Yeşilçam veteran ‘Nubar Baba’ never
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Berç Alyanakziya, the son of immortal actor of Turkish cinema, Nubar Terziyan, who is known as ‘Nubar Baba’ and ‘Tonton Amca,’ speaks about Yeşilçam, Turkey’s Hollywood. 'Yeşilçam was a home, and the audience was the family in it,' he says
Nubar Terziyan
Nubar Terziyan, known as “Nubar Baba” or “Tonton Amca,” was an Armenian actor in Turkish cinema. Even though most Armenian and Greek artists changed their names to Turkish names for the screen upon request of producers, he never considered it necessary.
He played in more than 500 films and won the endless love of Turkish audiences. The actor, who died in 1994 at the age of 85, was bid farewell in a way that was not possible for many Turkish artists. A plaque was placed on his house on the shore of the Bosphorus.
The actor won the hearts of cinema lovers as well as the famous artists of Yeşilçam. Named as “baba” (father) by Turkish cinema’s “Ugly King” Yılmaz Güney and the handsome actor Ayhan Işık, Terziyan fell into deep sorrow when these two actors, who he loved like his sons, died at early ages.
Events that happened right after he placed a death notice for Işık in the daily Hürriyet made him more sorrowful. Işık’s wife Gülşen reacted negatively toward Terziyan, who wrote below the notice “your father Nubar” as Işık had called him. The reason was that the real surname of Işık was Işıyan, which had been kept a secret. Because the name Işıyan reminds one of an Armenian name, he changed it to Işık.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Terziyan’s son Berç Alyanakziya said the following about the reason for the wife’s reaction: “Everyone thought that Ayhan Işık was Armenian because of his real surname, Işıyan. When my father placed this notice and wrote ‘your father Nubar,’ people thought that they were close relatives and Işık was an Armenian, too.”
Because of this reaction, Terziyan disclaimed the notice in the paper.
Güney aimed for the target
Alyanakziya said he had spent his childhood in Yeşilçam film sets and mentioned one of his most interesting memories. “My father took me to the film set one day. Güney told my father: ‘Tonton baba, throw the money in your hand to the air.’ He pulled his gun from his belt, targeted the money in the air and shot it.”
He explained the reason why his surname was Alyanakziya even though his father’s was Terziyan. “One of the best known directors of Turkish cinema was Armenian Arşavir Alyanakyan.” He said his “father took the surname of an Armenian artist from the Ottoman theater, Terziyan,” so that people would not confuse them.
Alyanakziya said many artists who changed their surname over time became known by their real names. “Yeşilçam was a home, and the audience was the family in it. When they love you, they keep you in the deepest of their heart, regardless of your religion or language,” he said.
Terziyan on the silver screen with ‘Efsuncu Baba’
Terziyan’s cinema life started as a coincidence. Working for his father’s small drapery store in Istanbul, one day he met with Mike Rafaelyan, famous director of photography for hundreds of films at the time. He proposed for him to act in a film and introduced him to director Aydın Arakon.
Arakon asked Terziyan to act in his film “Efsuncu Baba,” and thus he stepped into the film sector in the mid-1940s. “In my childhood, my father used to prepare his clothes every night and took to the roads early in the morning,” said Alyanakziya. “Yeşilçam was not a matter of money but heart. This is the reason why Yeşilçam movies are still enjoyed by Turkish people.”
Big copyright problem
Even though Turkish cinema has been popular in Turkey as well as the international arena in recent years, Alyanakziya thinks that the Yeşilçam could never be replaced. “It is not possible for anyone to replace the immortal artists of Yeşilçam,” said Alyanakziya. “Turkish cinema should catch the soul of Yeşilçam again in order to become successful. Success is not reached by losing essence and imitating the West.”
Speaking about copyright problems, Alyanakziya said lots of names who served in Turkish cinema spent the last years of their life in poverty. “My father’s films are still shown on television but no one asks about the copyrights,” he said.
29 Aralık 2009 Salı
27 Aralık 2009 Pazar
Turks demand freedom for Armenian intellectualFont
Turks demand freedom for Armenian
Sunday, December 27, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sarkis Haszpanyan was tortured in Turkey in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup, his friends say.
Turkish intellectuals have launched an online petition protesting the imprisonment of an Armenian who was arrested after he gave a newspaper interview in 2008.
The petition, published at the gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com, is an effort to free Sarkis Haszpanyan, who was arrested and imprisoned in Armenia after he gave an interview. The petition was launched by Sait Çetinoğlu, author and editor at Belge International Publishing, and received more than 30 signatures in its first day.
The support is coming not only from Turkish intellectuals living in Turkey but also from other parts of the world. Visitors to the site can read an open letter to Armenian President Serge Sarkisian penned by Turkish intellectuals.
“Haszpanyan is being punished unjustly. Let this torture end,” said Çetinoğlu, speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Sarkis was tortured in Turkey in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup. He escaped to France as a refugee. In 1991, when Armenia gained independence, he went there and put up a struggle. This should not be his fate.”
Temel Demirel, another leader of the campaign, said Haszpanyan is “a part of Anatolia.”
Demirel said he and Haszpanyan were tortured at the same time after the 1980 coup. “Authoritarian regimes that imprison and torture people because of their thoughts are enemies of humanity and democracy,” he said.
For an interview
What led to his imprisonment was a November 2008 interview published in the Haygagan Jamanag (Armenian Time) newspaper, known for supporting Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Armenia was preparing for the presidential elections at the time.
“[In the interview] Hazspanyan said some people might be planning to assassinate Sarkisian,” Hayk Kevorkyan from the newspaper told the Daily News. “He was arrested right after the interview was published.”
“They were already looking for an excuse to arrest him. The interview played right into their hands,” Kevorkyan said, adding that there are currently 15 political prisoners in Armenia. “Bloody events occurred right after the March 2008 presidential elections, which are still waiting to be uncovered. At that time, 150 people were arrested and questioned for completely political reasons.”
David Shahnazarian, a representative of the Armenian National Congress, or ANC, congratulated Turkish intellectuals on their efforts. “We want Armenia to respect human rights, democracy and [freedom of] thought as soon as possible,” he told the Daily News. Shahnazarian is known as the “right hand” of Ter-Petrossian and was the president of the Armenian National Security Council in the 1990s.
Born in Hatay, Sarkis Haszpanyan was an active member of an outlawed communist organization in Turkey in the 1970s, together with the late Hrant Dink, who was a close friend of his. Dink was assassinated in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sarkis Haszpanyan was tortured in Turkey in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup, his friends say.
Turkish intellectuals have launched an online petition protesting the imprisonment of an Armenian who was arrested after he gave a newspaper interview in 2008.
The petition, published at the gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com, is an effort to free Sarkis Haszpanyan, who was arrested and imprisoned in Armenia after he gave an interview. The petition was launched by Sait Çetinoğlu, author and editor at Belge International Publishing, and received more than 30 signatures in its first day.
The support is coming not only from Turkish intellectuals living in Turkey but also from other parts of the world. Visitors to the site can read an open letter to Armenian President Serge Sarkisian penned by Turkish intellectuals.
“Haszpanyan is being punished unjustly. Let this torture end,” said Çetinoğlu, speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Sarkis was tortured in Turkey in the aftermath of the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup. He escaped to France as a refugee. In 1991, when Armenia gained independence, he went there and put up a struggle. This should not be his fate.”
Temel Demirel, another leader of the campaign, said Haszpanyan is “a part of Anatolia.”
Demirel said he and Haszpanyan were tortured at the same time after the 1980 coup. “Authoritarian regimes that imprison and torture people because of their thoughts are enemies of humanity and democracy,” he said.
For an interview
What led to his imprisonment was a November 2008 interview published in the Haygagan Jamanag (Armenian Time) newspaper, known for supporting Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Armenia was preparing for the presidential elections at the time.
“[In the interview] Hazspanyan said some people might be planning to assassinate Sarkisian,” Hayk Kevorkyan from the newspaper told the Daily News. “He was arrested right after the interview was published.”
“They were already looking for an excuse to arrest him. The interview played right into their hands,” Kevorkyan said, adding that there are currently 15 political prisoners in Armenia. “Bloody events occurred right after the March 2008 presidential elections, which are still waiting to be uncovered. At that time, 150 people were arrested and questioned for completely political reasons.”
David Shahnazarian, a representative of the Armenian National Congress, or ANC, congratulated Turkish intellectuals on their efforts. “We want Armenia to respect human rights, democracy and [freedom of] thought as soon as possible,” he told the Daily News. Shahnazarian is known as the “right hand” of Ter-Petrossian and was the president of the Armenian National Security Council in the 1990s.
Born in Hatay, Sarkis Haszpanyan was an active member of an outlawed communist organization in Turkey in the 1970s, together with the late Hrant Dink, who was a close friend of his. Dink was assassinated in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.
12 Aralık 2009 Cumartesi
Armenian children forced to read in the dark in Turkey
Armenian children forced to read in the dark in Turkey
Friday, December 11, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Children from Armenia are attending classes and reading smuggled textbooks at an illegal school in the basement of a building in Istanbul. Forbidden to attend Armenian minority schools under the Lausanne Treaty and the Special Education Law, these children could not go to school even if the Turkish-Armenian border is opened, unless the law is changed
Tzsonivar is 8 years old and she misses her father and siblings who live in another country. Six-year-old Serge hopes to be president of that country some day. But for now, they are stuck in a legal twilight zone, unable to attend Turkish schools, studying in illegal elementary classes with smuggled textbooks and volunteer teachers.
Serge and Tzsonivar are Armenian. Unlike Turkish Armenians who can attend community schools established under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, these children are citizens of Armenia. Unlike expatriates, who often send their children to private foreign schools, Serge and Tzsonivar are poor. The tuition for a non-state school would be more than their undocumented parents can afford. Most parents would prefer their children to be educated in the Armenian language, even if they could afford to send them to private foreign schools in Turkey.
Even if all the problems between Turkey and Armenia are resolved, Armenian-born children currently studying in an Istanbul basement would still not be able to attend the country’s Armenian minority schools.
A change in Special Education Law would be required for those children to reclaim their right to an education. Only children with Turkish citizenship who are from the country’s Greek or Armenian minority are allowed to attend the minority schools in Istanbul, under the terms of the Lausanne Treaty.
Every knock on the door is cause for worry
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review visited an illegal school several times over two weeks with the promise of keeping the students’ names and the neighborhood a secret. There were almost 20 children ranging in age from 5 to 14 at the school. Their greatest fear is that their location will be exposed and every knock on the door makes them afraid that the authorities are raiding the school. There are other illegal schools like this in Istanbul.
The children here are not only deprived of their right to an education, but they miss their families, too. Lusine, a teacher at the school said: “Our aim is to teach the children at least how to read and write and provide a social environment. For many, their family is in Armenia or other countries. They do not have the chance to see their mothers during the daytime either, which affects the children negatively.”
Reproach for Armenia’s rich
The 1989 earthquake in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-biggest city, and the Nagorno-Karabakh war with Azerbaijan have pushed the country into economic distress. The Turkish border being shut down due to the war has made the situation even worse. Many citizens of Armenia went abroad to find jobs due to the financial difficulties, and Turkey was the top choice. Today, economic problems continue and, even though their children have not had a proper education since, their parents do not wish to go back to Armenia.
According to Turkish authorities, there are 60,000 illegal Armenian workers in the country, while data from Armenia’s Foreign Ministry puts the number at 20,000. Although most of the illegal Armenian workers in Turkey are college graduates, many of them do basic jobs such as housecleaning or working at bazaars. Those with better economic positions engage in the suitcase trade, the practice of buying products at low cost in Istanbul’s bazaars and selling them for a higher price in their home country.
Most adults can cope with this struggle one way or another, but school-aged children often experience great difficulties.
“The politicians are after their own gains; it is us, the ordinary people, who suffer,” said Aghavni, a graduate of the Yerevan University faculty of economics who earns a living in Istanbul by cleaning houses. Criticizing the rich people of Armenia, Aghavni said: “They are your children, too. You know how to show off in the streets of Yerevan in luxury jeeps, but you do not even think of claiming those children, your future. We had to leave our country because of financial difficulties. We did not even have bread to eat.”
The psychologist of the illegal school
Armineh, another teacher at the school, came to Turkey 10 years ago from Gyumri, where her family still lives. “I came here unwillingly, to earn a living and send money to my family. I have been a housecleaner and I have worked at bazaars. Now I clean houses two days a week and have a stand at the bazaar,” she said. Like her other friends, Armineh has devoted herself to the children at the illegal school. She studied psychology in Armenia and is very concerned about the future of the children.
“They suffer great damage both psychologically and in a social sense; most of them are withdrawn,” she said. “It bears thought and is very sad that children are deprived of their educational rights in this century.”
The Armenian president is the idol of little Serge
The children’s textbooks are brought from Armenia. The biggest wish of 12-year-old Garoush is to go back to his school in Yerevan. “I miss my school and friends very much. We came to Turkey five years ago,” said Garoush. “I want to go back, but my mother says it is not possible now.”
Tzovinar is 8 years old and her father and siblings live in the village of Gavar, near Sevan Lake in Armenia. Her eyes were full of tears. “I miss my father and siblings so much. I cannot see my mother either because she has to work a lot to earn money.”
Serge is 6 years old and his favorite person is Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, for whom he was named. “I want to be president, too, like Serge Sarkisian, when I grow up,” he said. “The child at the house my mother cleans wears very nice clothes. He has a very nice school bag, but I do not. I will let everybody go to school when I become president.”
Lawyer Davuthan: ‘The law must change’
The Daily News asked for the opinion of Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the spiritual leader of the Patriarchate of Armenians of Turkey, but received no comment. The Patriarchate Secretariat said it was due to Ateşyan’s busy schedule.
