhate expressed his thoughts on this issue in the following way; “Yes, we also died in Çanakkale. Unfortunately, we died while we were fighting against you… We have noticed it while visiting the French cemetery. When we were examining the graves which had cross on them saying that “Died for France” we realized that 47 of these graves belong to Senegalese Muslims. After that we made an investigation and learned later that the French army brought 7 thousand people from Senegal to the Dardanelles. There they were forced to fight against Muslims. They died in a painful way but a more painful thing was that they were fooled and crosses were put on their graves. Those crosses should be removed from there; we have already made efforts on this issue”.6 Todays the Senegalese people should investigate and question the history why they were fooled and forced to fight in the Battle of Dardanelles against the Turk Muslims. Therefore they investigate their own history. We have to investigate the Battle of Çanakkale in a most accurate way and we have to teach the spirit of Dardanelles to all our young people. While the other nations are trying to create history, we have to take care about our rich history and we need to share it with the young generation. 1
2 3
4
5
6
Burhan Sayılır, “The religious –ethnic structure of the Allied troops involved in the Battle of Çanakkale and the Turkish Image that they were taught”, A.Ü The Journal of the Research Center of the Ottoman History, Issue: 18, Ankara 2006. Mithat Atabay, Muhammet Erat, Haluk Çobanoğlu, The martyrs of Çanakkale, Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yay., İstanbul 2009, p. 196-199. The Battle of Çanakkale according to the Ottoman Documents, C. I, The Publication of the General Directorate of the State Archives, Ankara 2005, s. 87; Ahmet Altıntaş, The Çanakkale Battle in Documents, ÇOMÜ, The Publication of the Research Center for Atatürk and the Çanakkale Battla., Çanakkale 1997,p. 47, Burhan Sayılır, “The religious –ethnic structure of the Allied troops involved in the Battle of Çanakkale and the Turkish Image that they were taught”, A.Ü., The Journal of the Research Center of the Ottoman History, Issue: 18, Ankara 2006, s. 323. Ahmet Tetik, Serdar Demirtaş, Sema Demirtaş, The prisoners of the Çanakkale Battle, The Head of the General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies (ATASE)., Ankara 2009. “The Shame of France”, http://www.turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/Genel/a426581.aspx
10 AİLE | January February March 2015 | 9 >
History
>
The Spirit of Gallipoli
Dr. Ahmet UÇAR
“
They buried me though I was alive
“
THE SPIRIT OF ÇANAKKALE In Çanakkale, they shot me.
Our villager Corporal Halil İbrahim (Asagi Koseler a village in Mersin/Mut) was often singing these two lines of the ballad for Çanakkale. He had fought on two continents at five different fronts against five countries for eight years in Balkan War, 1st World War and the War of Independence. He neither had had annual leave nor visit of home.
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He was one of the heroes who wrote the story of Çanakkale. He could remember those days so clear that one should listen to him ones. At every religious and national fest, at the school and at the mosque, his sonorous burned our ears. He reminisced all what he experienced as if he was watching it. We could feel the story so deep that everyone, the young and old alike grieved with honour. I heard the following verses from him for the first time; “my mother grew me up and gave forth to this nation, she handed over the red flag (Turkish Flag) and for the rest, left me to Allah.” He flared up and bellowed like a lion and then read the same march till the end by feeling those days: She told me not to hack around, work/serve your country/ you were fed by my breast milk/if you don’t attack at the enemy/ our pillow shall be the grave stone/ and our cover shall be the snow/if we give up/ purity shall be a shame on us.” The Çanakkale stories are significant and specific for me as a person who lost his grandfather (my father was one year old) and uncle (my mother was not born yet) at the fronts of Çanakkale and Syria. For whom are they
insignificant and unspecific! Were there any families which did not have any lost? The brutal strikes of alien forces and their servant countries took lives from every home. Yet, they could not succeed against us. Although we sometimes failed to benefit from treaties, mostly we won at the fronts. Oh Corporal Halil İbrahim! today our generation visit Çanakkale, write Çanakkale and talk about Çanakkale to feel The Spirit since Çanakkale was told us by unsung heroes like you. May Allah bless your soul? Corporal Halil İbrahim started his speech on the Dardanelles with the followings “The unbelievers made a land subtraction at Anafarta” and he continued on “There were less than a 100 or 150 meters between us and the unbelievers. A British captain moved forward and wanted to talk to us. We had no officer left who could talk, because each of them had become a martyr. There was only one officer, but he was giving commands to us, thus he could not leave the head of our union. Immediately our Commander told to me “Corporal Halil Ibrahim take two privates with you and ask what these unbelievers want.” I left with two
9 | January February March 2015 |
privates. We went right to the British officer. I opened the top button of my uniform to seem fearless. The foreign officer said something in English angrily. I repeated his words with wrong pronunciation without knowing what the meaning was. Then he spoke in different languages to express himself. According to him he was speaking French and German. I also repeated that conversation by hardening my tone a bit more. “After that, the enemy officer said the followings in clear Turkish; “Look, you don’t even have an officer who could represent you. I spoke English, French and German but you could not understand a word, so you could not give me any answer. You are a private or a petty officer, this means you don’t even have well-trained officers. We have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, tons of weapons, many battle ships carrying tens of thousands of soldiers. ” I replied the followings; “You may not have more than fifty or a hundred ships. Well! May each of it carries five or ten thousand soldiers? Is our situation like that? Each of our soldiers’ chests is a ship in a size that you could not even imagine and there is the faith in each of our hearts that can stop millions of your soldiers.” The British officer said “Good by” and returned back without saying anything else. And what did we see in the next morning? The British forces were removing their tents and they returned back. I have heard the word “Good bye” there for the first time.
The Letter of Hennaed Hasan From Yozgat to His Mother From every part of the Ottoman Empire, each day hundreds of young people were gathering at the front of Çanakkale to join the army. The fresh soldiers were sent to the fronts to fight after their training was completed in a few weeks. One day, while Captain Sırrı Bey was inspecting the newcomers, he saw that the hair of a solder was coloured with henna so he asked him: - Do men use henna? I wonder who and why coloured your hair? The solder called Hasan replied to the Commander:
AİLE 11
- My mother did it, just before I came here, but I don’t know why she did. Hasan who informed his mother living in Yozgat about this situation for the request of the commander, by the influence of his friends’ smiles during this conversation and of his own longing to his mother he was complaining a bit; “ Mom why did you henna my hair? Why did you embarrass me in front of my friends and commander? Hatice Hanim, who was the mother of Hasan, wrote the followings in response to her son. “Oh my dear son” Shall we sit comfortable in our village? Patriotism is aching inside of us. You are not less than your ancestors or your father. If I am your mother, then we both were created by God and grown up by the homeland. God feed you for this country. The food of this country survives you. You are the one in the family who was selected for being sacrificed. Hasan, tell the officer that in our village the sheep which was selected for being sacrificed is dyed with henna. I offered you among my children as a sacrifice to our homeland. This is why I dyed your hair. With the judgement of Allah, Allah may not separate you from the path of the Prophet Ismail. The angels will remember you with the mercy and grace of God. Kisses!” The situation was understood. Like the other soldiers Hasan was also dedicated to this beautiful country. He was a sacrifice who was dedicated to fight for the protection of the Muslim religion and honour. They were fighting without resting and hesitation by having this consciousness and spirit. He got injured therefore he was taken backward. He was taken to the place in Kocadere village where bandage was made just behind the frontline. However, Hennaed Hasan died there without being treated. It was clear what would come after. Together with the other martyrs, Hasan’s identification would be done then, he would be buried in the cemetery of Kocadere village together with the other martyrs.
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The officer candidate Mehmet Efendi was responsible for this procedure; first he searched Hennaed Hasan and found his mother’s letter together with an unfinished poem in one of his pockets. My mother hennaed me like an offer I was born for being sacrificed for the motherland One more gift from my mother to God Commander, I was born to be Ismail
The Spirit of Gallipoli
he sent a short but meaningful letter to the battalion commander:
“
He was himself the sincerity of the mother who gave birth to him; the passion for religion and patriotism and the belief of Islam. When Hasan was still a baby he was drinking the milk of his mother, who never walked without ablution. Thanks to that white devotion flowing of the bubbling treasure of our Lord, he learnt to serve the humanity, to love the motherland and to obey the elders, he grew up with love towards God and the country… We believe that when Hasan was buried, the entire world was crying while his short life passed through the eyes and hearts. All wolves and birds prayed for him, the sky washed him with grace and at once they were themselves again with a divine gospel: “He will go to my unique heaven.” Then they said altogether:” Amin” Mehmet, the son of Kadir from the Madenler village of Çivril Kazası in Afyon was another veteran hero, who wrote a letter to his commander. Just like many other soldiers, he performed great heroism which was admired by everyone during the battles of Conkbayiri and Seddülbahir. He became the sample of great encouragement and bravery while he was collecting grenades thrown by the enemy and then he threw them back to the enemy just before the explosion. However, later while he was doing the same dangerous action the bomb exploded suddenly somehow and he lost his right wrist. He was one of the thousand soldiers who wrote his name in our history gloriously. He was a sergeant in the 1st Corps, 1st Division, 7th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade. While his friends were fighting at the front and he was suffering from the inability to fight thus he was not happy that he was staying at the hospital,
Photograph: TSK Genel Kurmay Başkanlığı Arşivi
History
Kahraman Mehmet Çavuş
“Respected Sir,
I have lost my right arm, but it has no harm for me, because I have a left arm. I can do my work with it as well. The only thing that makes me sad is my inability to fight against the enemy because my wound has not been healed yet. My honourable commander, please forgive me, because I am still unable to participate in the on-going war. “
“
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We believe that the commander of Mehmet Sergeant not only forgave him but also thanked to God for giving the opportunity to command such a soldier. What about us, are we worthy to Çanakkale’s martyrs and veterans? I wonder whether they can forgive us. To understand the true meaning of the Çanakkale Victory is directly relevant with the answer of this question. To be worthy of them means; it is only possible through the “ Asım Generation” that is carrying the spirit of the Dardanelles. How nice it is for those who live and keep this spirit alive…
M e h m e t A k i f & I d e a l Yo u t h A s ı m G e n e r a t i o n
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History
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AİLE 13
Prof.Dr. Ertuğrul YAMAN Yıldırım Beyazıt University
MEHMET AKIF & IDEAL YOUTH
ASIM GENERATION Asım is a symbol. It represents the Muslim Turkish youth. Muslim Turkish youths are religious. They protect their country and struggle against the occupying power. Çanakkale battle is a significant sample. Actually, Asım is Mehmet Akif himself.
>>
M
ehmet Âkif, described the youth of his ideal as “Asım Generation”. Asım is a symbol of ideal youth whose characteristic is figured out in details by Mehmet Akif. Asım loves his country, his nation, his values and his history. He cannot stand injustice. He is a young man who shouts at injustice and tries to correct the wrong as well. Asım is strong and he uses his power for his country, nation and for the people’s benefits and future but not for his own benefits. His struggle is just for the benefits of his society. Asım is a symbol. It represents the Muslim Turkish youth. Muslim Turkish youths are religious. They protect their country and struggle against the occupying power. Çanakkale battle is a significant sample. Actually, Asım is Mehmet Akif himself.
The characteristics of Ideal Youth for Akif 1. Faithful Youth Youth should be faithful, fervent and resigned, on the contrary youth should never be lazy, opportunist, avid and jealous. Trust in Allah, work hard accept what Allah delivers for you, I don’t know any other path, if there is a path For Mehmet Akif, The Holly Quran is the book that takes the man kind to quiddity of faith. He believes that all the problems shall disappear if The Quran is well understood.