The archbishop met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently and mentioned the subject.
The Turkish branch of UNICEF also preferred to remain silent on the matter. “This is a very political subject. It would not be our place to voice an opinion,” said Şebnem Balkan, a UNICEF spokeswoman, and said she was just assigned to the job.
Setrak Davuthan, a lawyer for the foundations of the Armenian community of Istanbul, explained the matter as follows: “There is a law banning children from Armenia from attending the schools of the Armenian minority foundations. The law on private education institutions states that only citizens of the Republic of Turkey can study at minority schools. If that clause does not change, the problem will not go away even if the borders between Turkey and Armenia open.”
According to Davuthan, the roots of the problem date back to the Lausanne Treaty. He said such difficulties were because the articles of the Lausanne Treaty on minorities are interpreted as the government sees fit. “In the time of the Ottomans, not only Armenians, but also Turks studied in the minority schools because the level of education was good,” he said.
There are currently 18 Armenian minority schools in Istanbul
Friday, December 11, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Children from Armenia are attending classes and reading smuggled textbooks at an illegal school in the basement of a building in Istanbul. Forbidden to attend Armenian minority schools under the Lausanne Treaty and the Special Education Law, these children could not go to school even if the Turkish-Armenian border is opened, unless the law is changed
Tzsonivar is 8 years old and she misses her father and siblings who live in another country. Six-year-old Serge hopes to be president of that country some day. But for now, they are stuck in a legal twilight zone, unable to attend Turkish schools, studying in illegal elementary classes with smuggled textbooks and volunteer teachers.
Serge and Tzsonivar are Armenian. Unlike Turkish Armenians who can attend community schools established under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, these children are citizens of Armenia. Unlike expatriates, who often send their children to private foreign schools, Serge and Tzsonivar are poor. The tuition for a non-state school would be more than their undocumented parents can afford. Most parents would prefer their children to be educated in the Armenian language, even if they could afford to send them to private foreign schools in Turkey.
Even if all the problems between Turkey and Armenia are resolved, Armenian-born children currently studying in an Istanbul basement would still not be able to attend the country’s Armenian minority schools.
A change in Special Education Law would be required for those children to reclaim their right to an education. Only children with Turkish citizenship who are from the country’s Greek or Armenian minority are allowed to attend the minority schools in Istanbul, under the terms of the Lausanne Treaty.
Every knock on the door is cause for worry
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review visited an illegal school several times over two weeks with the promise of keeping the students’ names and the neighborhood a secret. There were almost 20 children ranging in age from 5 to 14 at the school. Their greatest fear is that their location will be exposed and every knock on the door makes them afraid that the authorities are raiding the school. There are other illegal schools like this in Istanbul.
The children here are not only deprived of their right to an education, but they miss their families, too. Lusine, a teacher at the school said: “Our aim is to teach the children at least how to read and write and provide a social environment. For many, their family is in Armenia or other countries. They do not have the chance to see their mothers during the daytime either, which affects the children negatively.”
Reproach for Armenia’s rich
The 1989 earthquake in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-biggest city, and the Nagorno-Karabakh war with Azerbaijan have pushed the country into economic distress. The Turkish border being shut down due to the war has made the situation even worse. Many citizens of Armenia went abroad to find jobs due to the financial difficulties, and Turkey was the top choice. Today, economic problems continue and, even though their children have not had a proper education since, their parents do not wish to go back to Armenia.
According to Turkish authorities, there are 60,000 illegal Armenian workers in the country, while data from Armenia’s Foreign Ministry puts the number at 20,000. Although most of the illegal Armenian workers in Turkey are college graduates, many of them do basic jobs such as housecleaning or working at bazaars. Those with better economic positions engage in the suitcase trade, the practice of buying products at low cost in Istanbul’s bazaars and selling them for a higher price in their home country.
Most adults can cope with this struggle one way or another, but school-aged children often experience great difficulties.
“The politicians are after their own gains; it is us, the ordinary people, who suffer,” said Aghavni, a graduate of the Yerevan University faculty of economics who earns a living in Istanbul by cleaning houses. Criticizing the rich people of Armenia, Aghavni said: “They are your children, too. You know how to show off in the streets of Yerevan in luxury jeeps, but you do not even think of claiming those children, your future. We had to leave our country because of financial difficulties. We did not even have bread to eat.”
The psychologist of the illegal school
Armineh, another teacher at the school, came to Turkey 10 years ago from Gyumri, where her family still lives. “I came here unwillingly, to earn a living and send money to my family. I have been a housecleaner and I have worked at bazaars. Now I clean houses two days a week and have a stand at the bazaar,” she said. Like her other friends, Armineh has devoted herself to the children at the illegal school. She studied psychology in Armenia and is very concerned about the future of the children.
“They suffer great damage both psychologically and in a social sense; most of them are withdrawn,” she said. “It bears thought and is very sad that children are deprived of their educational rights in this century.”
The Armenian president is the idol of little Serge
The children’s textbooks are brought from Armenia. The biggest wish of 12-year-old Garoush is to go back to his school in Yerevan. “I miss my school and friends very much. We came to Turkey five years ago,” said Garoush. “I want to go back, but my mother says it is not possible now.”
Tzovinar is 8 years old and her father and siblings live in the village of Gavar, near Sevan Lake in Armenia. Her eyes were full of tears. “I miss my father and siblings so much. I cannot see my mother either because she has to work a lot to earn money.”
Serge is 6 years old and his favorite person is Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, for whom he was named. “I want to be president, too, like Serge Sarkisian, when I grow up,” he said. “The child at the house my mother cleans wears very nice clothes. He has a very nice school bag, but I do not. I will let everybody go to school when I become president.”
Lawyer Davuthan: ‘The law must change’
The Daily News asked for the opinion of Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the spiritual leader of the Patriarchate of Armenians of Turkey, but received no comment. The Patriarchate Secretariat said it was due to Ateşyan’s busy schedule.
The archbishop met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently and mentioned the subject.
The Turkish branch of UNICEF also preferred to remain silent on the matter. “This is a very political subject. It would not be our place to voice an opinion,” said Şebnem Balkan, a UNICEF spokeswoman, and said she was just assigned to the job.
Setrak Davuthan, a lawyer for the foundations of the Armenian community of Istanbul, explained the matter as follows: “There is a law banning children from Armenia from attending the schools of the Armenian minority foundations. The law on private education institutions states that only citizens of the Republic of Turkey can study at minority schools. If that clause does not change, the problem will not go away even if the borders between Turkey and Armenia open.”
According to Davuthan, the roots of the problem date back to the Lausanne Treaty. He said such difficulties were because the articles of the Lausanne Treaty on minorities are interpreted as the government sees fit. “In the time of the Ottomans, not only Armenians, but also Turks studied in the minority schools because the level of education was good,” he said.
There are currently 18 Armenian minority schools in Istanbul
10 Aralık 2009 Perşembe
Fictional characters from book on trial in
Fictional characters from book on trial in
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
‘Ölümden Zor Kararlar’ (Decisions tougher than death), a novel by N. Mehmet Güler, has been banned and its author and publisher are standing trial because of imaginary characters in the work.
Author Mehmet Güler (l) and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu (r).
Fictional characters are being put on trial again in Turkey. “Ölümden Zor Kararlar” (Decisions tougher than death), a novel by N. Mehmet Güler that was published through Belge International Publishing last March, has become the focus of a criminal case for making propaganda for an illegal organization.
Author Güler and publisher Zarakolu are standing trial at the Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes. The novel was added to the list of banned books in June and copies have been recalled from the market. The second hearing of the trial was held Dec. 3 and the next hearing will be March 10.
Many writers and translators have been put on trial in recent years under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The first example of imaginary characters standing trial occurred with Elif Şafak’s novel, “The Bastard of Istanbul.” Şafak stood trial for “insulting Turkishness” through an Armenian character in her novel and was acquitted.
‘My dreams are on trial’
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review talked to Güler and Zarakolu right after the hearing. “The trial turned out to be like a present for my 40th anniversary in journalism,” said Zarakolu, who is a founder of a human rights association and won many national and international prizes for journalism. “Over 50 cases have been opened against me; I have become addicted to it,” he said. “Should the writer be free in his thoughts or should he serve the principles of the state and militarism?”
He compared current conditions to living in the era of Sultan Abduülhamit and noted that the “oppressor mentality” must be overcome. “These cases drag Turkey’s already bad image into a dead end,” he said.
“My dreams are on trial. They consider thoughts as crimes,” Güler said.
Autobiographic traces in the novel
The author of the novel tells stories of clashes between the right and left in Turkey during the 1970s, Kurdish youth who head for the mountains to join the ranks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and torture experienced in prisons through characters named Sıti, Sadri and Hayri.
Güler’s novel features autobiographic traces. He is of Kurdish origin and was arrested in 1990 when he was a history student at Ankara University on charges of having contact with illegal organizations. Güler was put on trial and sentenced to 15 years. He served the sentence at the Ulucanlar and Çankırı prisons at Ankara. “I was only 22 years old. They could not find anything criminal against me; I had not made any action. They only determined that some of my friends were members of [illegal] organizations; that was it,” Güler said.
Writings confiscated by prison administration
Güler did not stop writing during his prison years while he was trying to prove his innocence. He wrote a three-volume book of 1,100 pages called “Yakınçağ Kürt Tarihi” (Contemporary Kurdish History), which was taken out of prison through personal efforts and published in France. According to Güler, the book can be found all over Europe today.
The writer also wrote two books of short stories called “Rüyalar yarım Kalmaz” (Dreams do not cut in half) and “Vakit Tamamdı” (It was time). “The prison administration confiscated them when I was being released,” said Güler. “The prosecutor told me, ‘If you take these books with you, I will have you arrested again.’ I had no choice but to leave them.”
Self-censoring while writing
Güler said he practices self-censoring while writing due to his bad experiences. “From time to time, I say to myself I should not write so keenly here,” he said, adding that he is ashamed of this.
He said “Ölümden Zor Kararlar” would be completed in three volumes and the next two will be finished soon. The book will be translated into foreign languages and will reach European readers next year. “I am a writer of Kurdish origin. I was shaped by the problems my society is experiencing; otherwise, my characters would not be this deep.”
He ended by reflecting that the “Kurdish initiative” will help solve the Kurdish problem “because there is no turning back from such a road.”
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
‘Ölümden Zor Kararlar’ (Decisions tougher than death), a novel by N. Mehmet Güler, has been banned and its author and publisher are standing trial because of imaginary characters in the work.
Author Mehmet Güler (l) and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu (r).
Fictional characters are being put on trial again in Turkey. “Ölümden Zor Kararlar” (Decisions tougher than death), a novel by N. Mehmet Güler that was published through Belge International Publishing last March, has become the focus of a criminal case for making propaganda for an illegal organization.
Author Güler and publisher Zarakolu are standing trial at the Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes. The novel was added to the list of banned books in June and copies have been recalled from the market. The second hearing of the trial was held Dec. 3 and the next hearing will be March 10.
Many writers and translators have been put on trial in recent years under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The first example of imaginary characters standing trial occurred with Elif Şafak’s novel, “The Bastard of Istanbul.” Şafak stood trial for “insulting Turkishness” through an Armenian character in her novel and was acquitted.
‘My dreams are on trial’
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review talked to Güler and Zarakolu right after the hearing. “The trial turned out to be like a present for my 40th anniversary in journalism,” said Zarakolu, who is a founder of a human rights association and won many national and international prizes for journalism. “Over 50 cases have been opened against me; I have become addicted to it,” he said. “Should the writer be free in his thoughts or should he serve the principles of the state and militarism?”
He compared current conditions to living in the era of Sultan Abduülhamit and noted that the “oppressor mentality” must be overcome. “These cases drag Turkey’s already bad image into a dead end,” he said.
“My dreams are on trial. They consider thoughts as crimes,” Güler said.
Autobiographic traces in the novel
The author of the novel tells stories of clashes between the right and left in Turkey during the 1970s, Kurdish youth who head for the mountains to join the ranks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and torture experienced in prisons through characters named Sıti, Sadri and Hayri.
Güler’s novel features autobiographic traces. He is of Kurdish origin and was arrested in 1990 when he was a history student at Ankara University on charges of having contact with illegal organizations. Güler was put on trial and sentenced to 15 years. He served the sentence at the Ulucanlar and Çankırı prisons at Ankara. “I was only 22 years old. They could not find anything criminal against me; I had not made any action. They only determined that some of my friends were members of [illegal] organizations; that was it,” Güler said.
Writings confiscated by prison administration
Güler did not stop writing during his prison years while he was trying to prove his innocence. He wrote a three-volume book of 1,100 pages called “Yakınçağ Kürt Tarihi” (Contemporary Kurdish History), which was taken out of prison through personal efforts and published in France. According to Güler, the book can be found all over Europe today.
The writer also wrote two books of short stories called “Rüyalar yarım Kalmaz” (Dreams do not cut in half) and “Vakit Tamamdı” (It was time). “The prison administration confiscated them when I was being released,” said Güler. “The prosecutor told me, ‘If you take these books with you, I will have you arrested again.’ I had no choice but to leave them.”
Self-censoring while writing
Güler said he practices self-censoring while writing due to his bad experiences. “From time to time, I say to myself I should not write so keenly here,” he said, adding that he is ashamed of this.
He said “Ölümden Zor Kararlar” would be completed in three volumes and the next two will be finished soon. The book will be translated into foreign languages and will reach European readers next year. “I am a writer of Kurdish origin. I was shaped by the problems my society is experiencing; otherwise, my characters would not be this deep.”
He ended by reflecting that the “Kurdish initiative” will help solve the Kurdish problem “because there is no turning back from such a road.”