He emphasises the importance of fear from Allah and love for Allah. He thinks that life is in disorder and far away from peace without fear from Allah. He also emphasises the need for prophet’s love and the loyalty. 2. Well-behaved Youth When Safahat is reviewed as a whole it is seen that one of the significant characteristics of youth which Mehmet Akif idealizes is a well behaved generation. For Akif, moral without knowledge causes laziness and weakness whereas the knowledge without moral causes the degeneration of soul of society. As he knows that it is possible for youth to have knowledge and moral by education and training, he wrote the following lines dedicated to Turkish youth; You, hurry up for your education, come on! My son, for the future of nations Bi-power is required, one is skill the other is virtue He also wrote; To Nevruz Oh son, Nevruz, shall you listen to your old uncle? Never talk big, never talk much; young man should be at work, Do not appreciate those who talk much and those who are insensitive Say the truth, have the strong personality like your ancestors
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History
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M e h m e t A k i f & I d e a l Yo u t h A s ı m G e n e r a t i o n
3. Thoughtful and Actionist Youth As for the Mehmet Akif’s spectacular character which comes forth and should be given as an example to our youth, he was an action and thought man. His words and actions were In coherent. He always refused falsity and forgery. He was a role model. In particular, he recommended youth to think and then get in action. 4. Hopeful and Daring Youth The course of time in which Mehmet Akif was born and lived is a period which causes sadness and sorrow when it is remembered. It was the period in which Ottoman Empire had been weaken and destroyed. It is sad because Ottoman Empire had built up a glorious civilization on three continents. In his time, the tragic events causing despair were happening one after another. Yet he was not influenced by them. He never lost his hope on the contrary he ran from one front to another to awake the society. He is called as the leader of spiritual front of independence war. This is safe to say. He started to write national anthem by the followings when others were hopeless with fear:
The characteristics of youth that Akif described as “Asım Generation” are the followings; faithful, well behaved, daring, self-confident, caring, loyal, self-respecting, patriotic, innovative, hopeful, determined, hardworking…
Fear not, the red flag, waving in these dawns will never fade Before the last hearth that is burning in my homeland vanishes. While he was writing these lines in Tacettin Dergah, he was setting a fire of hope for the future of a fortuneless country that was about to fall down. He did not give up. He was running from one front to another, from one city to another to inspire hope and strength to people. His main mission was to grow up a new generation who are physically and mentally healthy for the country. He wants that the Turkish youth shall not give up and never be hopeless. He warns the youth through these lines: Giving up by losing fortune, I am sure that is the way of dying without virtue. Patriotic Youth Mehmet Akif was telling the followings to the Turkish youth about patriotism:
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“The ownerless county has the right to sink But if you take care of it, this nation will never sink.” 6. Nationalist Youth Mehmet Akif suggested the young people to wrap both the religious and national values tightly. He indicated that the protection of them is a necessity as follows: “Do not think that the national morality and the national spirit is a toy; The failure of them is the most horrible death: dying completely”
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10. Athletic and Healthy Youth It is known that Mehmet Akif dealt with sports like running, wrestling, shot-putting, swimming and horse riding, however he had a different love and interest against wrestling. His ideal Turkish youth with Asım personality has the desire to deal with sports. 11. Conscious youth
Mehmet Akif was very persistent about the struggle for the nation’s existence and survival. In this regard, the most important evidence was Akif’s own life. He asked Asım Generation to fulfil his thoughts.
The poet who raises his voice slightly on the tribune of Süleymaniye addresses both the mind and heart of the nation in order to wake up and mobilize the community. Akif who wanted to get rid of the psychology of fear while facing the advanced West civilizations believed in the need to wake up:
7. Enlightened Youth
Result and Evaluation:
Mehmet Akif wanted our youth to collect knowledge, to follow the development of the science and to give importance to knowledge.
As a result, these are the features of the youth described as Asım Generation; believer, moral, daring, self-confident, loyal, contended, determined, self-respecting, patriotic, innovative, hopeful, caring, hardworking…
8. Hardworking Youth In Safahat, Mehmet Akif often made comparisons between Eastern and Western world. While Akif often criticised the lethargy of the Eastern World despite of its high-moral he praised the disciplined and proper diligence of the Western World. Especially, Mehment Akif suggested the Asım generation to stay away from lethargy and be a hardworking youth. “Oh the light of my eyes Don’t let the days pass by; Work till you can, because the end is never sure” Those who can’t earn the price of a piece of bread Those are the disgrace of friendship and the mascara of the enemy” 9. Brave and Fair Youth Mehmet Akif wanted the youth to be brave and realist and to be sensitive about the issues of justice and rights. He expected them to have a spirit which does not seek for personal benefits, but tells the truth no matter what it costs, and does not remain quiet against injustice. Indeed, Asım is the young person who has all these qualifications.
Short, in his imagination the Asım generation is: brave, courageous, and trustworthy. He does not hesitate to fight for Islam, for the motherland and nation. He is hardworking, modest and contented. He is serious and cares about the family. He is fine, compassionate and sensitive hearted. He is the youth who is dexterous, physically healthy, strong, durable, and busy with sports and has virtue as well. It is a necessity for us as a nation and state to take the example of such an ideal youth. Sources Çetin, Nurullah, Mehmet Akif Ersoy the Türk who resisted against Imperialism, Akçağ yay. Ankara, 2012. Düzdağ, M.Ertuğrul, Mehmet Âkif Ersoy, Safahat, İz Yay. İstanbul, 1991. Düzdağ, M.Ertuğrul, The Inspections of Safahat, MED Yayınları, İstanbul,1979. Kukul, M. Halistin, National Culture,Page: 55, Ankara. The memorial issue of Mehmet Akıf, Journal of Turkish Literature, Issue: 158, İstanbul, 1986. http://www.izu.edu.tr/Assets/Content/File/Mehmet_Akif_Ersoy.png
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History
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Islamic Social Complexes
Hulusi Gölpınar
General Directorate of Social Relief
ISLAMIC SOCIAL COMPLEXES
THE CENTRES OF SOCIAL SERVICES FROM THE PAST UNTIL NOW >>
These social facilities were built by state officials or persons who were in the upper echelons of the state administration, by their wives and children, by the governors, Pasha, Bey, prime ministers or by the rich people who were found of donating. Starting from the first period of Islam, these buildings were integrated within the mosque and had many different functions. The Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in the city of Medina is considered as the first structure with many functions. The building which could be seen in the Seljuk period and was known as “Ribat” had large organizations due to its multi-functional system. This type of settlements/ structuring had continued by inns and caravanserais These complexes were built mostly during the Ottoman period that their structure started to enlarge with more buildings.. Thanks to the foundations which were sponsored by the upper class, these complexes were continuing
The Islamic social complex which was settled around a mosque and composed of religious school, hospital, mathematic school, tomb, kitchen, public fountain, Turkish bath, fountains, guesthouse and similar buildings was the centres of religion and social life. their functions continuously, thanks to these foundations many of the places had been revitalized with the state’s developing and housing policies. These complexes which were built through the idea of gaining beneficial favour for the society met many needs in case they were convenient with the place. The cities were developed by these complexes. New settlements were created when they were built on destinations. [1]
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AİLE 17
The hospital called darüssifa, darülafiye, darüttib, bimarhane was the institution where the patients were examined and treated.
Madrasa and schools were the education institutions in the complex. It is seen that in these institutions education was conducted at all levels. Expert madrasa the so called Darülhadis which was specialised in religious sciences and a hospital providing medical education and health care were also included in the complex. The hospital called darüssifa, darülafiye, darüttib, bimarhane was the institution where the patients were examined and treated. It is seen that these organizations operated with a large and well-trained staff. The doctors were carefully selected. Each of them was competent in the science of medicine and expert in autopsy and anatomical issues as well, they were also experienced in surgery and found of practising the intricacies of the knowledge, had respect for psychology and pedagogy. They were extremely compassionate towards the patients besides they could choose the right treatment and medicine. Library was an important part of the complex. In the libraries which had two floors, the books were stored on second floor to keep them proper against the moisture. The public kitchen which was called hospice served food for the staff of the institutions located within the complex, thus the students of the madrasas and poor people had their meals. The hospices were operating meticulously and it was seen that they tried to maintain the standards which were laid down by the foundations. The bazaar which was the source of the foundation’s income provided an important contribution by creating the necessary infrastructure for the commercial and industrial needs of the local places including the covered bazaar, inns, shops and manufactures. The mentioned services especially education and health were offered for free. It was very relieved for the state budget that services which were provided in the complex were subsidized by the resources of the foundation and by the donations of the rich people. Nevertheless, the crisis which might occur in the socio-economic life was prevented this way. [2]
When you classify the main line of the services provided by the complex as a whole, you will get a table like this: a) Education and training services at academic level b) Religious and social natured education services c) Medical education and health services d) Social services e) The contributions for providing the relationship between the central government (state) and the community. [3] The functioning method of the foundation system and the complex which formed an important part of the system included a solution that could solve the problems of education, health and housing incredible, reasonable and adaptable. [4] The Turkish –Islamic cultural heritage which was accumulated during the centuries may become a model by establishing versatile complexes enriched with the social service centers of our modern era, with culture centers that establish a bridge between past and present, with nests of wisdom teaching liberal, religious and natural sciences with sport and art complexes which do not deviate from the original aims but are equipped appropriately to this era. [1]
TDV Encyclopedia of Islam (see. Külliye)
[2]
A quoting taken from Prof. Dr. Tahsin Özcan ( http://www.diyanetdergisi.com)
[3]
Prof. Dr. Fahri Unan, Fatih Külliyesi (Academic Articles- 36)
[4]
A quoting taken from Prof. Dr. Tahsin Özcan (http://www.diyanetdergisi.com)
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Health
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10 Important Phases
Ayşe Başak Erk
Professional Developmental Psychologist
IMPORTANT 10
Phases That Should be Considered During the Development of the Infant
It is very important for the parents to have accurate information about the development of their children. Especially the aims of the infancy periods need to be paid attention beside the normal developmental stages. If you have not observed one or more of the following major steps in your baby you should definitely ask for expert support. >> 1. Eye Contact ( 6-8 weeks): The ability of establishing eye contact tells about your baby’s neurological development and about the ability of establishing communication. Your baby starts to record the familial faces to his memory. The look which shows that the baby is familiar with you is one of the primary ways of establishing communication. Sometimes your baby does not establish any eye contact which can be caused by hunger or sleepiness. But the lack of eye contact is an important factor that needs to be considered.
2. Social Smile (6-8 weeks): This smile is a respond from the baby towards the smile they got from a person. Due to the social smile your relationship and the first connection with the baby is strengthened. If you notice that your baby does not respond to a smile (up to 3 months) it will be beneficial to consult a specialist.
3. Stage of Babbles (approx. 8 weeks): during the first few weeks babies communicate by crying, around the 8th week a lot of activities are seen in the frontal lobe of the brain. Due to these activities the babies start to talk their own baby language. The babies while they are communicating in this way give different sounds like a-a-a or o-o-o. If your baby is more than 3 months old and she / he still does not give any sound you should consult a specialist in order to make a hearing test, or ask a specialist to evaluate the baby’s development. 4. The Phase of Extension (3-4 month): The babies start to repeat a set of sound around the 3rd or 4th month. In this developmental stage the babies start to repeat sound since they begin to use the tongue and the front part of the mouth. Later on, between the 6th and 8th month the babies return back to the spelling stage. During this developmental stage, the babies recognise that they are able to react with
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the help of their voice to the voice of someone else. This is the important stage of the first language development. During the 7th and 9th month the babies start to say monosyllabic sounds: dada, mama, lala
5. Reaching and Holding ( 5-7 months): The babies start to make more interaction with the world by trying and consolidating the behaviours of holding and reaching. The babies start to discover new textures, tastes and smells due to their curiosity.
6. Pulling Herself in Order to Stand Up (7-9 months): Before the babies start to walk you will see them holding onto something and trying to stand up. These skills is one of the most important gross motors skills for walking and balance.
7. Holding by Two Fingers (9-11 months): The babies around the 7th -8th month mostly use all their fingers to hold different things, but in the following month they start to manipulate smaller objects by using only the thumb and index finger. This skill is very important and valuable in terms of development of the fine motor skills. If the baby is unable to manipulate the object with two fingers around the 12th month, it would be appropriate to consult a specialist about the development of the fine motor skills.
8. Talking with Hand Gestures: Using the hands for responding the question “where”, or pointing towards the favourite book forms the non-verbal part of the language development. Through these movements they have the opportunity to talk about the things which are on their mind without expressing it verbally.
9. First Words (around 12 month): During this developmental stage the babies start to understand the relationship between sounds and objects. So they can understand which object’s name was told. Under normal circumstances the babies start to talk around
AİLE 19
the 12th month. While some of the children use 20 different words around 15-18 month the others use only 10 words. Although each child has different speed of development if your child does not use a single world around the 18th month you will need to contact an expert.
10. Imitation Games (around 18 moth): Children are observe us and start to imitate our movements. Imitation games are important for the development of the symbolic thinking ability (talking on a toy phone like it is a real phone, driving a block of wood as it is a car)
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Human
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I f Yo u Wa n t Yo u C a n S u c c e e d i n E v e r y t h i n g !
Şeyma Karataş
IF YOU WANT YOU CAN SUCCEED IN EVERYTHING!
An Interview with the Sight-Impaired Artist Eşref Armağan When I was 12, I wanted to hold a butterfly in my hand, my father told that “ A butterfly is so delicate that when I touch it, it will die immediately”. Instead of holding it, he cut a picture of a butterfly and placed it on a board and drew its edges with a nail, because I had to lead my fingers over it to understand. And I started to draw on a carton with a help of a nail just like he taught me.
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>> First, tell us about Esref Armağan? I was born in 1953 as sight-impaired. My left eye did not develop. Despite of this I have been painting since I was a small child.
How did you start to paint, how did you discover this ability of yours? When I was three or four years old, I understood that I was more different than the others. My parents were continuously warning me “Be careful there is a chair in front of you! Mind the door!” but they were not warning each other in the same way. Then I asked my father what the difference was with me and he told that I could not see. I was six or seven, when I began to understand what he meant with it. When I was 12 and I wanted to hold a butterfly in my hands my father told that “ A butterfly is so delicate that when I touch it will die immediately”. Instead of holding it, he cut a picture of a butterfly and placed it on a board and drew its edges with a nail, because I had to lead my fingers over it to understand. And I tried to draw the same on a carton with a help of a nail just like he showed me. I have been busy with it for days and months. Later, on a day I showed my picture to my father’s friends and asked them to guess what I drew. They said it was a butterfly. I was very happy and I was proud when they did not believe that I made it. Later, I drew the picture of everything that I could take in my hands. I started to colour by painting landscape pictures. I kept asking my father since I could not see any colour. I understood that it could not go on like this, so my father ranked the colours and I memorized the sequence. Now he writes the name of the colour with a special paint on the tubes but I still prefer to use my own ranking method.
AİLE 21
How do you review the objects in your mind without seeing them? I started to paint landscape pictures by asking people or touching relief or puffy painted landscape paintings. I did not have any kind of training and I did not aim to be a painter. I just wanted to learn the world I live in and I tried to grasp it with the help of my fingers since I cannot see. I learnt from the people around me that the leaves are green and the sea is blue because colour means only a liquid for me. When I showed my pictures, the people were telling me “ Eşref you did it well, but why are the trees on the top of the roof ? How should I know that I placed everything I painted on each other? Thus I learned that there is something called perspective. Since the people around me were not able to tell it appropriately I went to a professor teaching at Marmara University and I learned it there. One day I painted a red apple. The people said that I made an apple, but it seemed round, I had to make lights and shadows around it. When I asked what light means I learned that it was something like luminousness. But I had no clue about how to paint luminousness, I was forced to ask. And they told me to paint it with white colour. When an apple is enlightened its other side should be shadowed. When I finished and showed it to me father and he said: “It is very nice you have painted two apples”. I tried to paint an apple with its shadow but I drew a red shadow next to the red apple. However, the shadow of an object is darker than the colour of the base not only its own colour. The colour of the shadow is changing according to the angle of the light. So I learnt what light and shadow was about.
Human
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I f Yo u Wa n t Yo u C a n S u c c e e d i n E v e r y t h i n g !
Source: http://www.tafter.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/battisterofirenze.jpg
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Tell us about the work you made with Volvo and the Discovery Channel! I was invited to an international festival and we made an exhibition there. Then I got an invitation from the Harvard University they wanted to investigate how I was able to paint. I was connected to the MRI machine for 7 hours. Although I had many cables on my head they gave me an object and 18 seconds to examine and another 18 seconds to draw it. Then I was taken to a dark room and I was told that they want to make another test on me in order to find out since when I wasn’t able to see. After 20 minutes I got bored from sitting there so I draw a picture. They were surprised by this. However there was nothing to wonder about it, I do not need any light to draw picture, because I see through my fingers. Normally if a person sees an object in a light environment, a wave starts to develop in his brain. As a conclusion it was understood that my eyes do not respond to the light, fluctuations occur only after I touch an object. So it was proven that I saw through my fingers. Discovery
Channel heard about this research and they wanted to make a documentary about me. A small table with chairs were set on the Florence Square; people gathered in the middle of the square, I was waiting there without being informed what to do. I was sitting in front of a huge building, in front of the holy cathedral which was made with the three-point perspective of Philippo Bronovvski six centuries before. I was given a cylinder model consisting of eight corners and two minutes to examine it. I was asked to draw the top, bottom and front view of it in three dimensions. I had drawn the top view of it already. When I heard no noise I thought I had failed. I drew its front view, but I could not hear anything again. When I drew the third view the professor said something in English by crying and the audience broke into applause. To my surprise I was the first after 6 century who drew the three-point perspective of it. Volvo planned to produce a new car, its model was done, it has not been showed to anyone yet and they did not want to show it. They recorded what I did for eight days. I drew each part of the car separately only by touching, and then I made
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AÄ°LE 23
the entire picture of the car. Thus I was the first who saw the car I drew.
You became famous as the “Blind artist�. How do you evaluate this success, did your family contribute to your success? The limitations and overprotection put even more barriers in front of a disabled person. My father has never told me that I could not do something contrarily he believed that there was nothing that I could not do. I am just a person who has not seen since I was born, but I wanted to demonstrate that I could paint through the power of touching.
You are a sample for the sight-impaired people. Could they also paint, what is your advice for them? If a man is in an irreversible state, he / she should think about how to live and maintain his /her life just like the other healthy people by accepting this situation without complaining. He/ she should try to get involved in a community instead of getting isolated. I have also experienced it.
Do you have different projects or activities which you want to implement in the future? I will continue to make pictures. I gave seminars at universities and companies. Due to my inconveniences I cannot be as active as I used to, but as long as my health allows me, I will give seminars to reach more and more people.
Finally, what do you want to say to the readers of our magazine? There are so many people who are unhappy and desperate although all of their five senses are healthy. God blessed us with a great brain and a perfect body. And we should use this perfection in order to create beautiful things. If you want you can succeed in everything!
My father has never told me that I could not do something contrarily he believed that there was nothing that I could not do. I am just a person who cannot see since I was born, but I wanted to demonstrate that I could paint through the power of touching.
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History
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My Grandfather Did Not Obey the Orders of Mustafa Kemal
“ Mustafa Kemal
Prof. Dr. Binnur YEŞİLYAPRAK Ankara University
My Grandfather
Did Not Obey the Orders of
During the Çanakkale Victory
”
My grandfather was one of the unnamed heroes of the Çanakkale Victory which was a milestone in Turkey’s history and changed the fate of the nation. I published my memories about him in my book called “Drop Interviews” which I made with my mother who finished Arifiye Village Institute. My grandfather was one of those who came back from this war as a veteran. In other words he was one of those who did not obey the order of Mustafa Kemal. Because one of those memorable words posted on this war belonged to the Commander of Division, Mustafa Kemal who gave the following order to the 57th Regiment:
“I don’t order you to fight, I order you to die. In the time it takes us to die, other troops and commanders can come and take our places…”
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AİLE 25
We remember our martyrs with the grace and mercy of Allah
>>
I would like to share the interview which I made with my mother about my grandfather who was sent to the Balkan Wars when he was only 16 and just married and returned only after 11 years after the end of the Independence War.
A Veteran Who Was Determined in Making A Teacher Out of Her Daughter -Let’s talk about the story of your father during the interview, because I think it is a very interesting and tragic story which can give a lesson even for today. Furthermore, it is the story of a father who had a determined attitude about his daughter’s education despite of the fact that they were living in a village. -My father (Vahid Uysal) was the first child of the family besides his twin sisters. He lost his father when he was a small child. He got married at the age of 16 and was taken to the Balkan War a few months after his wedding. He was forced to leave his home and his beautiful wife to whom he could not even get used to. He was captured during the war and was driven from here to there. He stayed for several years as a prisoner of the British Army in the Persian Gulf, and then he was taken to India. Later on he was able to return to Turkey after having many adventures, adversity and suffering throughout the Arab countries. Meanwhile, his family accepted his death because they did not get any news about him, his wife turned backed to her family. My father participated in other wars without seeing his village or contacting with his family; the 1st Inönü and 2nd Inönü Pitched Battle and the 26 August of the Independence War. Finally, after the enemy was poured into the Aegean Sea and we got rid of the enemy occupation my father could return to his village with a peace of mind. He had a great excitement when he rang the doorbell but his mother opened the door and asked him what he wanted.
Didn’t she recognize her own son? -No, because 11 years passed by and the 16 years old child who was in puberty age became a 27-years old, bearded,
huge man. In other words he was a stranger. My father had just a wish that he would be hugged as he was standing at the door and saying “ Mom, its me, here I am, your son Vahid”, but my grandmother stepped back by saying “ It is not possible, my son died for the country” and closed the door.
-This was a tragicomic situation, but why did she not even listen to him?
-She had two adult daughters at home and she was afraid that this man had bad intention towards the girls.
Then what did your father do? -My father came home with a huge excitement, but when his mother closed the door he got really disappointed. He went to our near neighbour called Zehra Nine and told her that he was Vahid but his mother did not recognize him and did not let him in. Zehra Nine said “ Come on, we thought you were dead”, and she made my father talk. My father told every event related to his childhood, he gave information about the family and passed the exam; the neighbour Zehra Nine was convinced and went to my grandmother and told her that it was his son. This time his mother started to ask various questions, examined him, measured him and tried to imagine that this strange old man whose hair was mingled with his bread could be her one and only son whom they sent at the age of 16 to the war.
26 AİLE | January February March 2015 | 9 >
History
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My Grandfather Did Not Obey the Orders of Mustafa Kemal
Finally, she was also convinced, she let my father to come in, but she was not able to kiss or hug him. His sisters remained distant and cold in the same way. It took months to re-take this strange man into their lives emotionally.
-Did his wife recognise him and did they reunite? Ohhh. It is another heart breaking story …The news saying “ Vahid did not die and returned back” reached his wife. The husband who left while they were just on their honeymoon has returned. He returned but his family who believed in his death sent the his bride back to her family saying that she was still young, she might get married again. But the truth was that she loved my father too much, she has never believed in his death and has been waiting for the return of my father. When she heard that he came back she felt enormous happiness and she expected my father to come and bring her back.
-But it never happened… -Yes, my father who got married fondly and survived the wars with the help of a dream about his wife, did not accept that wife again, and he divorced her. He thought that the young and beautiful wife had not been faithful to her dead husband for 11 years. He believed in this. He must have had a doubt or he was afraid that the village will talk about it. My father divorced and his wife could not let her father’s house again. My mother was always sorry for the first wife; she often said that she took the sin of her.
-We will talk about your father’s remarriage, but truthfully I feel sorry for that wife too. I wonder what happened to her. -She was living also in our village. Later on she got married with an older man. I remember, as a child she loved us, held us in her arms and in this way she fulfilled her longing towards my father from whom she could not get enough during those few months they had spent together. She had two sons, she did not have a daughter. My grandmother
wanted us to stay away from them; maybe she was afraid of the bride’s revenge.
-They were living in the same village as two strangers, weren’t they? -Yes, it was like that, I just started to think about how that bride could suffer from this. It is a sad story. She was going to the field or garden by using the other side of the village just not to walk in front of our house. She was very lovely towards me and my brother. I am sure she loved my father and it was hard for her to live in the same village as a stranger. It was her fate. The story of my mother was even sadder though.