3 Aralık 2009 Perşembe
800 peace artists give full support to Turkey’s
800 peace artists give full support to Turkey’s
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Hundreds of artists are providing their full support to Turkey’s initiatives. Some 800 artists from various disciplines have gathered to present a message of friendship and peace to the public, forming the ‘Peace Artists International Art Movement’ via Facebook
Musician Feryal Öner, left, and designer Ragıp İncesarı are members of the Peace Artists International Art Movement.
Turkey has been taking important steps in domestic and foreign politics in the past year, and issues that were regarded as taboo only a few years ago are now being discussed increasingly openly.
Turks and Armenians, who were separated by an unseen iron curtain as the result of the incidents that took place in 1915, have entered a new phase thanks to the “football diplomacy” that began in September 2008.
Even though the closed border between the two countries has not yet been opened, people have already started connecting in the social and cultural fields.
Turkey has recently taken determined steps to solve the Kurdish problem, which has dragged on since the 1980s. Much of the public is still confused about the developments and is clearly unsure as to what the initiative means.
Intellectuals, however, have largely supported the initiative even though they occasionally criticize the government’s handling of the opening.
The Peace Artists International Art Movement is one of the best examples of this intellectual support. The movement, which brings together 800 artists from various disciplines via Facebook, is determined to express the brotherhood of people regardless of ethnic identity in Turkey. The group aims to support each step Turkey takes toward peace.
Reaction against Kurdish songs
Designer Ragıp İncesarı; musician Feryal Öner, a member of the band Kardeş Türküler; and musician Servet Kocakaya spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review as representatives of the Peace Artists.
Kocakaya is a Kurdish musician. His first album “Keke” – Kurdish for “brother” – became a hot topic and generated debate when it was released in 1999. In the same year, the late Ahmet Kaya, a well-known Kurdish musician, became the target of attacks because of his comments at an award ceremony: “I will sing a Kurdish song on my album to be released in the coming days. I will also make a video for the song.”
Touching on the recent Kurdish initiative, Kocakaya said: “When I said I felt both Turkish and Kurdish only a few years ago, they tried to lynch me. We are at this point because politics is carried out over identities in this country. We need to make the initiative not in the political arena but on the street.”
Veto for Kurdish, Armenian on television
In addition to Kocakaya, Kardeş Türküler (Songs of Fraternity), a band that strives to reflect Turkey’s diverse ethnic make-up, has had similar difficulties with its music.
“Television channels that invited us to their program didn’t let us sing Kurdish and Armenian songs,” said band member Öner. “My generation grew up hearing that this country belongs to Turks only. Other ethnic identities have been ignored. … We will fight for ourselves,” she said, adding that though some say the initiatives have succeeded in reaching their goals, this has not been necessarily true in reality.
Call from Peace Artists
“History books taught us that we were surrounded by enemies from all sides,” said İncesarı. “We were told that we defeated the Greeks, that the Armenians stabbed us in the back, and that the Kurds and Arabs betrayed us. I am against the discourse of official history and say that friends surround us on all sides. We will demonstrate this to the Turkish people through films, exhibitions, documentaries and concerts.”
On the Kurdish issue, İncesarı said the real guilt was history on our shoulders. “In 1923, there was a plan to form an assembly including Turkish and Kurdish deputies. But because of the nation-state perception, the plan was abandoned. Otherwise, the Kurdish problem would never have existed.”
İncesarı also invited any interested foreign artists to also participate in the Peace Artists: “Our doors are open to all artists who believe in peace and friendship.”
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Hundreds of artists are providing their full support to Turkey’s initiatives. Some 800 artists from various disciplines have gathered to present a message of friendship and peace to the public, forming the ‘Peace Artists International Art Movement’ via Facebook
Musician Feryal Öner, left, and designer Ragıp İncesarı are members of the Peace Artists International Art Movement.
Turkey has been taking important steps in domestic and foreign politics in the past year, and issues that were regarded as taboo only a few years ago are now being discussed increasingly openly.
Turks and Armenians, who were separated by an unseen iron curtain as the result of the incidents that took place in 1915, have entered a new phase thanks to the “football diplomacy” that began in September 2008.
Even though the closed border between the two countries has not yet been opened, people have already started connecting in the social and cultural fields.
Turkey has recently taken determined steps to solve the Kurdish problem, which has dragged on since the 1980s. Much of the public is still confused about the developments and is clearly unsure as to what the initiative means.
Intellectuals, however, have largely supported the initiative even though they occasionally criticize the government’s handling of the opening.
The Peace Artists International Art Movement is one of the best examples of this intellectual support. The movement, which brings together 800 artists from various disciplines via Facebook, is determined to express the brotherhood of people regardless of ethnic identity in Turkey. The group aims to support each step Turkey takes toward peace.
Reaction against Kurdish songs
Designer Ragıp İncesarı; musician Feryal Öner, a member of the band Kardeş Türküler; and musician Servet Kocakaya spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review as representatives of the Peace Artists.
Kocakaya is a Kurdish musician. His first album “Keke” – Kurdish for “brother” – became a hot topic and generated debate when it was released in 1999. In the same year, the late Ahmet Kaya, a well-known Kurdish musician, became the target of attacks because of his comments at an award ceremony: “I will sing a Kurdish song on my album to be released in the coming days. I will also make a video for the song.”
Touching on the recent Kurdish initiative, Kocakaya said: “When I said I felt both Turkish and Kurdish only a few years ago, they tried to lynch me. We are at this point because politics is carried out over identities in this country. We need to make the initiative not in the political arena but on the street.”
Veto for Kurdish, Armenian on television
In addition to Kocakaya, Kardeş Türküler (Songs of Fraternity), a band that strives to reflect Turkey’s diverse ethnic make-up, has had similar difficulties with its music.
“Television channels that invited us to their program didn’t let us sing Kurdish and Armenian songs,” said band member Öner. “My generation grew up hearing that this country belongs to Turks only. Other ethnic identities have been ignored. … We will fight for ourselves,” she said, adding that though some say the initiatives have succeeded in reaching their goals, this has not been necessarily true in reality.
Call from Peace Artists
“History books taught us that we were surrounded by enemies from all sides,” said İncesarı. “We were told that we defeated the Greeks, that the Armenians stabbed us in the back, and that the Kurds and Arabs betrayed us. I am against the discourse of official history and say that friends surround us on all sides. We will demonstrate this to the Turkish people through films, exhibitions, documentaries and concerts.”
On the Kurdish issue, İncesarı said the real guilt was history on our shoulders. “In 1923, there was a plan to form an assembly including Turkish and Kurdish deputies. But because of the nation-state perception, the plan was abandoned. Otherwise, the Kurdish problem would never have existed.”
İncesarı also invited any interested foreign artists to also participate in the Peace Artists: “Our doors are open to all artists who believe in peace and friendship.”
2 Aralık 2009 Çarşamba
The Armenian civil servant conflict between the Patriarchy and the community
The Armenian civil servant conflict between the Patriarchy and the community
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian community and its patriarchy are embroiled in a conflict over the patriarchy’s reported involvement in choosing a Turkish-born Armenian to work in the government’s EU Secretariat office. ‘The patriarchy should involve itself in matters of religion and its flock. It should avoid politics,’ says one Armenian scholar
Patriarch Mesrop II
The decision to appoint an Armenian to a civil service job looks to have created a rift rather than bring joy to Turkey’s Armenian community.
In recent months, there have been press reports that the EU General Secretariat plans to hire a civil servant of Armenian origin. The secretariat, affiliated to the office of State Minister Egemen Bağış, was to hire an expert consultant with screenings to be held by the Turkish Armenian patriarchy.
An announcement was then run on Lraper, the patriarchy’s official Internet site, indicating that Archbishop Aram Ateşyan had approved the matter. After the story appeared in the media, the secretariat immediately released a statement denying that the patriarchy was holding the screenings.
Patriarchy officials subsequently removed the announcement from the Web site despite receiving hundreds of applications. They also refused to make comments until Tuesday.
Reproachful statement from patriarchy
The primary reason behind the patriarchy’s desire to step in and conduct the screenings was to measure the candidates’ fluency in Armenian because no Turkish university has an Armenian language and literature department and instructors assigned to grammar and literature classes at Armenian schools are often limited to what they have learned from their families.
A news story by Sefa Kaplan was published on the front page of daily Hürriyet on Tuesday with the title “The first Armenian to work for the government outside a university,” putting the story on the agenda again.
According to Kaplan’s story, Leo Suren Halepli, who was born in Istanbul in 1981, passed the secretariat’s exam and is scheduled to be the first Turkish citizen of Armenian origin to become a civil servant outside an academic setting, provided he passes the security investigation by the National Intelligence Organization, or MIT.
Janet Donel from the Patriarchy said: “The screenings were started by the patriarchy two months ago, but we were excluded.”
Donel gave a vague reply to a question from the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review regarding whether the selected candidate had fit the criteria of the patriarchy. “We did not choose the mentioned candidate. That is all we can say.”
‘It is not like a priest would be hired for the patriarchy’
Pakrad Öztukyan, editor for the daily Agos and one of the community’s leading members, criticized the patriarchy’s stance. “It is not like a priest would be hired for the patriarchy and that they would get involved. It was absurd when it was announced that the patriarchy would handle the screenings two months ago because we are not an ecclesiastic community.”
Öztukyan also released background information on the events: “Bağış had visited the patriarchy and the topic came up during the conversation; that is all. Then patriarchy officials invented stories about it.”
Arsen Aşık, a retired scholar from Boğaziçi University also agreed with Öztukyan: “The patriarchy should involve itself in matters of religion and its flock. It should avoid politics.”
Criticizing the press
Aşık also criticized the stance of the Turkish media. “The story emphasizes that the candidate is to be investigated by MIT. In turn, it appears the media are trying to provoke a reaction against the candidate coming from a minority group. The matter is being presented to the public as if it is a state secret.”
Ara Koçunyan, owner of the daily Armenian newspaper of Istanbul, Jamang (Time), also made similar criticisms against the press.
“There were attempts to pull the patriarchy into the center of a polemic discussion.” However, unlike Öztukyan and Aşık, Koçunyan defended the patriarchy, saying, “Of course the patriarchy would choose the names from its community.
Koçunyan also said Halepli was one of the most likely to be selected.
What Deputy Mayor Barın says
Many people of Armenian origin were appointed to civil service positions in both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey before 1968, after which the process was halted due to various reasons related to domestic politics.
A new process began when Vasken Barın was selected as deputy mayor of Şişli in the mid-1990s. Barın has been serving the public alongside Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül for more than 10 years.
Emphasizing the positive aspects of the developments, he said, “It is extremely positive that a young man from our community is to be assigned to such a position, but Halepli would not be the first Armenian in government service as is being said in the press.
“There were many deputies in Parliament during the Republican era, there are inspectors at the Education Ministry and there is me. If they are speaking in terms of the EU, then yes, Halepli is a first.”
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Armenian community and its patriarchy are embroiled in a conflict over the patriarchy’s reported involvement in choosing a Turkish-born Armenian to work in the government’s EU Secretariat office. ‘The patriarchy should involve itself in matters of religion and its flock. It should avoid politics,’ says one Armenian scholar
Patriarch Mesrop II
The decision to appoint an Armenian to a civil service job looks to have created a rift rather than bring joy to Turkey’s Armenian community.
In recent months, there have been press reports that the EU General Secretariat plans to hire a civil servant of Armenian origin. The secretariat, affiliated to the office of State Minister Egemen Bağış, was to hire an expert consultant with screenings to be held by the Turkish Armenian patriarchy.
An announcement was then run on Lraper, the patriarchy’s official Internet site, indicating that Archbishop Aram Ateşyan had approved the matter. After the story appeared in the media, the secretariat immediately released a statement denying that the patriarchy was holding the screenings.
Patriarchy officials subsequently removed the announcement from the Web site despite receiving hundreds of applications. They also refused to make comments until Tuesday.
Reproachful statement from patriarchy
The primary reason behind the patriarchy’s desire to step in and conduct the screenings was to measure the candidates’ fluency in Armenian because no Turkish university has an Armenian language and literature department and instructors assigned to grammar and literature classes at Armenian schools are often limited to what they have learned from their families.
A news story by Sefa Kaplan was published on the front page of daily Hürriyet on Tuesday with the title “The first Armenian to work for the government outside a university,” putting the story on the agenda again.
According to Kaplan’s story, Leo Suren Halepli, who was born in Istanbul in 1981, passed the secretariat’s exam and is scheduled to be the first Turkish citizen of Armenian origin to become a civil servant outside an academic setting, provided he passes the security investigation by the National Intelligence Organization, or MIT.
Janet Donel from the Patriarchy said: “The screenings were started by the patriarchy two months ago, but we were excluded.”
Donel gave a vague reply to a question from the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review regarding whether the selected candidate had fit the criteria of the patriarchy. “We did not choose the mentioned candidate. That is all we can say.”
‘It is not like a priest would be hired for the patriarchy’
Pakrad Öztukyan, editor for the daily Agos and one of the community’s leading members, criticized the patriarchy’s stance. “It is not like a priest would be hired for the patriarchy and that they would get involved. It was absurd when it was announced that the patriarchy would handle the screenings two months ago because we are not an ecclesiastic community.”
Öztukyan also released background information on the events: “Bağış had visited the patriarchy and the topic came up during the conversation; that is all. Then patriarchy officials invented stories about it.”
Arsen Aşık, a retired scholar from Boğaziçi University also agreed with Öztukyan: “The patriarchy should involve itself in matters of religion and its flock. It should avoid politics.”
Criticizing the press
Aşık also criticized the stance of the Turkish media. “The story emphasizes that the candidate is to be investigated by MIT. In turn, it appears the media are trying to provoke a reaction against the candidate coming from a minority group. The matter is being presented to the public as if it is a state secret.”
Ara Koçunyan, owner of the daily Armenian newspaper of Istanbul, Jamang (Time), also made similar criticisms against the press.
“There were attempts to pull the patriarchy into the center of a polemic discussion.” However, unlike Öztukyan and Aşık, Koçunyan defended the patriarchy, saying, “Of course the patriarchy would choose the names from its community.
Koçunyan also said Halepli was one of the most likely to be selected.
What Deputy Mayor Barın says
Many people of Armenian origin were appointed to civil service positions in both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey before 1968, after which the process was halted due to various reasons related to domestic politics.
A new process began when Vasken Barın was selected as deputy mayor of Şişli in the mid-1990s. Barın has been serving the public alongside Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül for more than 10 years.
Emphasizing the positive aspects of the developments, he said, “It is extremely positive that a young man from our community is to be assigned to such a position, but Halepli would not be the first Armenian in government service as is being said in the press.
“There were many deputies in Parliament during the Republican era, there are inspectors at the Education Ministry and there is me. If they are speaking in terms of the EU, then yes, Halepli is a first.”
1 Aralık 2009 Salı
Fight of a century: Where in Kayseri was Mimar Sinan born?
Fight of a century: Where in Kayseri was Mimar Sinan born?
Monday, November 30, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU - FIRST PERSON
KAYSERİ - Hürriyet Daily News
Ağırnas and Mimar Sinan, two villages in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri, have been fighting each other for nearly 100 years over their competing claims to be the birthplace of Ottoman architect Mimarbaşı Sinan. As a result, one resident says, families have gone so far as to forbid marriages between young people from the two villages
Kayseri’s Ağrınas village is officially recognized as the hometown of Mimarbaşı Sinan.
An entire century has proved an insufficient amount of time for residents of two neighboring villages in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri to determine which town was the birthplace of Turkey’s most renowned architect.
Kayseri’s Ağrınas village is officially recognized as the hometown of Mimarbaşı Sinan, the chief architect for the Ottoman Empire, who is often referred to as simply Mimar Sinan, or architect Sinan.
A member of a family from Kayseri, according to history books, Sinan is said to have created his first works as a child using kevenk, a volcanic stone unique to Kayseri, which sits amid the foothills of the extinct volcano Mount Erciyes.
During the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim, Sinan was taken into the guild of the janissaries, an Ottoman infantry corps. Sons of Christian families living within the borders of the empire were taken from their families, converted to Islam and educated in the guild of janissaries.
Before Ağırnas sits the village of Talas, which still maintains its historical character. We felt like time travelers as we visited the village’s abandoned and ruined churches and ancient streets.
The most interesting stop in Talas was undoubtedly the historical Talas American College and Hospital complex. The structure, which is affiliated with Erciyes University and makes a strong impression with its unique architecture, almost defies the years from its perch overlooking the village.
Ağırnas-born botany expert Sinan Demiroğlu, who guards the historical building and bears the same name as the famous architect, guided us throughout the day after learning that one person from our team has roots in Kayseri.
Fight to claim ownership
All historical sources cite Ağırnas as the birthplace of Mimarbaşı Sinan, but some Kayseri locals believe that the legendary architect was born in the nearby village of Mimar Sinan, just a few hundred meters away. The residents of the two villages have quarreled for decades over ownership of their most famous son.
“Mimar Sinan villagers say that he was born there; Ağırnas villagers say their village is mentioned as the birthplace in all records and thus claim ownership,” Demiroğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “According to my 93-year-old grandmother, this fight has been continuing for nearly 100 years.”
As a result, Demiroğlu added, families have gone so far as to forbid marriages between young people from the two different villages.
Cell towers changed the village
While visiting the villages one by one, we also passed through Germir, just a few kilometers from Talas and the birthplace of internationally renowned American director Elia Kazan. Demiroğlu said he had hosted Kazan in his grandmother’s mansion when the late director visited the village several years ago.
Unlike Talas, Germir has failed to preserve its historical fiber. The entrance to the village resembles a construction site; seven- or eight-story buildings rise from everywhere. There is nothing left in the village, which was famous for its vineyards and orchards.
Although rapid growth is cited as the cause of the changes in Germir, Demiroğlu says the main factors are the mobile phone towers placed in the village.
“The villagers went to court because of the towers,” he said, adding that they had filed suit in an ongoing case to have the mobile phone towers removed. “Germir was also famous for walnut trees, but like the vineyards and orchards, they are no longer producing.”
The story of the golden bell
The final destination on our tour with Demiroğlu was a ruined Armenian church in Germir. “I grew up playing in this church. We used to throw stones at the portraits of saints on the walls,” he said, adding that he now regrets this.
The church’s historic bell had been stolen, and Demiroğlu said he believed the legend that his grandmother tells about how the bell was taken away.
“A big airplane came close to the bell tower. My grandmother says that it was a German airplane,” he said. “Those in the plane took the church’s golden bell and flew away.”
Who was Mimarbaşı Sinan?
According to historical records, Mimarbaşı Sinan was born in Kayseri’s Ağırnas village and was taken into the guild of janissaries at the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim.
Sinan’s ethnic roots remain a matter of intense debate to this day, with some claiming he was of Armenian or Greek origin.
Earning the title of chief architect of the palace, Sinan decorated the empire with his works, including the Hüsreviye complex in Aleppo, Syria; the Çoban Mustafa Paşa complex in Gebze; and the Haseki complex, built for Hürrem Sultan, in Istanbul.
Three of his works built after he became chief architect can be viewed as steps displaying the development of his art.
The first is the Şehzade Mosque and complex in Istanbul. The Süleymaniye Mosque, built a few years later, is considered the architect’s most magnificent work in Istanbul. Lastly, the Selimiye Mosque, in the northwestern city of Edirne, is widely considered to be Sinan’s masterpiece.
The Selimiye Mosque, which he built while in his 80s, has a dome that is higher and deeper than that of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
Monday, November 30, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU - FIRST PERSON
KAYSERİ - Hürriyet Daily News
Ağırnas and Mimar Sinan, two villages in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri, have been fighting each other for nearly 100 years over their competing claims to be the birthplace of Ottoman architect Mimarbaşı Sinan. As a result, one resident says, families have gone so far as to forbid marriages between young people from the two villages
Kayseri’s Ağrınas village is officially recognized as the hometown of Mimarbaşı Sinan.
An entire century has proved an insufficient amount of time for residents of two neighboring villages in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri to determine which town was the birthplace of Turkey’s most renowned architect.
Kayseri’s Ağrınas village is officially recognized as the hometown of Mimarbaşı Sinan, the chief architect for the Ottoman Empire, who is often referred to as simply Mimar Sinan, or architect Sinan.
A member of a family from Kayseri, according to history books, Sinan is said to have created his first works as a child using kevenk, a volcanic stone unique to Kayseri, which sits amid the foothills of the extinct volcano Mount Erciyes.
During the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim, Sinan was taken into the guild of the janissaries, an Ottoman infantry corps. Sons of Christian families living within the borders of the empire were taken from their families, converted to Islam and educated in the guild of janissaries.
Before Ağırnas sits the village of Talas, which still maintains its historical character. We felt like time travelers as we visited the village’s abandoned and ruined churches and ancient streets.
The most interesting stop in Talas was undoubtedly the historical Talas American College and Hospital complex. The structure, which is affiliated with Erciyes University and makes a strong impression with its unique architecture, almost defies the years from its perch overlooking the village.
Ağırnas-born botany expert Sinan Demiroğlu, who guards the historical building and bears the same name as the famous architect, guided us throughout the day after learning that one person from our team has roots in Kayseri.
Fight to claim ownership
All historical sources cite Ağırnas as the birthplace of Mimarbaşı Sinan, but some Kayseri locals believe that the legendary architect was born in the nearby village of Mimar Sinan, just a few hundred meters away. The residents of the two villages have quarreled for decades over ownership of their most famous son.
“Mimar Sinan villagers say that he was born there; Ağırnas villagers say their village is mentioned as the birthplace in all records and thus claim ownership,” Demiroğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “According to my 93-year-old grandmother, this fight has been continuing for nearly 100 years.”
As a result, Demiroğlu added, families have gone so far as to forbid marriages between young people from the two different villages.
Cell towers changed the village
While visiting the villages one by one, we also passed through Germir, just a few kilometers from Talas and the birthplace of internationally renowned American director Elia Kazan. Demiroğlu said he had hosted Kazan in his grandmother’s mansion when the late director visited the village several years ago.
Unlike Talas, Germir has failed to preserve its historical fiber. The entrance to the village resembles a construction site; seven- or eight-story buildings rise from everywhere. There is nothing left in the village, which was famous for its vineyards and orchards.
Although rapid growth is cited as the cause of the changes in Germir, Demiroğlu says the main factors are the mobile phone towers placed in the village.
“The villagers went to court because of the towers,” he said, adding that they had filed suit in an ongoing case to have the mobile phone towers removed. “Germir was also famous for walnut trees, but like the vineyards and orchards, they are no longer producing.”
The story of the golden bell
The final destination on our tour with Demiroğlu was a ruined Armenian church in Germir. “I grew up playing in this church. We used to throw stones at the portraits of saints on the walls,” he said, adding that he now regrets this.
The church’s historic bell had been stolen, and Demiroğlu said he believed the legend that his grandmother tells about how the bell was taken away.
“A big airplane came close to the bell tower. My grandmother says that it was a German airplane,” he said. “Those in the plane took the church’s golden bell and flew away.”
Who was Mimarbaşı Sinan?
According to historical records, Mimarbaşı Sinan was born in Kayseri’s Ağırnas village and was taken into the guild of janissaries at the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim.
Sinan’s ethnic roots remain a matter of intense debate to this day, with some claiming he was of Armenian or Greek origin.
Earning the title of chief architect of the palace, Sinan decorated the empire with his works, including the Hüsreviye complex in Aleppo, Syria; the Çoban Mustafa Paşa complex in Gebze; and the Haseki complex, built for Hürrem Sultan, in Istanbul.
Three of his works built after he became chief architect can be viewed as steps displaying the development of his art.
The first is the Şehzade Mosque and complex in Istanbul. The Süleymaniye Mosque, built a few years later, is considered the architect’s most magnificent work in Istanbul. Lastly, the Selimiye Mosque, in the northwestern city of Edirne, is widely considered to be Sinan’s masterpiece.
The Selimiye Mosque, which he built while in his 80s, has a dome that is higher and deeper than that of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
18 Kasım 2009 Çarşamba
Military documents to shine light on 'Dersim massacre'
Military documents to shine light on 'Dersim massacre'
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
A new book on the 1938 Dersim Operation aims to challenge the official Republican history on the event with previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and eye-witness accounts. Hasan Saltuk’s 600-page book will be released in May in both English and Turkish
Another taboo of Turkey’s Republican history is about to be broken with the publication of a book by Hasan Saltuk on the 1938 Dersim Operation.
Saltuk, who is the owner of record label Kalan, a researcher and an ethnomusicologist, has spent nine years collecting previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and comments from soldiers who participated in the operation. He plans to present his findings in a new 600-page book to be published in both Turkish and English in May.
He criticized the present state of research in Turkey. “Historians here cannot go beyond the official ideology; they do not do any research. Those who do research and know the truth cannot raise a voice because they are afraid.”
Saltuk, who is from one of the oldest families of Dersim, said that even though he was from a Turkmen tribe on his father’s side, dozens of their relatives were murdered during the operation.
“My grandmother was pregnant with my mother but she saved herself from the firing squad at the last minute,” Saltuk said in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Dersim residents are still afraid to talk. The elderly still think somebody’s going to come and kill them.”
Was the operation planned?
The official historical sources say the 1938 operation in Dersim, now called Tunceli, was implemented to quash a Kurdish tribal rebellion. Saltuk, however, performed his research in largely international archives, especially English and Armenian ones, collecting documents of historical importance.
"We see in the documents that the Dersim operation was planned; the reports were prepared in 1920. The law related to the operation was passed in 1935 and action was taken in 1937. Seyit Rıza and his friends were hanged on grounds that they were leading a rebellion,” Saltuk said.
Although the rebellion was labeled a Kurdish tribal insurrection, Saltuk said the fundamental reason behind the operation was that the region was home to Tunceli Alevis and that they were merely Armenians who had changed their identities.
“The official sources say Dersim residents were not paying taxes or performing military service and that they were always rebelling. However, we have documents proving the opposite. Atatürk led the Dersim operation himself,” he said.
“Over 13,000 people were killed during the operation and 22,000 were exiled. Orphaned children were subjected to Turkification policies in orphanages,” Saltuk said.
Soldiers regretful
The book would reprint the comments he found on the back of all the photographs he obtained. In many cases, the comments expressed remorse for the events in Dersim. “[Many] felt qualms of conscience for what was experienced. Some expressed their feelings with the words, ‘I have become a murderer.’ Others wrote, ‘I caused the deaths of 250 people,’” Saltuk said.
The project involved following the trails of surviving soldiers who participated in the operation, Saltuk said, adding that he saw many who were unable to adapt to social life. “Many soldiers we [interviewed] demanded their names be made public after their deaths. A few people did not mind having their names in the book; some said, ‘They ordered us to kill and we did,’” he said.
He obtained hundreds of original photos and maps alongside two dossiers of population records from the grandchild – whose name Saltuk withheld – of a high level civil servant from that era. “The invaluable documents and photographs in the dossiers reveal the operation in all its detail. However, it is without doubt that much more striking files are in the archives of the Turkish General Staff.”
‘Taboos will be broken in Turkey’
Touching on the storm of controversy Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy leader Onur Öymen has caused with comments on the Dersim Operation, Saltuk said, “Actually, Öymen should be congratulated. He did what the residents of Dersim could not do for years by putting the subject on the public agenda.”