-Let’s tell your mother’s story throughout another drop, because I want to move back to your life in the village institute. Meantime I would like to know whether your father was a veteran or not. -My father did not have scar on his face, but his whole body was full with wounds. He had suffered a lot during the war,
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AİLE 27
- Is there an anecdote that you can remember and we can share it with the readers?
“İleri emri verilen tabur tükenirken ikinci, sonra üçüncü taburlara emir verilirdi: İleri!.. Ben üçüncü taburdaydım…” but he learned English and Arabic at a very good level. He was a forward-thinking and enlightened man. He was the one who brought the newspapers from the city to read them, for many years he was the headman of the village. After the War of Independence he was called to the military branch to arrange his veteran salary. He went there but he did not accept the salary. “ My wounds were healed, I was not disabled, I could earn my life by working . I did not fight for money; I fulfilled my homeland duty as a patriot. Finally, I am happy and satisfied as the land is free from enemies and our flag is waving.” During those years everybody was so patriotic that they dared to die for the country. My father always remembered those who died for the sake of this beautiful land and he was talking about those days with tears in his eyes.
- My father told us about a fight between the Turkish army and the enemy during the Çanakkale Battle at a place called Seddülbahir. The enemy troops were very crowded and equipped with all kinds of technologies, while the Turkish army fought only with its heart and bayonets. When he told the scenes of the war in which he acted, he could feel as he was fighting in the war thus he turned a deaf ear that the bombs were falling to the ground. Besides he could see the doses of Turkish soldiers shot one after the another as for building groins. The sadness of those who died, the anger towards the enemy and the joy of victory were visible on his face at the same time while he was talking. His voice was trembling and thundering: “When the commanded battalion was depleted, the second battalion after them the third battalion was commanded. I was in the third battalion…”. As telling stories he was showing the scars on his arm and leg just as he wanted to make us believe in these impossible events. Winning the war meant to take the revenge of the thousands of martyrs lying on the ground and to defence the Dardanelles. We fought for this. Those who died were lucky. When telling that the voices of the seriously wounded soldiers touched him deeply, because they did not have the chance to help them he wiped his tears away and explained: “These tears are both for the inability to help those soldiers and for the happiness that I could see the withdrawal of the enemy from the Dardanelles. “ Because at the end we proved to the world that Çanakkale was impassable! Neither the pain of my wounds nor the pain of the leaking blood could shake me…” My father was treated for months in order to heal. He had such large wounds but he would not mind them at all. His blue eyes were glistening when he was talking about the victory. *Yesilyaprak B (2014) Drop Interviews with my mother who graduated at the Arifiye Village Institute (2nd edition), Pegem A Publishing House ( the 2nd drop of the interviews is presented in the magazine)
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Melih Uslu
BERGAMA Among the World Heritage Sites Turkey’s new UNESCO World Heritage Site Bergama is considered as the center of family life where health was taken under guarantee. The town which hosted the first advanced hospital complex in the history deserves the attention as it was the birthplace of the concept of pharmacy, psychotherapy, narcosis and hygiene.
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AİLE 29
Murat İbranoğlu
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Journey
>> City of Initials Bergama is an ancient town of İzmir which is 130 km far from the Adnan Menderes Airport. It is known in the ancient sources as Pergamon or Pergamonos. Despite the fact that Bergama is quite far from the sea, it is among the leading touristic centers of the Aegean district. Bergama is also a remarkable town due to its initials. The snake symbol of medicine and pharmacy were seen for the first in Bergama. In the first large health residence in Akselepion, where the inculcation treatment method conducted with music, theatre, sports, sun and mud was applied initially; the initials of Bergama which was the homeland of the plant origin pharmacology, anaesthetic drugs and the
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Bergama Among the World Heritage Sites
infrastructure of the hygienic health are uncountable. For example, the first legislation on urban development was implemented here. The oldest engineering applications which used the u-formed tubes were carried out also in Bergama. The three grade education system, including elementary, middle and high school was also implemented here for the first time. The occupational union and association were established here. Even nearly two thousand years after these remarkable innovations Bergama continued its pioneer missions. The first Turkish grammar book was written by Muyesseretü’l –Ulm, Bergamali Kadri Efendi in 1530. Bergama was the first place where the enemy occupation was broken for the first time on 15 June, 1919.
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Bergama which was included into the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its multi-layered cultural landscape has a long history starting from the Hellenistic period to Rome and from the Seljuk to the Ottoman Empire. In the area there are many historical sights including Acropolis, Asklepion, Red Hall, Castle Hill, aqueducts, bridges, Ottoman bazaars, Ulu Mosque, and the Holy field of Kapikaya Kybele are waiting to be discovered.
The Inventor of the Hardcover Book In Bergama which came up at the place where Bakırcay runs into the Çandarlı Gulf, five different cities were founded in the past on the ruins of each other. The findings show that the history of the first settlement extended until the 8th century BC. The town which was founded on 330 m high hill and was covered by the ruins of Acropolis belonged first to the Persian then entered into the reign of Great Alexander. The town which changed its owner for many times during the history turned into a strong kingdom between 283 BC and 133. During this period which was the golden age of Bergama, it became famous as a cultural and artistic
civilization. The first important invention of Bergama was a type of paper called “parchment” which was made from goat skin. This invention which might seem simple caused the occurrence of the first hardcover book. Thanks to the parchment which was used for making books much earlier than papyrus, a huge library was established which was even bigger than the one in Alexandria. This place which was referred as Asia’s first large public library was filled with more than 200 thousand books. Bergama which spread towards the plains due to the growing population during the Roman domination was controlled by the Turks after the Byzantine administration.
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Journey
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Bergama Among the World Heritage Sites
The world’s steepest ancient amphitheatre is located in the Upper Agora. It is really stunning to look at the Bergama Plain from the stone steps of the theatre.
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AİLE 33
The Steepest Theatre The best place to start a tour in the Bergama which has the appearance of a peaceful Aegean town is the Acropolis. It is a practical option to take a taxi in the city-center in order to get to the Acropolis where the ruins of Zeus Altar, the temple of Athena, the ancient theatre, the Bergama Library and the Temple of Dionysus are located. You need to visit the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in order to see the Altar of Zeus which is one of the unique parts taken away from the ancient Bergama. The world’s steepest theatre is located in the Upper Agora. It is really stunning to look at the Bergama Plain from the stone steps of the theatre. The world’s first wooden theatre scene was established here. The columns of the Temple of Trajan and the ruins of the ancient Bergama’s Library are ideal memorials for imagining the ancient life. The Way of the King which leads down to the city lengthens down to the Lower Agora. By following the footsteps of the ruins you enter right into the city centre and will encounter the so called Red Hall Basilica. The Basilica which is known as one of the first seven churches of Anatolia attracts the attention of the visitors with its giant size and design. The ruin of Askelpion which is located in the west side of the city is the other star of Bergama. Three temples catch the eyes of the visitors here besides the ancient theatre, the pool and the clinics.
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Journey
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Bergama Among the World Heritage Sites
The Colourful Streets Talatpaşa neighbourhood consists of old Ottoman houses and it is one of the sights which worth to be visited. The driveway leading to the Acropolis is the right starting point for those who want to walk through this neighbourhood. The cobblestone streets running up to the hills with the colourful painted houses are like the mirror of the near past. The time stopped in the square known as Great Field. It is a magical place whose silence is only disturbed by the screams of the children running throughout the place. The buildings around the famous Red Hall have been restored with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. Some of these historic buildings were converted into shops selling the hand-made carpets of Bergama, various souvenirs and valuable antiques. The Old Vocational School for girls, Küplü Hamam and the Old Presbytery can be mentioned among the historic buildings nearby. Within 15-minute walking distance, there is another interesting residential area
Atmaca Quarter. In this neighbourhood, where residents are mostly musicians, the life is always colourful and vibrant. Here, music is an indispensable part of life. The people earn their life by making music in the Aegean weddings. The children who haven’t learned to read yet are always ready to give concert with their instruments. Do you know that the famous clarinet player Hüsnü Şenlendirici also grew up in Bergama?
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You will need at least two days to visit Bergama thoroughly, because the streets and quarters of the town are full of surprise. Almost at every corner you will meet cheerful children, friendly old men or the wooden doors of some nicely decorated historic houses. Highlands Loaded with Oxygen Without visiting the Kozak highlands your Bergama tour will be unfinished. After turning to the road leading to Kozak, the highland villages which are hidden among the stone pine forests are resembling the oil paintings. The Kozak
AİLE 35
road which leads to Ayvalik is one of the popular addresses for those who love off-road and hiking. When you leave Bergama behind you will encounter the aqueduct which runs along the road, the altitude is slowly increasing in the presence of black pines and picnic areas. After reaching a height about 900 meters the highlands of Kozak are laying in front of you as a sea of yellow and green tones. From the villages of Kozak Demircidere attracts the attention with its susceptibility to plateau tourism while Aşağıcuma and Yukarıbey are admired due to their natural wealth. The stone pine is the income source of the people living here, besides the granite quarries and farming. We learned that the granite which was mined here is exported to Europe in blocks. Our next stop is a village wedding in the Kozak Highland which provides activities like hiking, photography, plants and birds observing for the visitors. We believe that if you are invited to one of the weddings which can be encountered frequently in the summer almost in every village you will love this area even more.
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Journey
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Festive Village Weddings We are lucky because we come across a wedding in Çaltıkoru village. The modest groom house is livened up with the musicians who came from Bergama. When the groomsmen call out the musicians to “play a Bergama” the dance gets increasingly fast accompanied by the Aegean music. While the young guests are having fun, the gifts which will be taken to the groom’s and bride’s house are getting ready. Before going to the bride’s house the groomsmen set up the “wedding flag” which is a decorated Turkish flag. Then they go altogether to the girl’s house while they are accompanied by songs and melodies. The first day at the bride’s house is the henna day. It is customary to give gifts to the bride
Bergama Among the World Heritage Sites
and dance while the musicians are playing folk music. The bride and the groom will move together to Bergama. Although the old methods such as the bride price and the blind date are no longer common the traditional wedding entertainments are still widely accepted. The entertainment which goes on until late night on the first day moves to the groom’s house on the second day. The groom who entertains the guest in his father’s house can see the bride only for moments between two dances. Even on the second day of the wedding… as the local tunes are still in our ears, we feel that Bergama tastes really different and we loved to be here… we recommend you to come and visit this place. Try it and you will love it.
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AİLE 37
Guide of Bergama How to Get There? The nearest airport to there is located in Izmir. You can travel by buses and minibuses from bus station of Izmir which is 107 km far from Bergama. Another option is to rent a car or jeep at the airport of Izmir. The daily fee of a rented car starts from 120 TL. What to Eat? Bergama offers a wide choice of restaurants, beside various grill and kebab dishes, soups and olive oil cooked foods are also served. The warm Turkish pizza is delivered just a few minutes after the order. Tandoor kebab, fresh herbs and donuts are among the beloved flavours of the area. What to Buy? The hand made products are much enhanced in this region. The carpets of Bergama, coloured fabrics, antiques, wooden kitchen stuffs, decorative objects, honey and herbal teas are available. Where to Stay? Anıl Hotel Hatuniye Cad. No:4, Bergama Tel: 0232 632 6352 The hotel which operates across the Pergamon Museum, the hotel is known for its central location and friendly service. The rooms have large windows with the view to the Acropolis. www.anilhotelbergama.com Hotel Berksoy Bahçelievler Mah. 8 Sok., Bergama Phone: 0232 633 2595 The three star hotel is located in the middle of a large garden. It is only three km away from the center. Open pool and fitness center are available. www.berksoyhotel.com Tourism Information www.bergama.bel.tr
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Interview
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Interview with Mesut Cem Erkul
Güner Erduğan
Interview with Director General of Cinema Mr.
MESUT CEM ERKUL on
CINEMA
Turkish cinema is marching on to become a trademark and the works produced meet the criticisms. Now, we take firm steps to make our cinema one of the strongest trademarks and we have the required resources to this end.
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>> We have left behind 100 years behind in Turkish cinema. If you like, we can start from here.
We are so happy that a hundred-year old sector starts another century with a brand new excitement. I think the most important actor that changes the paradigm is acknowledging this, that there is still much to do, revealing the enthusiasm to work in cooperation realizing that we are all together in this. This has been a process which reminded us once again what to do to bring Turkish cinema to a deserved status, making it one of the best cinemas of the world.
This time, Turkish cinema started on from the right place. The numbers which seemed abnormal beforehand has become reachable for people. When we said “100 million audience target is our primary objective after 2015�, we had approximately 36-37 million audiences. Everybody doubted the process but last year we reached a number of audiences readily exceeding 60 million. In terms of quality, we proceed to transform into a sector that can create its audience by itself. The potential for medium and high-quality productions, which we call mainstream or art cinema, to meet the audience is gradually increasing. We have some shortcomings which are sort of economic. Cinema is a branch of art which requires investment cost. The planning, scheduling, feasibility study, creating a business plan, finding the venue and transforming it into a cinema platform are the required processes. We need a second screening opportunity, an increase in the number of theatres, support for the Turkish films and extension of the season.
We have young people and doyen/doyenne. They are all eager to produce. We also have an advantage that this land is full of richness. These values are our assets. Our filmmakers will produce and introduce these values to the whole world. It is time to embrace the world, culturally introduce ourselves and promoting our existence as a country.
Particularly recently, there has been a great effort to enhance our cinema and make it reachable by the world audience. Of course the push of Directorate General of Cinema cannot be denied. What do you think our position is in the world in the field of cinema? Turkish cinema is marching on to become a trademark and the works produced meet the criticisms. Now, we take firm steps to make our cinema one of the strongest trademarks and we have the required resources to this end. Because, the most important element of cinema is the people.
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Interview
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Interview with Mesut Cem Erkul
When we said “100 million audience target is our primary objective after 2015”, we had approximately 36-37 million audiences. Everybody doubted the process but last year we reached a number of audiences readily exceeding 60 million.
Technology, on the other hand, is something that may be replaceable. Hollywood is the first place to embrace it as an industry. When you say industry, something else comes into play. For a correct strategic study of all fields composing the industry to a certain target, a strategic partnership is required. Are we advantageous compared to Hollywood? Technically, financially and in terms of experience; no. Yet, we can achieve these. We are creating the required conditions to this end. A society without dreams can not develop its country. We have some old stories, we really have much. These are not available in Hollywood. They just work to create such stories. On the other hand, we already have these, we have true life experiences. I believe we will produce more satisfying works. Turkey of course should carry its attacking stance in fields of art and culture in addition to other fields. Nobody should speak the exact opposite of this.
Well, do you think everybody does what is required from him/her in parallel to these objectives? Actually, we are all aware of our responsibilities. So, we came together and prepared a draft law on this issue, which we called Turkish Cinema Law. With this law, we described our cinema. In the last development plan, cinema became involved in among the sectors to be supported. You cannot
abruptly integrate a production process into cinema, which is based on, economically, getting results in short term. Yet, you make them believe as long as you produce and vice versa. We hope that this will be solved by the end of this year if our draft law is approved and passed into law by the assembly. People should support cinema, particularly the domestic productions. Our people, thank them, are doing this. They show favor. Except for the US and Bollywood, we have the best national audience, even if just a bit, we rank better than the foreign productions. That means our people do their part. We want a little bit more. We aim to make those who goes to theaters once to visit it the second time, this goes on and on and on. Making theaters more comfortable, renewal of curtains technologically, equipping the tools used for watching a cinema film with the latest technology are what needs to be done. The theater owners do these. That’s a fact that there has been a transformation toward a shopping center from a classical theater building perception.
Finally, what would you like to say to directors, producers and actors through our magazine? They are all highly esteemed to me. I wish them to keep producing good works. I thank them individually for their contributions, efforts and works they produced so far. Words fall short at this point but make sure that I believe my feelings are deep enough to embrace them all.
Guide Woman
GUIDE
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History
> 9 | January February March 2015 |
AİLE 41
Dursun AYAN, PhD
Directorate General of Family and Community Services
WOMANWAS SHE A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR?
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The word “guide” has many meanings; examples of these can be encountered in different professions and dispositions. Yet here, we would like to introduce you, with the specific language of the daily life, expressions of those times, with a guide who is active in the establishment of a family, in other words, marrying off of people. One should take into consideration that there is slight semantic extensions and restrictions of these words today. As non-decent they may seem today, some words are quoted the same way as they were widely used back then. Excerpted sentences from the Dictionary of Ottoman History Terms and Phrases by Mehmet Zeki Pakalın who is known among the important historians describing the guide woman but particularly as a writer for dictionary of history, are exactly as follows. The rest lies on your intellectual world and observations from the daily life. This writer actually has some interesting works. One of these is the “Women-Men Gossips throughout History” printed
in 1949 in Istanbul. A humorous, thought-provoking but authentic work. Pakalın describes the guide woman with these sentences: “An expression used for women who mediated marriages in old times. The “women guides” who heard from a family that they want to marry their son or daughter and who adopted this task as a way of supporting their lives, would frequently, every single day, visit the houses of those who was desired to be married and would praise the girls they knew to the skies. There is the daughter of one or the sister-in-law of the other in places they visited, may God protect her from evil eyes! A sight for sore eyes. Flaxen hair on her heels; dark-blue, curly eye-lashed long eyes; adorable eyebrows; upturned mouth and nose; a well-built body. A baby pink skin, slightly heavier than a full-figured by God! She has a bit of money here and there. Literate enough to go on with, plays zither, embroiders, and knows tailoring. After all, she is in your destiny, if God permits.
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History
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P a s t T i m e s Ta b l e s
Tolunay Sandıkcıoğlu
Directorate General of Family and Community Services
Past Times
TABLES
The history of eating and drinking activities which holds an important place in our daily lives is full of interesting notions and traditions sounding unfamiliar to the present. Family tables that we lay at least once in a day have received their share in the course of time.
>> From Oghuz Turks to Seljuks Central Asian Turks called the feasts given to people “toy” or “aş”. In Oghuz traditions, the laid tables during the toy were in the shape of a crescent and the executive used to sit exactly in the middle. Seating more valuable figures on his right side, the Khan used to place the guest tribes in accordance with their “orun”, in other words their ranks. The food was “shared” (ülüş) according to the ranks, the most precious parts of the lamb, i.e. the head, breast, haunch and thighbone meat were deemed worthy for those seated on the right side. In Kutadgu Bilig, one of the most important texts of the 11th century, with the expression “Kut ol beg budunka kutadgu gerek / Kutadsu budun karnı todgu gerek”, it is stressed that the people should be happy for an executive to be happy and that to become happy people should not be left hungry. The same text also argues with the lines “Kayu türlüg aşka barır erse isen / Edeb birle aş yi bilir erse isen” that one should act urbane while eating no matter where s/he is. Starting meal after the oldest of the table eats first, reaching out the table with the right hand all the time, reciting bismillah before starting, eating from one’s own side of the plate, not blowing on the meal, not cleaning bones, having enough to feed everyone, youngsters’ eating after the older,
not leaving anybody hungry even arrived late are among the advices followed. A great deal of these has reached the present day after originally having been adopted by the Ottomans. In Tevarih-i Al-i Selçuk of Yazıcızade Ali, it is stated that the notables of the state were seated to the table in two sides, right and left of the emperor, like in the Oghuz Turks. “The rest rulers and high-levels were placed on the table (somat) on the left and right sides according to their ranks. Such that, nobody would be lacking on the table, either seated or not.” As for “Tamgalık”, it is confronted as one of the traditions bequeathed to Ottoman Empire by the Great Seljuk Empire. This expression which means “stamped” is used for the one-man table belonging to the executive. This tamgalık tradition, originating in the stamping of khans their own utensils was widely maintained during the Ottoman era with the existence of the lonely-eating sultans.
What about the Empire of Universe Although some of the Ottoman sultans had their meals with their viziers during the establishment period, in his renown Kanunname (Code of Laws) Mehmed the Conqueror strictly
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forbids the sultan eating before the public saying that “I do not have my meal with anybody; even they are the members of Divan. My ancestors used to eat with their viziers, I refuse this”. Süleyman the Magnificent is an exception of the sultans who share his table with the closest family members and the notables of that era receive his sharing his table with Makbul İbrahim Pasha with astonishment. Standing until the era of Sultan Abdülaziz, this rule was first broken during a dinner given in honor of British crown prince. Of course, the kitchen for the one-man private meal of the sultans is exclusive. The meals cooked in this private kitchen named “Kuşhane” (Aviary) where only the meal of the sultan was prepared, was presented for the taste of sultan respectively. Çaşnigirs (special servants for the table of sultan) that were standing side by side from the kitchen to the sultan’s chamber silently reached the plates from hand to hand to the chamberlain. The reason for calling this chamber “kuşhane” was that the pigeon kebabs baked for the sultans were served in pans called aviaries.
AİLE 43
Other servants in the palace used to eat in appropriate tables in accordance with their statutes. Three tables were set in the Divan; one for the Grand Vizier, one for the other viziers and the last for the Kazaskers. (Kadi-ul asker, judge of the soldiers). Servants had their meals in one of these tables according to their ranks. The meals offered, ingredients used and even the bread given varied depending on the statutes of those eating. For example, the white bread made from the finest flour was specific to the emperor, sultans, pashas and high-level officials of the palace. In fact the situation was the same among public. Even in the rich mansions which opened its gates to the poor in Ramadans, the doorkeeper seated those coming to a suitable table in accordance with their dressings, tongue and attitude. Yet, no matter in which table they were seated, the meals offered was delicious and worthy of Ramadan, and a small gift or some money were given to the poor for receiving their blessings.
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History
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P a s t T i m e s Ta b l e s
Having the meal from the same plate was also among our traditions which Westerns found interesting. In fact, doing so was a specific tradition which emphasized the unity and solidarity. Eating the food from somebody else’s side of the plate instead of one’s own was deemed a shame. Having the meal on the floor, in other words on floor tables was met with approval until the very late periods; European style, like using tables and chairs became widespread until the end of the 19th century (only by the upper classes). As penned in their itineraries, sitting before the floor tables were very challenging and interesting for the foreigners. Another thing that was interesting for them was having the food with their hands or rather with the first three fingers of the right hand. Ottoman tables only included the spoon, which were generally used for soups or stewed fruit. As interesting the Westerns may have found it, they were fascinated by the hand-cleaning part before and after the meal comprising of washbowl, pitcher, soap and towel. In Ottoman tables, hands were definitely cleaned before the meals, towel was put on the knees, fingers were cleaned by using the towel during the meal and after the meal, and the hands were thoroughly soaped once again on a washbowl having a hole on the upper part. One was condemned and blamed if s/he sat the table without cleaning hands or used the towel badly. One of the religious figures of the 16th century, Kınalızade Ali Efendi gave some warnings about the table manners in his work Ahlak-ı Alai saying that; “Do not seem greedy while eating. Some scholars advise not to attend friends’ feasts if you are extremely hungry.” The same work also emphasized not to dirty the table, not to wet the salt and bread, not to eat the food apart from the three fingers and not to dirty the moustache while eating. Having the meal from the same plate was also among our traditions which Westerns found interesting. In fact, doing so was a specific tradition which emphasized the unity and solidarity. Eating the food from somebody else’s side of the plate instead of one’s own was deemed a shame. Similarly, eating all of the food served was deemed a shame as well, because one had to spare the “right for the eye” of the servant who served and cooked that meal. For that reason, none of the meals at the feasts were finished completely; the next meal was served after having a few bites. In Ottoman culture, having long conversations during eating
and having fun were not deemed appropriate as well. Such conversations were made while drinking coffees after the meal. After one is full up, s/he left his/her place to someone else, leaving the table praying to God. In houses, the guest showed that s/he is full by upturning his/her spoon while the host would never leave the table before his/her guest. As per the manners of the time, the spoon was gently shaken while reaching the soup or fruit stew and drank without touching the mouth as far as possible. Above all, it was deemed inappropriate to place the spoon almost entirely in your mouth. The bread was not pulled to pieces with one hand, no one would have big bites and nobody stared at each other while eating. In the 19th century, due to the ever-increasing effect of Westernization and the abundance of protocol feasts at that time, some changes were observed in the table layout. Tables were set in a more European style; cutleries appeared on the table together with elegant porcelain sets. Since the beginning of the 20th century, on the other hand, young generation who adopted a new table layout turned their nose up at the former generation who maintained old habits. Although the effect of this generation conflict which can easily be observed in the literary works of that period still continues, “floor table” concept has reached today without losing its place within our culture.