Saltuk said he believes that Turkey has entered an age of great change. “All the taboos of this country will be broken and, in the future, there will not be anything that cannot be spoken about.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
A new book on the 1938 Dersim Operation aims to challenge the official Republican history on the event with previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and eye-witness accounts. Hasan Saltuk’s 600-page book will be released in May in both English and Turkish
Another taboo of Turkey’s Republican history is about to be broken with the publication of a book by Hasan Saltuk on the 1938 Dersim Operation.
Saltuk, who is the owner of record label Kalan, a researcher and an ethnomusicologist, has spent nine years collecting previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and comments from soldiers who participated in the operation. He plans to present his findings in a new 600-page book to be published in both Turkish and English in May.
He criticized the present state of research in Turkey. “Historians here cannot go beyond the official ideology; they do not do any research. Those who do research and know the truth cannot raise a voice because they are afraid.”
Saltuk, who is from one of the oldest families of Dersim, said that even though he was from a Turkmen tribe on his father’s side, dozens of their relatives were murdered during the operation.
“My grandmother was pregnant with my mother but she saved herself from the firing squad at the last minute,” Saltuk said in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Dersim residents are still afraid to talk. The elderly still think somebody’s going to come and kill them.”
Was the operation planned?
The official historical sources say the 1938 operation in Dersim, now called Tunceli, was implemented to quash a Kurdish tribal rebellion. Saltuk, however, performed his research in largely international archives, especially English and Armenian ones, collecting documents of historical importance.
"We see in the documents that the Dersim operation was planned; the reports were prepared in 1920. The law related to the operation was passed in 1935 and action was taken in 1937. Seyit Rıza and his friends were hanged on grounds that they were leading a rebellion,” Saltuk said.
Although the rebellion was labeled a Kurdish tribal insurrection, Saltuk said the fundamental reason behind the operation was that the region was home to Tunceli Alevis and that they were merely Armenians who had changed their identities.
“The official sources say Dersim residents were not paying taxes or performing military service and that they were always rebelling. However, we have documents proving the opposite. Atatürk led the Dersim operation himself,” he said.
“Over 13,000 people were killed during the operation and 22,000 were exiled. Orphaned children were subjected to Turkification policies in orphanages,” Saltuk said.
Soldiers regretful
The book would reprint the comments he found on the back of all the photographs he obtained. In many cases, the comments expressed remorse for the events in Dersim. “[Many] felt qualms of conscience for what was experienced. Some expressed their feelings with the words, ‘I have become a murderer.’ Others wrote, ‘I caused the deaths of 250 people,’” Saltuk said.
The project involved following the trails of surviving soldiers who participated in the operation, Saltuk said, adding that he saw many who were unable to adapt to social life. “Many soldiers we [interviewed] demanded their names be made public after their deaths. A few people did not mind having their names in the book; some said, ‘They ordered us to kill and we did,’” he said.
He obtained hundreds of original photos and maps alongside two dossiers of population records from the grandchild – whose name Saltuk withheld – of a high level civil servant from that era. “The invaluable documents and photographs in the dossiers reveal the operation in all its detail. However, it is without doubt that much more striking files are in the archives of the Turkish General Staff.”
‘Taboos will be broken in Turkey’
Touching on the storm of controversy Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy leader Onur Öymen has caused with comments on the Dersim Operation, Saltuk said, “Actually, Öymen should be congratulated. He did what the residents of Dersim could not do for years by putting the subject on the public agenda.”
Saltuk said he believes that Turkey has entered an age of great change. “All the taboos of this country will be broken and, in the future, there will not be anything that cannot be spoken about.”
17 Kasım 2009 Salı
Call for Turkish-Armenian peace from theater stage
Call for Turkish-Armenian peace from theater stage
Monday, November 16, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Gülbenkyan Foundation, an Armenian organization in Lisbon, has given full support to the play ‘Armenian Concert or Turkish Proverb’ to be staged in Turkey. ‘We cannot live by getting stuck in tragedy,’ says the writer and composer of the play, Gerard Torikian. Also, director Serge Avedkiyan, who adapted the play to the stage, talks about the new initiative among the diaspora
The reconciliation process between Turkish and Armenian people has received support from the Armenian diaspora.
The Gülbenkyan Foundation, an Armenian organization in Lisbon, has provided financial support for “Le Concert Armenian ou le Proverbe Turc” (Armenian Concert or Turkish Proverb) to be staged in Turkey. The play is the work of world-renowned Armenian composer and France-based actor Gerard Torikian, who wrote it in collaboration with French playwright Isabelle Guidard. It received full support not only from the Gülbenkyan Foundation but also from Turkey and France.
Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian Culture), which is a civil society organization run by Osman Kavala that supports the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process by organizing cultural and artistic events, played a leading role in bringing Torikian’s play to Turkey.
In his play Torikian questions historical events and reveals the struggles in his inner world. Directed by France-based Serge Avedikyan, “Armenian Concert” was first performed in 2006 in France and has been performed throughout the world since. Its Turkish première, meanwhile, was Thursday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır. It will be performed Tuesday at Garajistanbul in Istanbul’s Galatasaray neighborhood at 9 p.m. Though the original language of the 1.5-hour play is French, there will be Turkish and English subtitles.
Facing the past
Torikian and Avedikyan, who came to Istanbul right after the Diyarbakır performance, spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. Although Torikian came to Turkey for the first time last year, his roots are in Anatolia. His father’s family is from the northwestern city of Bursa while his mother’s family comes from the Black Sea region. The artist grew up hearing about the painful events of 1915.
Torikian said he had prejudices until he came to Turkey. “I felt myself a part of this land as soon as I came to Turkey because my grandfather and grandmother are part of this land.”
He said he was warmly welcomed during his visit last year. “I returned to France with very nice memories. As a result of this nice experience, I decided to stage the play here.” Torikian defined the painful events in 1915 as “a big tragedy.”
“There was a big tragedy like genocide but it makes no sense to get stuck in the tragedy. The best way to get rid of the pain is to be able to see it from a distance,” he said.
‘We can’t define our identity through genocide’
Even though Torikian and Avedikyan are Armenian, they grew up in different cultures. Avedikyan lived in Armenia until he was 15 while Torikian lived his entire life in France. Discussing the concept of “belonging,” Avedikyan said, “When I am alone, I question where I belong: To France, where I live, or to Armenia, or to Anatolia?”
He said similar questions appeared in his inner world from time to time. “I saw that one cannot survive by getting stuck in the past. As Armenians, if we continue to define our identity through genocide, we won’t be able to proceed. We are Armenian, but we remember that we are human first.”
New trend in diaspora
There are more than 1 million Armenians spread around the world from Anatolia. “The diaspora is finally changing,” said Avedikyan. “Thoughtful artists from the diaspora reject politics and pressure. They stay away from excessive nationalist statements and viewpoints. They never deny the genocide but are more positive about the future.”
As for the reconciliation protocol that was signed between the two countries recently, Avedikyan said, “I prefer the sound echoed in the conscience of people rather than the signatures of politicians. Let’s support the reconciliation of Turkish and Armenian people, let peace be our goal.”
About ‘Armenian Concert’
In the play an Armenian composer is preparing for an Odyssey Suite recital, but inspiration for the suite, the Homer Saga, never sets him free. The past is determined to capture the composer with thousands of ghosts. He is surrounded by these ghosts from the past. The composer fights against the past and the ghosts with all his might. The power of music helps the composer and he succeeds in being freed from the past. As soon as he is free, he looks at the face of the past and realizes the best way to vanquish the past is to make peace with it.
Monday, November 16, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Gülbenkyan Foundation, an Armenian organization in Lisbon, has given full support to the play ‘Armenian Concert or Turkish Proverb’ to be staged in Turkey. ‘We cannot live by getting stuck in tragedy,’ says the writer and composer of the play, Gerard Torikian. Also, director Serge Avedkiyan, who adapted the play to the stage, talks about the new initiative among the diaspora
The reconciliation process between Turkish and Armenian people has received support from the Armenian diaspora.
The Gülbenkyan Foundation, an Armenian organization in Lisbon, has provided financial support for “Le Concert Armenian ou le Proverbe Turc” (Armenian Concert or Turkish Proverb) to be staged in Turkey. The play is the work of world-renowned Armenian composer and France-based actor Gerard Torikian, who wrote it in collaboration with French playwright Isabelle Guidard. It received full support not only from the Gülbenkyan Foundation but also from Turkey and France.
Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian Culture), which is a civil society organization run by Osman Kavala that supports the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process by organizing cultural and artistic events, played a leading role in bringing Torikian’s play to Turkey.
In his play Torikian questions historical events and reveals the struggles in his inner world. Directed by France-based Serge Avedikyan, “Armenian Concert” was first performed in 2006 in France and has been performed throughout the world since. Its Turkish première, meanwhile, was Thursday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır. It will be performed Tuesday at Garajistanbul in Istanbul’s Galatasaray neighborhood at 9 p.m. Though the original language of the 1.5-hour play is French, there will be Turkish and English subtitles.
Facing the past
Torikian and Avedikyan, who came to Istanbul right after the Diyarbakır performance, spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. Although Torikian came to Turkey for the first time last year, his roots are in Anatolia. His father’s family is from the northwestern city of Bursa while his mother’s family comes from the Black Sea region. The artist grew up hearing about the painful events of 1915.
Torikian said he had prejudices until he came to Turkey. “I felt myself a part of this land as soon as I came to Turkey because my grandfather and grandmother are part of this land.”
He said he was warmly welcomed during his visit last year. “I returned to France with very nice memories. As a result of this nice experience, I decided to stage the play here.” Torikian defined the painful events in 1915 as “a big tragedy.”
“There was a big tragedy like genocide but it makes no sense to get stuck in the tragedy. The best way to get rid of the pain is to be able to see it from a distance,” he said.
‘We can’t define our identity through genocide’
Even though Torikian and Avedikyan are Armenian, they grew up in different cultures. Avedikyan lived in Armenia until he was 15 while Torikian lived his entire life in France. Discussing the concept of “belonging,” Avedikyan said, “When I am alone, I question where I belong: To France, where I live, or to Armenia, or to Anatolia?”
He said similar questions appeared in his inner world from time to time. “I saw that one cannot survive by getting stuck in the past. As Armenians, if we continue to define our identity through genocide, we won’t be able to proceed. We are Armenian, but we remember that we are human first.”
New trend in diaspora
There are more than 1 million Armenians spread around the world from Anatolia. “The diaspora is finally changing,” said Avedikyan. “Thoughtful artists from the diaspora reject politics and pressure. They stay away from excessive nationalist statements and viewpoints. They never deny the genocide but are more positive about the future.”
As for the reconciliation protocol that was signed between the two countries recently, Avedikyan said, “I prefer the sound echoed in the conscience of people rather than the signatures of politicians. Let’s support the reconciliation of Turkish and Armenian people, let peace be our goal.”
About ‘Armenian Concert’
In the play an Armenian composer is preparing for an Odyssey Suite recital, but inspiration for the suite, the Homer Saga, never sets him free. The past is determined to capture the composer with thousands of ghosts. He is surrounded by these ghosts from the past. The composer fights against the past and the ghosts with all his might. The power of music helps the composer and he succeeds in being freed from the past. As soon as he is free, he looks at the face of the past and realizes the best way to vanquish the past is to make peace with it.
Armenian journalist dissects Karabakh in new book
Armenian journalist dissects Karabakh in new book
Monday, November 16, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Though Armenian-Azerbaijani relations have attracted much scholarly and journalistic attention, one Armenian journalist and author, Tatul Hagopian, believes his new book presents an original approach to understanding and analyzing the drama.
“Gananç u Sev – Arzakhyan Orakir” (Green and Black – Artsakh Diary) focuses on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and is the result of Hagopian’s 20-year investigation of the region and is based on countless historical documents, eyewitness accounts and personal observations.
“The first victim of the war is the truth,” Hagopian told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic in an e-mail interview, borrowing a phrase from Indian-born British author Rudyard Kipling. “I wrote the truth on paper in all its honesty by listening to the voice inside me,” Hagopian said, adding that because he published the book without any outside sponsorship, he could write as he chose.
The region unilaterally declared independence but has not been recognized by the international community. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating on the issue under mediation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, but little progress has been made.
Hagopian was in Nagorno-Karabakh just before the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted. He experienced the war firsthand and observed what was happening – sometimes under fire – passing on news to the Azg, or Nation, newspaper he was working for at the time.
He witnessed tragedies on both the Armenian and the Azerbaijani sides of the conflict. Since then, he has documented countless stories of pain and suffering, met with the families of soldiers who were taken prisoner, talked to friends and relatives of those who went missing and spoken with those maimed by landmines. Based on his research, Hagopian concludes that over 23,000 civilian lives were lost to the war.
Missing part
Even though he endeavored to remain impartial throughout his research, Hagopian admits that his book is missing one key part: Azerbaijani perspectives. “The opinions and points of view of Azerbaijan should be in this research because every conflict has two sides,” the author said.
Hagopian tried to continue his research in Azerbaijan, but his Armenian identity prevented him from overcoming bureaucratic obstacles. He did not let that stop him, however, as he made interviews with Azerbaijanis living near the Armenian border.
In “Green and Black,” Hagopian also argues Russia attempted to block a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. In his “Meeting with Gorbachev” chapter, for instance, Hagopian says former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev told him that Russia forced the problem into a deadlock to look after its own interests.
Hagopian cites details of a meeting between Gorbachev and Silva Gabudigyan, a prominent Armenian intellectual considered by many to be Armenia’s greatest recent poet, which expose how the Nagorno-Karabakh problem was transformed into the gridlock it is today.