Nursing Home
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Foundation
> 9 | January February March 2015 |
AİLE 45
Emre TÖRE
Department of Education and Publication
TRABZON KÖŞK (MANSION) >>
NURSING HOME A place entirely true to its name. The elegancy of a mansion, a place full of peace and the comfort of a home. In Trabzon, one of the heavenly corners of our country, mountainside, covered with green on all sides, with sea view. What else do you expect?
Köşk Nursing Home, which operates for almost a year now, started serving 63 aged people in this short period of time. One third of the residents are from Trabzon province, the others are from different corners of the homeland. All segments of the society are here; a retired nurse, a TRT artist, a housewife, a shepherd etc. This slice of heaven is totally an exemplary institution. Countless services are listed inside of it. You desire a hairdresser or a tailor? Or maybe you would like to do sports. Maybe you say I am old but I would like to learn to play bağlama (instrument with three double strings); it is possible as well. Gymnastic, bağlama and folk dancing instructors from Provincial Directorate for Public Education visit the center once in a week for classes. Officials from the Office of Mufti also visit the centre once in a week separately for women and men for religious education. Hot water, delicious meals, friendly stuff. In terms of hygiene, so clean that you can even eat off the floor. The clothes of the residents are regularly cleaned, ironed and delivered to themselves. There is also a chamber for intensive care in case a problem may occur. Fortunately, there has not been any need to use this chamber so far. Smilingly we say: “While in such a natural environment
being served by friendly people and having the opportunities of doing sports and arts, maybe people do not want to feel patient”. However, Ministry of Family and Social Policies Trabzon Provincial Director Kadir Er, PhD and Director of the Nursing Home Kamil Yıldırım have a common problem: “Everything is well and good but we would like to be engaged in more social activities, but there is no such demand”. Well, let this to be the only problem for you… The number of the stuff in this institution indicates why the services offered are of high quality and how much importance attached to this. Totally 16 civil servants and 32 contracted personnel are serving in several positions. Almost one servant for each of the aged in the nursing home. This figure reveals what lies behind this service and interest is the value attributed to our elderly. We thank those who contributed to the operation of such an institution and God bless their efforts. Thank you for extending your adoring hands to our elderly.
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Interview
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Interview with Grandson of Koca Seyit
Güner Erduğan
Interview with
Mr. Muhammed Yıkar
koca seyit Grandson of
Our file topic being the 100th anniversary of Çanakkale Victory in this issue, Corporal Seyit, who changed the destiny of the war, needs to be mentioned specifically. Really, who is this Corporal Seyit? His grandson tells us about his grandfather.
>>
Mr. Muhammet serves for the Corporal Seyit Monument erected in memoir of his grandfather. He has not seen his grandfather but one can feel his sincerity while saying “I wish I had seen him once”. He notes his grandfather went for the military service at the age 20 and returned while he was 29; easier said than done, he had heroically fought for his country in the battlefields for nine entire years. We ask him what he knows about the life of his grandfather and the words come in succession. After the war, my grandfather Corporal Seyit tells nobody here that he carried a shell and sank a ship during the war. 11 years after, Atatürk comes here, to Havran for an opening. Following the ceremony, he says the manager of the district: –since Havran is a little neighborhood back then, it is called a district- “There is a Corporal here called Seyit, I need to see him”. Yet the manager does not know in which village he resides. He cannot say whether he knows or not where he lives, looking uneasy before the Pasha. Pasha says him “I
know where he is, how can’t you? He changed the flow of the war. I need to see him.” Next morning, his address is asked to the recruiting office in Edremit. They learn from here in which village and where he is. Back then, the name of our village was Manastır. He is told be in Manastır village and two gendarmeries are sent to him, who arrive on horses as there are no vehicles. They depart in the morning and arrive on the evening –our village is 20 kilometers from there-. They arrive but they can’t find Corporal Seyit. It is learnt that he is on the mountain for producing coal, so they wait till night. As the coal is illegally produced, my grandfather, considering not to be caught, waits to come to village at night. When he comes back he approaches his house and realizes two gendarmeries there. Seeing them, he retreats saying himself “I have only smuggled two sacks of coals for my kids. They will report me in front of my house.” The soldiers shout “Hey Seyit, do not escape!” He replies “I do not escape brother soldier, what did I do, why do you wait here?” Gendarmerie says him: “No, you did not do anything,
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we are waiting for you, unload your donkey, we have things to tell you”. He unloads the donkey. “Yes, brother soldier, I am listening” he says. Gendarmerie replies “Pasha summons you”. Seyit replies: “How can I go to him? My shoes are torn, my dresses are not proper. I do not have the train money to travel to Ankara. I cannot go to Him.” In return when the gendarmerie says: “No, the Pasha is not in Ankara. He asked about you in an opening in Havran. We came to bring you to him. Pasha is in Havran now”, my grandfather says “Then let’s go immediately!” He leaves the coal sacks in front of the house, ties the donkey. Together with the soldiers, they leave on foot and arrive there at midnight. As he does not know, they take him to the manager of the district firstly. Because he will be taken to the presence of Pasha in the morning. The district manager sees that he is a miserable condition. Corporal Seyit is tall and heavier than 110 kilos. First he says: “Pasha asked you, I said I do not know and he got angry. Now you are here but how can I take you to Him in such a dress? What he says me if I take you so?” The manager finds a barber at night and gets his hair cut. In the morning, he gives his own jacket to Seyit. Yet the arms of the jacket are short and both ends do not overlap. Anyhow, he takes my grandfather to the Pasha. The moment my grandfather sees the Pasha, he says “Welcome my dear Pasha”. Pasha replies “You are the one that welcomes. I have been waiting you for two days. Where have you been?” In return Seyit says: “My dear Pasha, I was with the goats on the mountain. I am a shepherd. I came immediately as soon as I was told You are here. “Pasha asks him once again what he does for living and my grandfather
AİLE 47
says he is a shepherd. Later, Pasha and my grandfather have tea together. Here Pasha says: “Seyit, you changed the destiny of war during the battle. At that time you asked for two pieces of bread. Two days you had your breads but the third day you returned them saying that your friend has a right on them. Now that I am here, I want to put you on salary.” My grandfather replies: “We did our duty at that time, I do not want salary.” When the Pasha says being a shepherd is difficult, he says he is used to this. Pasha says: “Seyit, I guess you earn well, your jacket seems nice” But Seyit replies: “No my dear Pasha, Manager of the District put this on me as I came to you.” Pasha says: “If I know well enough, Seyit does not lie. I will leave after putting you on salary”. My grandfather Seyit does not accept this offer. After his last tea, Seyit says to Pasha: “My dear Pasha, I only have one request from you, I don’t know what you can do. What I do is a little bit illegal.” When Pasha asks him what he does, he answers: “My dear Pasha, I collect firewood and produce coal out of it. I sell them illegally in Havran and Edremit. If you order the forest guards not to stop me and take my axe off me, then I can easily live on.” Pasha turns to Manager of the District and tells him “This man will be free. Help him. Tell the guards leave him alone. You see, he asks nothing else.” After this, my grandfather freely keeps what he does for some time. But the incoming manager of district leaves him to his own fate, never calls or helps. He keeps smuggling in the way he knows. Later he works as a porter in an olive-oil factory. The same year he catches pneumonia and dies at the age of 50. Corporal Seyit’s 21 years of lifetime after Çanakkale passes by so…
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Health
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Conscious Health and Health Improvement
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Necmi İlhan Gazi University
CONSCIOUSHEALTHAND HEALTH IMPROVEMENT Having a healthy life is the greatest wealth of a human being. At the end of the past century, important achievements have been made in both individual and community health thanks to the health protection strategies. In addition, health does not mean physical or spiritual health only, healthiness is gradually getting more related to the social services and health improvement.
>> Introduction Health improvement is a sum of strategies requiring multisectorial cooperation that is not only procurable with the increase of quality and quantity of health services but also the collaboration of social services, municipal services etc. So to say, multisectorial cooperation in the field of health was on the agenda via a Memorandum issued by the Prime Ministry in December 2014 in Turkey, thus public and non-governmental organizations were envisaged to take responsibilities on health issues.
Conscious Health A balanced diet and doing exercises, not using tobacco or other addictive products is the preliminary condition for health improvement. In addition to these three elements, one should keep away from stress as far as possible.
However, different perspectives have been reflected in visual, printed or social media every single day regarding these listed basic elements. Yet, any faulty practice on these issues may lead to sudden / acute health losses among the patients as well as causing the healthy individuals, even the society to lose their health in the long term. For this reason, individuals should act in conscious health manners.
Conscious Nutrition and Obesity In almost all diseases from A to Z, nutrition and physical activities carry great importance. One of the most important diseases of this century, obesity, is not caused by a single food or beverage and there is no miracle foods that will make this disappear. What matters is the temperate consumption of all foods and doing physical exercise as much as possible instead of wasting our time sitting idle.
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Increase of physical activities is the best result-giving practice for weight control. Every three individual out of four in our society are not at the level of required physical activity. US Union Center for Sports Medicine argues that every single adult should be engaged in medium level activity at least 5 days in a week, 150 minutes in total.
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50 AİLE | January February March 2015 | 9 >
Health
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Conscious Health and Health Improvement
Walking is the most simple and cheapest physical activity. The target should be taking 10 thousand steps daily. There are five major factors leading obesity. These are malnutrition, insufficient physical activity, long-term and unconscious diets, environmental and psychological factors. To make these factors more specific, nutrition is indispensable for life as it may, malnutrition and over eating may cause gain of weight and obesity. Over eating of individuals without knowing the energy balance that they should get upsets the balance.
Conscious Physical Activity and Obesity Increase of physical activities is the best result-giving practice for weight control. Every three individual out of four in the society are not at the level of required physical activity. US Union Center for Sports Medicine argues that every single adult should be engaged in medium level activity at least 5 days in a week, 150 minutes in total. Walking is the most simple and cheapest physical activity. The target should be taking 10 thousand steps daily. Every long term and unfruitful diet program leads to gain of weight due to the improvement of eating disorder. Diets made without knowing an individual or his/her eating habits and advised by non-expert individuals on newspapers, internet or books published every day will result in a great nothing, furthermore will cause the lost weight to be re-gained. The best method is to adjust the diet by consulting an expert.
Conscious Environment and Obesity One of the important factors that affect the growing of obesity is the environment. Since the time we were born, our environment where we maintain our lives during our lifetimes plays a determining role on many of our attitudes including nutrition. Obesity, on one hand, is usually the result of a learned eating habit and is affected by factors related to life styles such as the regularity of meals, the size of the portions, mostly consumed foods and exercises; and cultural factors. While upset, sad, stressful or angry, many people tend to show uncontrolled eating habits. Almost
thirty percent of the individuals who have difficulty in controlling their weight show overeating tendency while confronted by some emotional and psychological problems. Those who are prone to overeating not only fail to control how much they eat but also tend to choose greater portions.
Health protection and improvement Protecting the health is easier, more economical and painless compared to treating the patients. As academicians, doctors and social field experts, we should rapidly bring health protecting and improving practices into life in Turkey. We should introduce Public Health approach to greater masses from now on. Our country has made a great progress on this issue. Prime Minister’s Office issued a “Declaration on Multi-Stakeholder Health Responsibility Developing Programme”. This adopted an approach to work in cooperation not only with public institutions but also with universities, NGOs and citizens. We should proceed in a multisectorial approach and in a way to understand the needs of the society. There are many expertise foundations. There are really active individuals and foundations in their fields. As academicians we should set the transfer of our knowledge to society as our common target and do the science for people.