In finding a workable solution to the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, Hagopian believes that Russia, the United States and other Western countries should all participate in finding a solution to the problem while negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia should continue under watch of international observers.
“If the United States and Russia really want to solve the problem, they should come up with real keys for a solution. Armenia and Azerbaijan will come up with the best solutions by themselves,” he said, adding that a lasting solution can only occur if the two sides continue their dialog. “Unfortunately, however, neither the Armenians nor the Azeris tend to understand each other.”
--
“Gananç u Sev – Arzakhyan Orakir” is currently available only in Armenia but will soon be available abroad in both English and Russian.
Monday, November 16, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Though Armenian-Azerbaijani relations have attracted much scholarly and journalistic attention, one Armenian journalist and author, Tatul Hagopian, believes his new book presents an original approach to understanding and analyzing the drama.
“Gananç u Sev – Arzakhyan Orakir” (Green and Black – Artsakh Diary) focuses on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and is the result of Hagopian’s 20-year investigation of the region and is based on countless historical documents, eyewitness accounts and personal observations.
“The first victim of the war is the truth,” Hagopian told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic in an e-mail interview, borrowing a phrase from Indian-born British author Rudyard Kipling. “I wrote the truth on paper in all its honesty by listening to the voice inside me,” Hagopian said, adding that because he published the book without any outside sponsorship, he could write as he chose.
The region unilaterally declared independence but has not been recognized by the international community. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating on the issue under mediation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, but little progress has been made.
Hagopian was in Nagorno-Karabakh just before the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted. He experienced the war firsthand and observed what was happening – sometimes under fire – passing on news to the Azg, or Nation, newspaper he was working for at the time.
He witnessed tragedies on both the Armenian and the Azerbaijani sides of the conflict. Since then, he has documented countless stories of pain and suffering, met with the families of soldiers who were taken prisoner, talked to friends and relatives of those who went missing and spoken with those maimed by landmines. Based on his research, Hagopian concludes that over 23,000 civilian lives were lost to the war.
Missing part
Even though he endeavored to remain impartial throughout his research, Hagopian admits that his book is missing one key part: Azerbaijani perspectives. “The opinions and points of view of Azerbaijan should be in this research because every conflict has two sides,” the author said.
Hagopian tried to continue his research in Azerbaijan, but his Armenian identity prevented him from overcoming bureaucratic obstacles. He did not let that stop him, however, as he made interviews with Azerbaijanis living near the Armenian border.
In “Green and Black,” Hagopian also argues Russia attempted to block a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. In his “Meeting with Gorbachev” chapter, for instance, Hagopian says former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev told him that Russia forced the problem into a deadlock to look after its own interests.
Hagopian cites details of a meeting between Gorbachev and Silva Gabudigyan, a prominent Armenian intellectual considered by many to be Armenia’s greatest recent poet, which expose how the Nagorno-Karabakh problem was transformed into the gridlock it is today.
In finding a workable solution to the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, Hagopian believes that Russia, the United States and other Western countries should all participate in finding a solution to the problem while negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia should continue under watch of international observers.
“If the United States and Russia really want to solve the problem, they should come up with real keys for a solution. Armenia and Azerbaijan will come up with the best solutions by themselves,” he said, adding that a lasting solution can only occur if the two sides continue their dialog. “Unfortunately, however, neither the Armenians nor the Azeris tend to understand each other.”
--
“Gananç u Sev – Arzakhyan Orakir” is currently available only in Armenia but will soon be available abroad in both English and Russian.
9 Kasım 2009 Pazartesi
Politics play leading role at blessing of Armenian church
Politics play leading role at blessing of Armenian church
Sunday, November 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
KAYSERİ – Hürriyet Daily News
At the benediction of Kayseri’s historic church politics were on the leading role. Officiating the ceremony, on behalf of Turkish Armenian Patriarchate, Archishop Aram Ateşyan says Turkish Armenians should be considered as something seperate when the topic is convergence between Turkey and Armenia. ‘The church was renovated by the community not by the state’
Politics played a leading role at the benediction of Kayseri’s Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
Archishop Aram Ateşyan, who was officiating at the ceremony on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, started his blessings in Armenian and continued in Turkish. At the benediction, witnessed by members of the international and local media, Ateşyan also delivered a speech that touched on several important issues for the Turkish-Armenian community.
“Turkish-Armenians should be considered a separate group when the topic is the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. These topics are different from each other,” Ateşyan said, adding that Turkish Armenians are not bounded by Turkey’s relations with the Armenian diaspora or Armenia itself. “We don’t want to be included in the process because we are children of this country.”
Calling out to the packed community inside the church, many of whom were Turkish-Armenians from Istanbul, Ateşyan continued his speech: “You, the Istanbul Armenians, will continue to be loyal to this country. As citizens of this country, you must ask for support from the state in solving your problems.”
Ateşyan expressed regret about a story titled “This is the difference,” which was published in the daily Hürriyet last Monday. “The story stated that our church was renovated by the state and that it was only then opened for worship. They were trying to relate the restoration to the relations between Armenia and Turkey, when in fact the church was restored with the financial support of the community. Moreover, it was never closed to religious services.
“The community doesn’t ask for support from the government because they are concerned that churches might be renovated into museums, as in the case of Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island in Lake Van,” he said. “That’s why they organized the renovation and financed it.”
Governor, mayor absent
The Turkish-Armenian community members from Istanbul arrived in Kayseri on Oct. 7 in a group of roughly 300. Four buses arrived in Kayseri, one of which was organized by Istanbul’s Bakırköy municipality. The community did not answer questions from members of the press, citing the long journey from Istanbul. Kayseri Gov. Mevlüt Bilici and Mayor Mehmet Özhaseki did not attend either Saturday’s benediction or Sunday’s services, although they were invited by the community administration. The municipality’s press officer declined to answer the Daily News’ questions.
But there were some politicians in attendance at the ceremonies. A Kayseri deputy from the Republican People's Party, or CHP, Şefki Kutluoğlu, was among them. After a one-hour meeting with the administration board of the church, Kutluoğlu answered some questions, saying that his family was from Kayseri and that he remembered how peaceful the atmosphere was in the town when he was a child.
‘Community restored the church’
Historically, the central Anatolian town of Kayseri was home to numerous churches and monasteries. The last church left standing in the city is the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Representing the administrative board of the church, Arsen Aşık also reacted to last Monday’s reports concerning the restoration of the church.
“Most of the financial support came from Istanbul Armenians, who struggled a great deal to pool together money for the restoration,” Aşık said, adding that he thinks the public confuses the church in Kayseri with the Church of the Holy Cross. “First of all, the public should know that St. Gregory the Illuminator wasn’t an abandoned or destroyed church. And second of all, the state did not help with the restoration.”
The restorations of the two churches are not alike. The Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island was restored in 2007 by then-Culture Minister Atilla Koç. Relations were strained between Turkey, Turkish-Armenians and the Armenian diaspora when the church was restored and opened as a museum without placing a cross atop its dome.
But current Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay announced that the cross would be replaced and the building would be opened shortly for religious services.
Church managed from Istanbul
There is one person currently living in Kayseri as a representative of the Armenian community. The church itself is managed by Istanbul Armenians who used to live in Kayseri.
The members instigated a legal process to transfer management of the church to Istanbul, after they realized there was no community left in Kayseri.
The Istanbul community identified a loophole in the law, first proving there weren’t any members of the community left in Kayseri and then stating that the church could be managed by a selected council. The result was undertaken on behalf of the community. Now the council consists of three members and four associate members.
“The administrative board is responsible for everything from the priest’s wages to the money spent for the restoration,” Aşık said. He served for the church as a board member for many years and is one of the community members with extensive information on the church’s history. Aşık claimed that the bell was stolen and was traced by the community.
“After many years, it was determined that the bell is in Argaeus [Erciyes Dağı]. People claim that it was there until 1983, but now no one really knows where it is,” he said.
BOX
Last churches in Anatolia
The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is one of the last two Armenian churches in Anatolia that have a foundation looking after its welfare. The other one is in Hatay’s Samanlıdağ district. The church has been open since 1191. Built of a special stone named “kevenk,” the church draws attention with its design and craftsmanship.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
KAYSERİ – Hürriyet Daily News
At the benediction of Kayseri’s historic church politics were on the leading role. Officiating the ceremony, on behalf of Turkish Armenian Patriarchate, Archishop Aram Ateşyan says Turkish Armenians should be considered as something seperate when the topic is convergence between Turkey and Armenia. ‘The church was renovated by the community not by the state’
Politics played a leading role at the benediction of Kayseri’s Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
Archishop Aram Ateşyan, who was officiating at the ceremony on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, started his blessings in Armenian and continued in Turkish. At the benediction, witnessed by members of the international and local media, Ateşyan also delivered a speech that touched on several important issues for the Turkish-Armenian community.
“Turkish-Armenians should be considered a separate group when the topic is the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. These topics are different from each other,” Ateşyan said, adding that Turkish Armenians are not bounded by Turkey’s relations with the Armenian diaspora or Armenia itself. “We don’t want to be included in the process because we are children of this country.”
Calling out to the packed community inside the church, many of whom were Turkish-Armenians from Istanbul, Ateşyan continued his speech: “You, the Istanbul Armenians, will continue to be loyal to this country. As citizens of this country, you must ask for support from the state in solving your problems.”
Ateşyan expressed regret about a story titled “This is the difference,” which was published in the daily Hürriyet last Monday. “The story stated that our church was renovated by the state and that it was only then opened for worship. They were trying to relate the restoration to the relations between Armenia and Turkey, when in fact the church was restored with the financial support of the community. Moreover, it was never closed to religious services.
“The community doesn’t ask for support from the government because they are concerned that churches might be renovated into museums, as in the case of Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island in Lake Van,” he said. “That’s why they organized the renovation and financed it.”
Governor, mayor absent
The Turkish-Armenian community members from Istanbul arrived in Kayseri on Oct. 7 in a group of roughly 300. Four buses arrived in Kayseri, one of which was organized by Istanbul’s Bakırköy municipality. The community did not answer questions from members of the press, citing the long journey from Istanbul. Kayseri Gov. Mevlüt Bilici and Mayor Mehmet Özhaseki did not attend either Saturday’s benediction or Sunday’s services, although they were invited by the community administration. The municipality’s press officer declined to answer the Daily News’ questions.
But there were some politicians in attendance at the ceremonies. A Kayseri deputy from the Republican People's Party, or CHP, Şefki Kutluoğlu, was among them. After a one-hour meeting with the administration board of the church, Kutluoğlu answered some questions, saying that his family was from Kayseri and that he remembered how peaceful the atmosphere was in the town when he was a child.
‘Community restored the church’
Historically, the central Anatolian town of Kayseri was home to numerous churches and monasteries. The last church left standing in the city is the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Representing the administrative board of the church, Arsen Aşık also reacted to last Monday’s reports concerning the restoration of the church.
“Most of the financial support came from Istanbul Armenians, who struggled a great deal to pool together money for the restoration,” Aşık said, adding that he thinks the public confuses the church in Kayseri with the Church of the Holy Cross. “First of all, the public should know that St. Gregory the Illuminator wasn’t an abandoned or destroyed church. And second of all, the state did not help with the restoration.”
The restorations of the two churches are not alike. The Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island was restored in 2007 by then-Culture Minister Atilla Koç. Relations were strained between Turkey, Turkish-Armenians and the Armenian diaspora when the church was restored and opened as a museum without placing a cross atop its dome.
But current Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay announced that the cross would be replaced and the building would be opened shortly for religious services.
Church managed from Istanbul
There is one person currently living in Kayseri as a representative of the Armenian community. The church itself is managed by Istanbul Armenians who used to live in Kayseri.
The members instigated a legal process to transfer management of the church to Istanbul, after they realized there was no community left in Kayseri.
The Istanbul community identified a loophole in the law, first proving there weren’t any members of the community left in Kayseri and then stating that the church could be managed by a selected council. The result was undertaken on behalf of the community. Now the council consists of three members and four associate members.
“The administrative board is responsible for everything from the priest’s wages to the money spent for the restoration,” Aşık said. He served for the church as a board member for many years and is one of the community members with extensive information on the church’s history. Aşık claimed that the bell was stolen and was traced by the community.
“After many years, it was determined that the bell is in Argaeus [Erciyes Dağı]. People claim that it was there until 1983, but now no one really knows where it is,” he said.
BOX
Last churches in Anatolia
The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is one of the last two Armenian churches in Anatolia that have a foundation looking after its welfare. The other one is in Hatay’s Samanlıdağ district. The church has been open since 1191. Built of a special stone named “kevenk,” the church draws attention with its design and craftsmanship.
Talas’ last Armenian firm on staying
Talas’ last Armenian firm on staying
Sunday, November 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
KAYSERİ – Hürriyet Daily News
Despite being the only Armenian left in Kayseri's Talas distrcit, Karnikoğlu is determined not to leave. Coming from a well-known family, he says he will breathe his last breath here
Sarkis Karnikoğlu’s love for Kayseri has gained him a claim to fame: According to local legend, he is the last Armenian in the city’s Talas district.
Karnikoğlu, 50, attends the Sunday ceremony at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and helps tend to the church daily. Sarkis lives a few kilometers from the city center in the Talas district.
“My family is one of the oldest and well-known families in this city,” Karnikoğlu told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “I have never had any intention of leaving this place. I will breathe my last breath here.”
A favorite in Talas
Sporting sharp, dark suits and a moustache, Karnikoğlu is one of the most colorful personalities in the district. Everyone knows him in Talas and around the historical church; all the locals have his phone number and address. When he is near the church, people greet him and ask how he is doing. He even draws attention from the children, who surround him when he enters town.
Karnikoğlu enjoys the attention and is happy to be recognized by the locals.