Conscious Health Platform Considering the fact that health is a multifaceted issue and this being adopted as a public policy in our country and in the whole world, Conscious Health Platform was formed with academicians and experts from different fields such as public health, metabolism, genetics, nourishment, food, environment, social services and psychology. This platform was formed on the basis of misinformation and information pollution arising due to this reason which was covered in written and visual media and websites regarding the food and food related health issues recently including the dietary patterns particularly. Trying to raise awareness within society in the field of health, the platform aims to contribute to the illumination of the public in light of scientific data by
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Having a transporting task within our bodies, the water carries food and oxygen to the cells, as well as removing the contaminants.
cooperating with all stakeholders involved. In short, as an NGO, Conscious Health Platform aims to grant access of the society to the true information in field of health.
plenty of e-mails, letters and calls. It has started out to make public access to the true information and its primary objective is to share scientific knowledge with the society.
Food is indispensable for our lives. The Platform advises to have balanced meals without making any restrictions apart from the specific situations. It gives messages to avoid a life without moving at all. Instead of categorizing the food as eatable or not, it aims to raise awareness for the importance of activeness by advising to have balanced meals. Conscious Health Platform endeavors to create a consciousness among people and the manufacturers in this field as well. It is trying to bridge between these two, conveying the information produced by the state or academicians in a way that public can understand. Although it has been just a few months since the Platform has been established, it has received
Conclusion Without doubt, the health is a concept that cannot be stored, purchased or replaced; and affected by many components like environmental or behavioral. For this reason, conscious health attitudes are needed to improve the health level of the society not only by healthcare professionals but also social services professionals, education professionals and many stakeholders. Thanks to the implementation of these, improving the level of healthiness in our country will be an intensely studied approach in the coming term.
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Interview
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Interview with Özhan Eren
Şeyma Karataş
interview with
ÖZHAN EREN on cinema We conducted a pleasant interview on cinema with award-winning director, as well as a musician and composer, Özhan Eren. >> We have left behind the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema. Could you share with us your thoughts and insights on this matter?
It is, of course, a source of happiness for all of us to complete a historic process, such as the 100th anniversary. Nevertheless, I hope that besides the numerical greatness, the number of Turkish films that befit the 100th anniversary in terms of content will increase.
You’ve achieved a great success with “120” film; and we’ve recently watched your “The Last Letter” film. Could you talk a bit about these films, for those who haven’t seen them? “The Last Letter” is a bigger project than “120”, in terms of its theme. In “120”, we told the story of 120 child heroes, who volunteered to deliver ammunition to the front line, but gave their lives while doing so. “The Last Letter” is about the
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March 18 Naval Victory. In this film, we attempted to tell, besides the struggles of our troops at the front, the stories of mothers, wives and children who were waiting for them.
Are you pleased with the level of Turkish cinema today? What are your recommendations and expectations for Turkish cinema to reach a better stage? Turkish cinema sector is growing every year, and more films and more viewers are filling film theatres. I hope everything changes for the better. Big-budget films need planning and scheduling, for they are produced in longer periods of time. As far as I am concerned, we are experiencing problems about this. Because, big productions have no other option but be high-grossing films, and this is not something that could be guaranteed. One way to tolerate this, is to allocate more funds. In this way, I think Turkish cinema will improve.
Do you think Turkish cinema is adequately represented in international platforms? We have several films and actors that returned home with international awards. Our lead actress Nesrin Cavadzade is one of those actors. I hope Turkish cinema continues to progress in this platform and becomes even better.
Do you think Turkish family structure is sufficiently dwelled upon in Turkish cinema? Do you think family theme should be given particular place in cinema? A rule of thumb for cinematic productions is this; the way they are produced is more important, rather than what is produced. From this aspect, we can say that there have been numerous films that took up the family theme, one way or another. But, I do not know if you have to tell extended families in order to make a film with family theme. Sometimes a sad story of a small child could take you to your purpose. What matters, I think, is trying to understand and tell “people.�
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Culture
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Spring Festivals
Melih Uslu
COLOURS OF TURKEY;
SPRING FESTIVALS
Fires, dances and prayers herald the awakening of nature, as they have done for many centuries. The common festival of humanity is being celebrated with traditions that survived for thousands of years. Here is a list of festivals celebrated in Turkey, from Nevruz to Kakava that reflect the joy of spring.
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Did you know that three-thousand year old Nevruz, with roots in Anatolia and Mesopotamia, is registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity? Celebrated in almost all parts of northern hemisphere, from Turkey to India, from Macedonia to Turkmenistan, Nevruz symbolizes the coming of spring. Observed as a festival in both Turkey and Turkish Republics, Nevruz has been celebrated on March 21 every year since 8th century B.C. In many cultures, it is the symbol of the first day of spring, but it is also celebrated on March 22 or March 23 in some other communities. Nevruz is the name of the day when spring equinox takes place in northern hemisphere. On this day, Sun rays hit the equator at a steep angle. The length of night and day are equal. Celebrated as a festival also during the Ottoman era, Nevruz was marked with festivities and feasts. A specially prepared paste, called Nevruziye, is still consumed during Mesir Paste Festival on March 21 in Manisa province.
JOY AND BELIEF Hıdrellez is one of the activities that spring to mind when we talk about spring festivals in Turkey. Originating in the
Thracian Region and the Balkans, Hıdrellez begins in the evening of May 5 and continues until midnight of the next day. According to various sources, Prophets Hızır (Al-Khidr) and İlyas (Elijah) set out to find the elixir of life and were granted immortal lives after finding and drinking it. Prophet Hızır used to come to the rescue of those who are on land, while Prophet İlyas used to lend a helping hand to those travelling by sea. Thus, every year people make a wish on Hıdrellez day; clean their houses and leave the windows open so that Prophets Hızır and İlyas can come in. What is more, people also have a bath and dress themselves in the most beautiful of outfits. Fires are lit and people take turns jumping over them. They also dance to halay and sing songs. They write down their wishes on coloured papers and pieces of cloth, and tie them to trees. Young girls who wish to marry wear bridal dresses and appear on doorsteps. Children jazz up the neighbourhoods with tunes they play on shrill pipes and goblet drums. Those who hope to have a one-room house or send their children off to university, write down their desires on sandy beaches. Bottles are filled with sea water, seen as the symbol of abundance and wealth, and are kept for a year along with 41 pebble stones.
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AİLE 55
Fires, dances and prayers herald the awakening of nature, as they have done for centuries. The common festival of humanity is being celebrated with traditions that survived for thousands of years. Those who have their wishes come true, take back the pebbles with prayers. Hıdrellez becomes a synonym for joy and belief in Turkey.
THE ABUNDANCE OF KAKAVA Hıdrellez is being celebrated in Edirne province with festivities called Kakava. The events begin with the lighting of fires, and continue with the offering of various dishes and dance performances. Celebrations take place all day long at Sarayiçi Square, where historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competitions are held. Merriment in neighbourhoods of Edirne lasts until midnight. On the second day of Kakava Festivals, people flock to the banks of River Tundzha (Tunca) after morning prayer adhan. They wash their faces with river water and then continue to celebrate Kakava to the accompaniment of songs and dances. Guests attending the Kakava Festivals make wishes by tossing coins and flowers in the river. Some young girls who wish to find spouses choose to arrive by the river in bridal dresses. Edirne residents say they celebrate Kakava Festivals because they herald the arrival of spring, and add that they wish to live a year filled with abundance and wealth. According to Nafiz Karaçam, a researcher from Kırklareli province, the ritual of entering the water is common among Turks who immigrated from Balkans. Kırklareli, Edirne’s neighbouring city, hosts Karagöz Culture, Arts and Kakava Festival, on the occasion of spring festivals. Celebrated for the past 20 years in the area, this colourful festival is eagerly awaited. It is marked in May with Hıdrellez, and draws great interest from residents. Famous musicians perform as part of the festivities, which also host horse-drawn carriage decorating and most beautiful garden contests.
WISHES ARE MADE Easter Holiday, celebrated in different parts of Anatolia, heralds the coming of spring in the Christian world. Assyrians living in Mardin province, observe the festival in their historical churches on the first Sunday of April. Also attended by Deyrulzafaran (Mor Hananyo) Monastery’s
metropolitan bishop, the service is conducted in Turkish, Arabia and Syriac language. After the service, observed also by families from different parts of the world, people break their fast at the courtyard and hold celebrations. The guests are offered Easter-themed donuts and eggs. Besides Mardin, Easter Festival is celebrated also in various locations across Anatolia. The tradition of celebrating Easter lives on in Armenian village Vakıflı in Antakya province, Şırnak province, Gökçeada, Bozcaada and different parts of İstanbul province. Aya Yorgi (St. George) Church, located in one of Büyükada Island’s highest places, is visited by masses every year on April 23. According to Christian beliefs, those who manage to climb the steep hill without uttering a word and by tying threads in their hands, are granted their wishes. Knowing this, hundreds of people walk in silence to the church, with colourful threads in their hands. Spring festivals, celebrated by Turkey’s non-Muslim citizens, are not exclusive to Christians. Spring festivals of Sephardic Jews, who were welcomed by Ottomans about five hundred years ago, are also among the cultural riches of Turkey. Considered one of the most important Jewish holidays, Pesach, known as Hamursuz Festival in Turkey, is celebrated through the second and third weeks of April.
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Culture
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Tu r k i s h C o f f e e C u l t u r e
Muhammed Musab Sungur
Turkish Coffee culture and its specifics
We have conducted an interview with researcher Uğur Atik on coffee culture. We visited in İstanbul’s Spice Bazaar, the gallery of Uğur Bey, who works to promote the coffee culture from the Ottoman era to present and the use of porcelain from the palace, and to preserve and put into practice this fine culture, and conducted a pleasant interview.
No matter how many guests arrive, two cups of coffee are served on a tray, one at a time. Because, conversation is a two-person act. The person, who offers the coffee bends at an angle of 40 degrees, extends the tray towards the guest without making an eye contact, and when the guest takes the coffee, takes three steps back.
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In the 16th century, the colours of coffee cups were turquoise and pink, the symbols of purity, innocence and privacy. Then comes the colour coralline, which is also known as Turkish red. They are followed by navy blue, the colour of sultanate, and green, the colour exclusive to the post of the Caliphate.
>> What could you tell us if we wanted to find out
how coffee became so integrated with our culture? The then Yemen governor Özdemir Pasha arrived in İstanbul in 1554 with sacks full of coffee. At the time, coffees were cooked and consumed in bowls like soup. The intention was to keep the students awake for longer periods of time and help them study more. But, Sufi dervishes were the ones who consumed it most; with the intention of staying awake and being able to remember Allah (dhikr) more. That is why our coffee is the only version in the world that assumed a mystic identity. Dervishes roasted and ground coffee beans, thereby creating this form of coffee, which gained fame around the world as Turkish coffee, although it is not grown in Turkey. Turkish coffee thus became the ancestor of coffees.
How did the coffee cups begin to be used? If we look back at 16th century practices, we see that the bases of coffee cups were wider and their mouths were narrow. The purpose of this design was to allow the foam to last until the final sip. The slim figure of the cup was aimed at keeping the coffee hot. These are the characteristics of Turkish coffee. In 1890, Sultan Abdul Hamid established the Imperial Factory, a long-time dream of his. The products himself and his family used, were manufactured here. Master craftsmen from France were hired to manage the factory. After that time, forms of the cups changed and their mouths became wider. n the 16th century, the colours of coffee cups were turquoise and pink, the symbols of purity, innocence and privacy.