“I would feel like a fish out of water if I were somewhere other than Kayseri,” Karnikoğlu said. “I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I am the last member of my family.”
Loyalty of friends
The members of Karnikoğlu’s family were baptized and married at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, as were their funerals. He spent his childhood playing in the church garden.
“All my memories are here,” Karnikoğlu said. He had close friends, the children of neighbors, when he was a kid and still has close ties with those who are still alive.
“Everyone thinks I live here alone, but I am not alone because my childhood friends see me as their brother,” he said. “I never feel alone. I have a big family.”
Migration to US, Europe
According to Karnikoğlu, Kayseri used to be home to numerous Armenian families until the end of the 1960s. “Most of them migrated, mostly to the United States and Europe, until the late 1980s,” Karnikoğlu said, gazing at the church during a ceremony. “This garden used to be packed during Sunday ceremonies 45 years ago.”
Dilaçar surname from Atatürk
Kayseri has been home to many well-known Armenians. Karnikoğlu shared some of the names, born in Kayseri and famous around Turkey and the world. Known for his studies on the Turkish language, secretary-general of the Turkish Language Foundation Hagop Martayan is one of them.
After the surname law was established, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, honored Martayan by giving him the surname “Dilaçar,” which is related to language.
Other prominent families of Kayseri are the Balyan and Gülbenkyan families.
The Balyans were Ottoman architects. Many of the palaces, mosques, churches and villas in Istanbul carry the Balyan signature. The Gülbenkyans, who were mostly traders, have a huge art collection exhibited in Portugal’s Lisbon at the Kalust Gülbenkyan Foundation and Museum. The family played a big role in international oil trade.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
KAYSERİ – Hürriyet Daily News
Despite being the only Armenian left in Kayseri's Talas distrcit, Karnikoğlu is determined not to leave. Coming from a well-known family, he says he will breathe his last breath here
Sarkis Karnikoğlu’s love for Kayseri has gained him a claim to fame: According to local legend, he is the last Armenian in the city’s Talas district.
Karnikoğlu, 50, attends the Sunday ceremony at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and helps tend to the church daily. Sarkis lives a few kilometers from the city center in the Talas district.
“My family is one of the oldest and well-known families in this city,” Karnikoğlu told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “I have never had any intention of leaving this place. I will breathe my last breath here.”
A favorite in Talas
Sporting sharp, dark suits and a moustache, Karnikoğlu is one of the most colorful personalities in the district. Everyone knows him in Talas and around the historical church; all the locals have his phone number and address. When he is near the church, people greet him and ask how he is doing. He even draws attention from the children, who surround him when he enters town.
Karnikoğlu enjoys the attention and is happy to be recognized by the locals.
“I would feel like a fish out of water if I were somewhere other than Kayseri,” Karnikoğlu said. “I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I am the last member of my family.”
Loyalty of friends
The members of Karnikoğlu’s family were baptized and married at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, as were their funerals. He spent his childhood playing in the church garden.
“All my memories are here,” Karnikoğlu said. He had close friends, the children of neighbors, when he was a kid and still has close ties with those who are still alive.
“Everyone thinks I live here alone, but I am not alone because my childhood friends see me as their brother,” he said. “I never feel alone. I have a big family.”
Migration to US, Europe
According to Karnikoğlu, Kayseri used to be home to numerous Armenian families until the end of the 1960s. “Most of them migrated, mostly to the United States and Europe, until the late 1980s,” Karnikoğlu said, gazing at the church during a ceremony. “This garden used to be packed during Sunday ceremonies 45 years ago.”
Dilaçar surname from Atatürk
Kayseri has been home to many well-known Armenians. Karnikoğlu shared some of the names, born in Kayseri and famous around Turkey and the world. Known for his studies on the Turkish language, secretary-general of the Turkish Language Foundation Hagop Martayan is one of them.
After the surname law was established, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, honored Martayan by giving him the surname “Dilaçar,” which is related to language.
Other prominent families of Kayseri are the Balyan and Gülbenkyan families.
The Balyans were Ottoman architects. Many of the palaces, mosques, churches and villas in Istanbul carry the Balyan signature. The Gülbenkyans, who were mostly traders, have a huge art collection exhibited in Portugal’s Lisbon at the Kalust Gülbenkyan Foundation and Museum. The family played a big role in international oil trade.
6 Kasım 2009 Cuma
Turkey's 'faith initiative' looks east
DIPLOMACY Friday, November 06 2009 10:33 GMT+2
Your time is 10:34:31
Turkey's 'faith initiative' looks east
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry says the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van and the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will be open for prayer once a year. Minister Günay says that a cross will be erected atop the roof of Surp Haç, just as it had been originally
Mainly spearheaded by efforts to bring prayers back into churches, Turkey’s cultural initiatives are set to accelerate in 2010, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The ministry said it is preparing to open the recently renovated, historical Surp Haç Church for prayer once a year and affix a cross to its roof in its original place. Also, the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will be opened for prayer once a year.
Armenia pleased by developments
The protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia for the normalization of relations has started to bear fruit. Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay, who has reached out to his Armenian counterpart through the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in the past, reiterated a standing offer: “Let Armenian and Turkish experts restore the ruins of Ani together.”
The Ani excavation site, near the Armenian border in the Arpaçay District of Kars, was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Bagratunis between 961 and 1045. The Daily News spoke to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Armenian President Gagik Gürcüyan about the offer. Gürcüyan expressed pleasure at the developments and said that the organization will contact the Culture Ministry and will happily work together to restore the site.
Günay: ‘I may visit Armenia’
The Ani ruins caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Armenia years ago. Turkey filed a complaint to ICOMOS, an organization affiliated with UNSECO, saying that explosions at Armenian stone quarries are damaging the site. Günay said the explosions have since stopped, much to his relief. “Ani is a common legacy of humanity,” he said. “We must do all we can to pass it on to the future generations.”
Günay also told the Daily News he might visit Armenia. “As you remember, President Gül has visited Armenia. If our President has visited, there is no reason at all why I would not go, also,” he said.
The dialogue began with Surp Haç
It is widely assumed that the dialogue process between Turkey and Armenia started with the national football match last year. However, the actual contact began with the restoration process of the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Former Culture Minister Atilla Koç contacted Gagik Gürciyan and invited the Armenian expert to visit Turkey. Although coordinated efforts were realized despite the two countries’ closed borders, heavy criticism was levied in Armenia and among the diaspora following the church’s opening as a museum.
As it was initially reopened as a museum, no cross was placed on the roof of the church. A replica of the original cross, made according to the traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was brought to Istanbul by Armenian experts and delivered to Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Mesrob Mutafyan. The cross is waiting at the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate to be placed atop the restored church.
Legal problems
Minister Günay spoke about the latest developments and delays. “Unfortunately, there were some hitches with the laws that did not allow historical churches to be opened for prayer,” he said. “That was the reason for the debates over the cross.”
Günay said the ministry is in the final stage of working out the legal hitches and that similar problems will not be experienced in Turkey in the future. Günay said the cross would be placed atop the church shortly and the building will be opened for prayer once a year, if there is demand.
Prayer will also be allowed in Sümela
Along with Surp Haç Church, the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will also be opened for prayer once a year. Last year, a group of 500 tourists from Greece, among them Thessaloniki Mayor Panayotis Psomyadis and Russian Deputy Ivan Savidis, sought to light candles at the monastery but were interrupted by Nilgün Yılmazer, museum director of Trabzon. When reminded of this incident, Minister Günay said they would not allow such things to be experienced in Turkey again and “all believers in these lands will follow their faiths’ requirements freely.”
‘A late decision’
Architect Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who was assigned by the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate to the renovation of Surp Haç, evaluated the developments as a late decision. Mildanoğlu said former Minister Koç transferred the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with foreigners. Minister Koç saw the citizens of his own country as foreigners, but we have lived on these lands for hundreds of years; we are not foreigners.”
Sarkis Elbe, a prominent Armenian figure in Istanbul, said: “This is a political decision. If only they had not waited for the signing of the protocols just to make this decision.”
Osman Köker, researcher and owner of Birzamanlar publishing, had a different take on the developments. “Turkey is trying to play a leading role in the region and to develop good relations with its neighbors,” he said. “Turkey also protects the rights of minorities in the country.”
Köker added that the process should be supported. “Opening religious buildings of historical importance to visitors would boost the number of tourists visiting our country.”
Your time is 10:34:31
Turkey's 'faith initiative' looks east
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry says the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van and the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will be open for prayer once a year. Minister Günay says that a cross will be erected atop the roof of Surp Haç, just as it had been originally
Mainly spearheaded by efforts to bring prayers back into churches, Turkey’s cultural initiatives are set to accelerate in 2010, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The ministry said it is preparing to open the recently renovated, historical Surp Haç Church for prayer once a year and affix a cross to its roof in its original place. Also, the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will be opened for prayer once a year.
Armenia pleased by developments
The protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia for the normalization of relations has started to bear fruit. Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay, who has reached out to his Armenian counterpart through the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in the past, reiterated a standing offer: “Let Armenian and Turkish experts restore the ruins of Ani together.”
The Ani excavation site, near the Armenian border in the Arpaçay District of Kars, was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Bagratunis between 961 and 1045. The Daily News spoke to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Armenian President Gagik Gürcüyan about the offer. Gürcüyan expressed pleasure at the developments and said that the organization will contact the Culture Ministry and will happily work together to restore the site.
Günay: ‘I may visit Armenia’
The Ani ruins caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Armenia years ago. Turkey filed a complaint to ICOMOS, an organization affiliated with UNSECO, saying that explosions at Armenian stone quarries are damaging the site. Günay said the explosions have since stopped, much to his relief. “Ani is a common legacy of humanity,” he said. “We must do all we can to pass it on to the future generations.”
Günay also told the Daily News he might visit Armenia. “As you remember, President Gül has visited Armenia. If our President has visited, there is no reason at all why I would not go, also,” he said.
The dialogue began with Surp Haç
It is widely assumed that the dialogue process between Turkey and Armenia started with the national football match last year. However, the actual contact began with the restoration process of the Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Former Culture Minister Atilla Koç contacted Gagik Gürciyan and invited the Armenian expert to visit Turkey. Although coordinated efforts were realized despite the two countries’ closed borders, heavy criticism was levied in Armenia and among the diaspora following the church’s opening as a museum.
As it was initially reopened as a museum, no cross was placed on the roof of the church. A replica of the original cross, made according to the traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was brought to Istanbul by Armenian experts and delivered to Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Mesrob Mutafyan. The cross is waiting at the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate to be placed atop the restored church.
Legal problems
Minister Günay spoke about the latest developments and delays. “Unfortunately, there were some hitches with the laws that did not allow historical churches to be opened for prayer,” he said. “That was the reason for the debates over the cross.”
Günay said the ministry is in the final stage of working out the legal hitches and that similar problems will not be experienced in Turkey in the future. Günay said the cross would be placed atop the church shortly and the building will be opened for prayer once a year, if there is demand.
Prayer will also be allowed in Sümela
Along with Surp Haç Church, the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will also be opened for prayer once a year. Last year, a group of 500 tourists from Greece, among them Thessaloniki Mayor Panayotis Psomyadis and Russian Deputy Ivan Savidis, sought to light candles at the monastery but were interrupted by Nilgün Yılmazer, museum director of Trabzon. When reminded of this incident, Minister Günay said they would not allow such things to be experienced in Turkey again and “all believers in these lands will follow their faiths’ requirements freely.”
‘A late decision’
Architect Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who was assigned by the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate to the renovation of Surp Haç, evaluated the developments as a late decision. Mildanoğlu said former Minister Koç transferred the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with foreigners. Minister Koç saw the citizens of his own country as foreigners, but we have lived on these lands for hundreds of years; we are not foreigners.”
Sarkis Elbe, a prominent Armenian figure in Istanbul, said: “This is a political decision. If only they had not waited for the signing of the protocols just to make this decision.”
Osman Köker, researcher and owner of Birzamanlar publishing, had a different take on the developments. “Turkey is trying to play a leading role in the region and to develop good relations with its neighbors,” he said. “Turkey also protects the rights of minorities in the country.”
Köker added that the process should be supported. “Opening religious buildings of historical importance to visitors would boost the number of tourists visiting our country.”
3 Kasım 2009 Salı
Historic archives of Studio Osep revealed
Historic archives of Studio Osep revealed
Monday, November 2, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sociologist Tayfun Serttaş has revealed the near-forgotten story of Studio Osep, the leading photography studio in Turkey for decades, with a new book that synthesizes 10 years of research and presents some 6,500 archival photos
If the story of Osep Minasoğlu – born Hovsep Minasyan - had not accidentally crossed the path of sociologist Tayfun Serttaş, then Minasoğlu’s 70-year adventure as a Turkish studio-photography pioneer could have been lost to history.
Minasoğlu started taking photos with an Agfa camera that his brother gave him when he was still a child. During the 1950s, he learned photographic techniques from experts at the U.S.-based Kodak Company in his spare time.
His family was wealthy. Minasoğlu received his education at Saint Benoît French School in Beyoğlu, which was attended largely by students of privilege. But a surprise awaited the Minasoğlu family during World War II: the Wealth Tax, which was issued in 1942 during the administration of Prime Minister Şükrü Saraçoğlu. This tax on the country’s rich was applied in part to discriminate against the financial independence of Turkey’s non-Muslims. Many successful non-Muslims lost their wealth, while those who failed to pay the tax were sent to work camps in Aşkale in the eastern Anatolian province of Erzurum.
Non-Muslim financial independence was similarly affected by the events of Sept. 6-7, 1955, which left a stain on Turkey’s recent history. Tension between Turkey and Greece had been increasing because of the Cyprus problem while public opinion was very sensitive toward further provocation, meaning that even the slightest spark could cause a societal explosion. This inferno duly happened.