Then came the colour coralline, which is also known as Turkish red. They were followed by navy blue, the colour of sultanate, and green, the colour used by the post of Caliphate. Sufi dervishes picked colour green, for they consumed all kinds of herbs found in nature. The Ottoman flag was also green. Ottomans affirmed their devotion to God by picking green, the colour of nature. Yellow means, sadness, tears and separation. Some cups sport moon and crescent, which are the motifs in our flag. Why? The knowledge we were provided with, of course holds some truth, but there is one more thing. In Abjad calculation, God is represented with a star. A pentacle, however, represents five pillars of Islam. That is why the flag is considered sacred.
Was there ever a ritual for drinking coffee? At the time, guests who visited the palace or mansions, used to enter the buildings through changing rooms, what we call today an “entrance,” and take off their top clothing. As ladies headed to the harem and gentlemen to selamlık (a part of the mansion reserved for men), a servant greeted the guests with a plate, made of red clay, in her hand and filled with rose-flavoured Turkish delight. The visitors entered the room and were led to their seats, all of which were determined according to their titles. No matter how many guests arrived, two cups of coffee were served on a tray, one at a time. Because, conversation is a two-person act. The person, who offered the coffee bent at an angle of 40 degrees, extended the tray towards the guest without making an eye contact, and when the guest picked the coffee, took three steps back. The process was repeated for other guests as well and the person who offered the coffee left the room without turning his back.
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Culture
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Why do we say every cup of coffee has 40 years of memory? This is to do with a very important meaning. Sufis know that we need two things to move forward. The first is the spiritual world and the second is companionship. If you see a cup in your dream, it means your heart. You are given a message about matters of the heart. When you come to our house as a guest, we stir our good feelings for you in a cezve (small long-handled pot), put it in a cup and offer our warm wishes to you by means of coffee. How is that not a better way for coffee to have forty years of memory?
Coffee is served along with a glass of water. Does that signify anything? The intent with water here is to remove the leftover taste in the mouth; coffee should be drunken with a clean palate. If you have a bite of Turkish delight and then drink coffee, it means you sweeten your palate before drinking bitter coffee. It is called sweetened coffee. The relationship of coffee with treats on the side was like this in the palace. The situation in mansions differed a bit. If you drank water first, you meant to tell “I am hungry.” A table was set immediately. We hope to win merit by feeding you first. There was also this custom of presenting guests who came for iftar dinner, with a small gift called “tooth rent”. The intent was to award the good deed displayed by the host.
Why is Turkish delight served with coffee? It is not another Turkish delight, it is Ottomans’ roseflavoured an ordinary Turkish delight. Gülhane Park, the most important private garden of the Sultan, was decorated with special roses brought from all provinces, so that cooks could create the most exquisite rose-flavoured Turkish delight and rose sherbet. When Islamic Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) ascended to the heavens (miraj), he sweated so heavily, and where his sweat drops touched the ground, roses sprouted. Rose is the symbol of our prophet.
Tu r k i s h C o f f e e C u l t u r e
Ottomans established Isparta province so that the whole city could grow roses and produce rose oil for the tomb of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). Oil lamps are used in dervish lodges, because light never dies in these lamps. Rose oil is burned in the tomb of our Prophet and the Kaaba is cleaned with rosewater. This is a legacy from the Ottoman times.
How do we make a fine Turkish coffee? There was a big stove in the Ottoman palace. Charcoal obtained from oak trees was burned until it became red, and a handful of nutshell was added in the middle of the charcoal. When the nutshell was fully burned, a copper cezve was placed on top of the stove. Even today, coffee should be made in a tinned copper cezve. Five grams of coffee is enough for a cup of Turkish coffee, which corresponds to two teaspoons of coffee. We should absolutely use cold water. We do not stir it constantly, but stir a few times and place the cezve on the stove. Before the mixture rises to the brim, we lift the cezve and spoon the foam (telve) into the cup, and put the cezve back on the stove. When we do this for the second time, what we take as foam is the central part of coffee beans and for the third time, we take the coffee grounds. Thus, the accepted form of Turkish coffee emerges; the “creamy coffee.”
What about coffee-reading? Gossiping in the harem was forbidden, so odalisques were not allowed to talk behind each other’s back. Coffee-reading is something they invented to be able to back-bite.
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When you come to our house as a guest, we stir our good feelings for you in a cezve (small long-handled pot), put it in a cup and offer our warm wishes to you by means of coffee. How is that not a better way for coffee to have forty years of memory?
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Life
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Catching the Instantaneities
Prof. Dr. Üstün Dökmen Ankara University
catching the instantaneities:
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It is possible to perceive some moments of misfortune as being small instead of overrating them. Likewise, some beauties can be thought as being great / major things. You can train yourself on this.
creating great happiness from little details
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Incidents do not matter, what matters is your way of perceiving them
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Y
ou can conceive, in a way that makes both you and those around you unhappy, some little incidents in your daily life as being “exquisite and devastating” happenings. You have this power. For example, you may follow with your car somebody that unjustly honks at you in traffic jam; you can oppress someone, have a fight and may end up either in police stations or hospitals. You have the required mental and physical power enough to do this.
Disgrace or Kindness: Disaster or Grace?
However, you also have the power to see this as a little, unimportant detail and relax yourself.
Incidents do not matter, what matters is your way of perceiving them.
Moreover, you have the power to realize little details in your surrounding and catch great tastes and great happiness from these. During a trip, for instance, you have the power to enjoy the road, the trip itself or becoming integrated with technology. You have the opportunity to catch the instantaneities in your life. If you do this, you have a greater possibility to see tomorrow. If you feel extremely unhappy, sad or have fights over small details, you have more risks to die. That’s up to you.
What is important and what is not; what is rude and what is kind varies. It varies from person to person, from society to society and it varies in time.
As Epictetus said and as mentioned in some approaches in psychology science today, your way of perceiving the incidents do matter, instead of the incidents. You may perceive being honked at as a great rudeness that needs immediate punishment or you may think it is an unimportant priggery.
In some cultures in the world, sticking out one’s tongue to the guests is deemed as grace. In old times in Hungary, by showing courtesy, the hosts used to have their guests’ horse –drawn carriage wheels pulled out to mean “stay overnight here”. If we stick out our tongues to our guests it is not a grace but a disaster. The same story applies if we pull out four wheels of his/her car. We are partially free to abide by or not to the culture of the society we are living in. But not entirely. If we decide to fowl with rifle or nakedly wander in the city park, there appears a problem. When you face problems with the police on this, you do not make any sense if you say: “My wandering nakedly is a small thing. Do not make a big deal out of it”. We are not totally free to ignore period of time and existing social values in our actions. But I think, at individual level, there is freedom to a large extent.
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Catching the Instantaneities
Think about the messiest corner of your house just now. You do not want me to see there. But a photographer comes and takes a picture from such a different angle that s/he exhibits it. Instances:
Catching the instantaneities
You cannot wander naked, but if you see a small stain on your dress while walking on the street, you may deem this as a huge disaster, or you may just not exaggerate it. You are not completely free about sticking out your tongue at your guest. If you act so, at least there will be a decrease in the number of your visitors. Yet, when the nut cake you served to your guest contained nutshells in it, you are totally free to get sad or not for days, or to exaggerate this or not.
Photograph artists speak of catching the instantaneities. Catching the instantaneity means to photograph a non repeatable move or a situation that appear for a moment in a world that keeps a constant change.
It is possible to perceive some moments of misfortune as being small instead of overrating them. Some beauties can be thought as being great / major things. You can train yourself on this. You may think so: perceiving the experiences you have either “disgrace” or “grace” and if it is a grace to what extent is something that can be learned. And you have the power to learn it. (Of course, you also have the power to resist learning. That depends on you.)
Headshots are not instantaneities; because we pose for. But the momentary look of that Afghan girl and the momentary existence of the workers on the wall side are instantaneities. Instantaneity is a small moment, but when you catch that little moment, it will be with you for a whole lifetime. You may pay no mind to some incidents that you confront. Or you may train yourself about enjoying great tastes from some of them, in short catching the instantaneities in your life. There is no such scenery in the world that deserves to be an instantaneity without the existence of a man. That lies in the brain of an artist. The artist is the person that has
Instantaneity is a small moment, but when you catch that little moment, it will be with you for a whole lifetime.
Gürkan Akbaş
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trained himself/herself about catching the instantaneities or turning something into one. If you wish, you can train yourselves as well.
Thursday, 28.08.2013, 19.50 Now I am in the balcony, sitting with my grandmother. My father walked inside. I think he is writing a book. I want to make a contribution with a few sentences. My poor grandmother sadly watches the sunset which seems like a huge fireball. Mrs. Vasfi has a different colour of scarf on her shoulders. The view is awesome. Sitting in front of this deep blue scenery and writing something, reading a book or gawping give a great pleasure. My grandmother says “Tuğcan, let’s buy a boat”. You Sabahat Dökmen, the one that drills the mountains, what will we do with a boat? Maybe we buy, but it will stand idle in a corner like the other unneeded staff my father bought. Aren’t I right? And what about this sound? Not a plane, not a thunder as well. Here...Making a favour and writing a few lines to his notebook, do you think Üstün will be angry at this? I believe he will not just to cohere with what he tells. It is his problem if he gets angry.
My dear readers, you may think what the lines within the box are about. Here it is: I was writing this book in my balcony one summer night; to a notebook with a pencil. My little girl (she finished the elementary school that year) and my mother were sitting next to me. I walked inside for a while. When ı returned to balcony, ı noticed that my little girl wrote these lines on my notebook, just for fun. I did not want to erase it. I thought ı would extract it later but I
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forgot. While my friends in the publish house were making a clean copy, they cited this passage unintentionally. I still did not want to extract it and it remained there. Later I thought that this was an instantaneity as well or maybe a good coincidence. So I left it there. That is the story of this passage.
Let’s move on: Maybe we are calling a few little things that stay with us from the time that fly away the instantaneities. Ara Güler has never visited your house so far: and she will not forever. That means, the thousands of instantaneities that is possible to be caught in your home get wasted or they will. Yet, do not feel sorry, you may catch the instantaneities at your home. Ara Güler will never visit your house. You are responsible for catching the instantaneities at your home and in your life. You are reading this article now. Soon, you will stop reading. And throughout the history, your posture or pose just at this moment will never exist again. Look and realize this instantaneity. With your eyes, with your mind, catch this instantaneity that you are included in as well. Keep it in your mind in just one original copy. Think about the messiest corner of your house just now. You do not want me to see there. But a photographer comes and takes a picture from such a different angle that s/he exhibits it and you will be proud. Then, you notice that corner of the house today. Take pictures of that corner with your eyes, with your mind. There are some streets that you pass by without noticing; there may be some kids on the doorsteps. Ara Güler made them all immortal. There are some doors that we do not notice or even look carefully while knocking. Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Laleper Aytek or Yılmaz Bulut immortalized them. For example they took the pictures of the doors that were opened and closed thousands of times a day and that
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Catching the Instantaneities
Finding great tastes in little details of your life is your responsibility. one-time image has become visible by many people for a very long time. Not just them; many painters, many writers and many photographers... How were we supposed to hear the voices of the salmons which we never heard or just imagined as a meal while looking at, if not for Schubert? If it were not the eyes of Osman Hamdi Bey, how were we supposed to see those carpets or turtles? How would we see, if he did not want us to see, that simple and messy room of Van Gogh and his thrown away old shoes could be such magnificient. And today, if you do not wholly embrace, without differing it as large or small or calling it important or not, a world that is perceived by you and which will disappear one day, who else will notice it? Finding great tastes in little details of your life is your responsibility. You may think filling a glass in a table as a simple detail. Or you may consider it being a magnificent moment, a non repeatable instantaneity throughout the history. A lady’s swinging his skirt while entering from one room to another or a man’s correcting his tie may be some longed for memoirs for their spouses after years. What if we watch these with pleasure at the time of happening or we just tell them we enjoy that moment? There is not a famine for catching instantaneities in the world; what matters is the recording power of your lens. Bibliography: Gürkan Akbaş
Üstün Dökmen: “Küçük Şeyler 1:Deniz Kabukları” (Little Details 1:Seashells), Remzi Publishing House, Istanbul, 2004.
Republic of Turkey Ministry of Family and Social Policy
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