On Sept. 6, the Istanbul Express reported that Atatürk’s house had been bombed in Thessaloniki. People rushed into the streets, attacking Greeks, Armenians and Jews over the course of two days. The Minasoğlu family was also attacked, shortly after losing its wealth in the wake of the Wealth Tax. Minasoğlu had to leave school.
Following the events, Kodak closed down its branch office in Turkey. With reference letters from the company in hand, Minasoğlu left Turkey for Beirut and traveled on to Paris.
Minasoğlu finds a champion
Now, in honor of the photographer, artist Tayfun Serttaş has published “Studio Osep,” a Turkish- and English-language work from Aras Publishing that features the results of his 10 years of research on Minasoğlu. Furthermore, an exhibition displaying photos compiled from Minasoğlu’s archives has opened at Gallery Non in Istanbul’s Tophane district. The exhibition runs through Nov. 14.
All photos in the book and exhibition were compiled from 6,500 images found in Minasoğlu’s single-room house in Tarlabaşı. The sociologist, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, recounted the photographer’s 70-year story.
“I have been researching the life of Minasoğlu for 10 years. I spent most of my days with him, but I only realized that I was with such a legend five years ago,” said Serttaş. “Osep’s photos document Turkey’s recent history.”
New faces of Turkish cinema
Minasoğlu’s Paris adventure ended because of the 1956 war between France and Algeria; because of pressures against immigrants, he was forced to return to Istanbul. He opened a studio in Sirkeci and took tourist photos using a Polaroid camera.
Minasoğlu said the Polaroid camera was not used in Turkey during those years, meaning that Minasoğlu was able to take advantage of the technology and earn good money within a short time.
Later on, Studio Osep moved to a new location covering 350 square meters on Topağacı Street in Taksim. Minasoğlu began to take photos of future actors and actresses. Turkey’s Hollywood, Yeşilçam, gained new faces thanks to him. Fittingly for a photographer involved with actors and actresses, the studio is also remembered today as the first in Turkey to retouch photos.
Serttaş, who offers a sociological perspective on Studio Osep’s years capturing Yeşilçam, said: “Only some of the prospective future actresses who came to the studio for a photo shoot actually became famous. Osep’s skillful photos had a great share in this. However, those who could not gain fame were often sent to brothels on Cihangir’s Abanoz Street. Actually, Minasoğlu unwittingly photographed the sociology of Beyoğlu for 40 years.”
Minasoğlu not only photographed actors and actresses but also politicians and ambassadors. He is also the first photographer to shoot for pornographic magazines in Turkey. “I was not interested in women’s bodies while taking their photos, because I was a professional,” he said. “Turkey was freer in those years. There was no alienation from women’s bodies in the country [as there is today].”
BOX
Archives perished in a fire
Minasoğlu said he had never shared the secrets of his 70-year career with anyone, adding, “I used methods of lighting and retouching method while shooting Yeşilçam’s future actresses. I preferred special light for hair. I took photos in a special, large room and, in this way, I could take candid shots of the models.”
Minasoğlu kept a copy of all his photos. There were thousands of photos in his studio at the time of his bankruptcy in 1990. When his studio was repossessed, Minasoğlu entrusted his archives to one of his friends. However, as the result of a fire, all his archival documents, historically significant correspondence and technical formulas were reduced to ash.
Monday, November 2, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sociologist Tayfun Serttaş has revealed the near-forgotten story of Studio Osep, the leading photography studio in Turkey for decades, with a new book that synthesizes 10 years of research and presents some 6,500 archival photos
If the story of Osep Minasoğlu – born Hovsep Minasyan - had not accidentally crossed the path of sociologist Tayfun Serttaş, then Minasoğlu’s 70-year adventure as a Turkish studio-photography pioneer could have been lost to history.
Minasoğlu started taking photos with an Agfa camera that his brother gave him when he was still a child. During the 1950s, he learned photographic techniques from experts at the U.S.-based Kodak Company in his spare time.
His family was wealthy. Minasoğlu received his education at Saint Benoît French School in Beyoğlu, which was attended largely by students of privilege. But a surprise awaited the Minasoğlu family during World War II: the Wealth Tax, which was issued in 1942 during the administration of Prime Minister Şükrü Saraçoğlu. This tax on the country’s rich was applied in part to discriminate against the financial independence of Turkey’s non-Muslims. Many successful non-Muslims lost their wealth, while those who failed to pay the tax were sent to work camps in Aşkale in the eastern Anatolian province of Erzurum.
Non-Muslim financial independence was similarly affected by the events of Sept. 6-7, 1955, which left a stain on Turkey’s recent history. Tension between Turkey and Greece had been increasing because of the Cyprus problem while public opinion was very sensitive toward further provocation, meaning that even the slightest spark could cause a societal explosion. This inferno duly happened.
On Sept. 6, the Istanbul Express reported that Atatürk’s house had been bombed in Thessaloniki. People rushed into the streets, attacking Greeks, Armenians and Jews over the course of two days. The Minasoğlu family was also attacked, shortly after losing its wealth in the wake of the Wealth Tax. Minasoğlu had to leave school.
Following the events, Kodak closed down its branch office in Turkey. With reference letters from the company in hand, Minasoğlu left Turkey for Beirut and traveled on to Paris.
Minasoğlu finds a champion
Now, in honor of the photographer, artist Tayfun Serttaş has published “Studio Osep,” a Turkish- and English-language work from Aras Publishing that features the results of his 10 years of research on Minasoğlu. Furthermore, an exhibition displaying photos compiled from Minasoğlu’s archives has opened at Gallery Non in Istanbul’s Tophane district. The exhibition runs through Nov. 14.
All photos in the book and exhibition were compiled from 6,500 images found in Minasoğlu’s single-room house in Tarlabaşı. The sociologist, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, recounted the photographer’s 70-year story.
“I have been researching the life of Minasoğlu for 10 years. I spent most of my days with him, but I only realized that I was with such a legend five years ago,” said Serttaş. “Osep’s photos document Turkey’s recent history.”
New faces of Turkish cinema
Minasoğlu’s Paris adventure ended because of the 1956 war between France and Algeria; because of pressures against immigrants, he was forced to return to Istanbul. He opened a studio in Sirkeci and took tourist photos using a Polaroid camera.
Minasoğlu said the Polaroid camera was not used in Turkey during those years, meaning that Minasoğlu was able to take advantage of the technology and earn good money within a short time.
Later on, Studio Osep moved to a new location covering 350 square meters on Topağacı Street in Taksim. Minasoğlu began to take photos of future actors and actresses. Turkey’s Hollywood, Yeşilçam, gained new faces thanks to him. Fittingly for a photographer involved with actors and actresses, the studio is also remembered today as the first in Turkey to retouch photos.
Serttaş, who offers a sociological perspective on Studio Osep’s years capturing Yeşilçam, said: “Only some of the prospective future actresses who came to the studio for a photo shoot actually became famous. Osep’s skillful photos had a great share in this. However, those who could not gain fame were often sent to brothels on Cihangir’s Abanoz Street. Actually, Minasoğlu unwittingly photographed the sociology of Beyoğlu for 40 years.”
Minasoğlu not only photographed actors and actresses but also politicians and ambassadors. He is also the first photographer to shoot for pornographic magazines in Turkey. “I was not interested in women’s bodies while taking their photos, because I was a professional,” he said. “Turkey was freer in those years. There was no alienation from women’s bodies in the country [as there is today].”
BOX
Archives perished in a fire
Minasoğlu said he had never shared the secrets of his 70-year career with anyone, adding, “I used methods of lighting and retouching method while shooting Yeşilçam’s future actresses. I preferred special light for hair. I took photos in a special, large room and, in this way, I could take candid shots of the models.”
Minasoğlu kept a copy of all his photos. There were thousands of photos in his studio at the time of his bankruptcy in 1990. When his studio was repossessed, Minasoğlu entrusted his archives to one of his friends. However, as the result of a fire, all his archival documents, historically significant correspondence and technical formulas were reduced to ash.
2 Kasım 2009 Pazartesi
Armenian media debates the identity of mysterious historian
Armenian media debates the identity of mysterious historian
Monday, November 2, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian media outlets are speculating on the identity of historians chosen for a controversial history commission after the Daily News reported that the participants have already been selected. Nationalist Tashnak-affiliated Yerkir Media says it has already found out the name of the Istanbul-born Armenian historian said to be in charge of the committee
A recent report by the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has caused a stir among Armenian media outlets as journalists there seek to uncover the names that were kept undisclosed by the newspaper.
The Oct. 19 report, “Yerevan picks historians for commission,” was based on information the Daily News had obtained from a high-level Armenian authority and confirmed with sources in Turkey.
Armenian authorities, however, denied the report immediately after it was published.
According to the report, Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians to participate in a history commission that will be set up under the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries.
The report said an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul was unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government and is already holding meetings in Turkey about the establishment of the commission.
The only information the paper revealed about this person was that he was the first historian of Armenian origin to be granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives, back in 1974.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the deaths of Armenians in 1915, during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government meanwhile say that the events of 1915 were “genocide,” and that they will never retreat from their stance on this, nor would they accept Turkey’s preconditions.
Yerkir Media’s claim
In a special report Friday, the Armenian media news site Yerkir Media, which is affiliated with the nationalist Tashnak Party, said it had discovered the identity of the Istanbul-born Armenian historian set to head the commission. The topic was also picked up by daily Aravod.
Yerkir Media claims that the historian is Parsegh Tuğlacıyan, who is known by the name “Pars Tuğlacı” in Turkey.
The Daily News called Yerkir Media and asked the news organization’s director of information and political programs, Gegham Manukyan, how he had reached this conclusion. “We were researching the facts presented in your article and concluded that the Turkish-Armenian historian’s name is Pars Tuğlacı because all of the data points to his name,” Manukyan said. “In 1974, he entered the Ottoman Archives to do research.”
Tuğlacı also went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum.
According to Yerkir Media’s report, Tuğlacı is currently in Yerevan and has refused to answer questions on the subject. The same report said Tuğlacı would be visiting Yerevan again in three months and would make a statement on the subject.
The historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Though Sarkisian’s government has rejected Turkey’s suggestion of a history commission, calling it “politically motivated,” Yerevan has reportedly already chosen its historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by Sarkisian’s administration, a senior Armenian government official told the Daily News, speaking on condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, adding that the commission would begin working immediately after the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both parliaments.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission is a political matter and he did not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right place to address the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited,” he said. “Thus a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena.”
Monday, November 2, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian media outlets are speculating on the identity of historians chosen for a controversial history commission after the Daily News reported that the participants have already been selected. Nationalist Tashnak-affiliated Yerkir Media says it has already found out the name of the Istanbul-born Armenian historian said to be in charge of the committee
A recent report by the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has caused a stir among Armenian media outlets as journalists there seek to uncover the names that were kept undisclosed by the newspaper.
The Oct. 19 report, “Yerevan picks historians for commission,” was based on information the Daily News had obtained from a high-level Armenian authority and confirmed with sources in Turkey.
Armenian authorities, however, denied the report immediately after it was published.
According to the report, Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians to participate in a history commission that will be set up under the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries.
The report said an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul was unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government and is already holding meetings in Turkey about the establishment of the commission.
The only information the paper revealed about this person was that he was the first historian of Armenian origin to be granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives, back in 1974.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the deaths of Armenians in 1915, during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government meanwhile say that the events of 1915 were “genocide,” and that they will never retreat from their stance on this, nor would they accept Turkey’s preconditions.
Yerkir Media’s claim
In a special report Friday, the Armenian media news site Yerkir Media, which is affiliated with the nationalist Tashnak Party, said it had discovered the identity of the Istanbul-born Armenian historian set to head the commission. The topic was also picked up by daily Aravod.
Yerkir Media claims that the historian is Parsegh Tuğlacıyan, who is known by the name “Pars Tuğlacı” in Turkey.
The Daily News called Yerkir Media and asked the news organization’s director of information and political programs, Gegham Manukyan, how he had reached this conclusion. “We were researching the facts presented in your article and concluded that the Turkish-Armenian historian’s name is Pars Tuğlacı because all of the data points to his name,” Manukyan said. “In 1974, he entered the Ottoman Archives to do research.”
Tuğlacı also went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum.
According to Yerkir Media’s report, Tuğlacı is currently in Yerevan and has refused to answer questions on the subject. The same report said Tuğlacı would be visiting Yerevan again in three months and would make a statement on the subject.
The historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Though Sarkisian’s government has rejected Turkey’s suggestion of a history commission, calling it “politically motivated,” Yerevan has reportedly already chosen its historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by Sarkisian’s administration, a senior Armenian government official told the Daily News, speaking on condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, adding that the commission would begin working immediately after the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both parliaments.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of the London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission is a political matter and he did not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right place to address the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited,” he said. “Thus a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena.”
29 Ekim 2009 Perşembe
The tuxedo maker of Atatürk
The tuxedo maker of Atatürk
Wednesday, October 29, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Levon Kordonciyan is the great-grandchild of Atatürk's tuxedo maker. The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found him on the 86th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic to share his family's tale
The ancestors of Levon Kordonciyan migrated to Istanbul from Rize at the beginning of the 1900s. The family settled in the neighborhood of Samatya, which was called “The Paris of Istanbul” in those years due to its modern look and lifestyle.
Kordonciyan was born in 1907, according to Ottoman records, and the Republic was founded in his early youth, turning a new page for Turkey and for Kordonciyan as well.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, prepared a special law to send talented youths to foreign countries for training and education in various subjects, benefitting hundreds of young people. Kordonciyan was among the first group that went abroad, traveling to Paris, the heart of fashion, to receive training to become a tailor.
Though the family profession was jewel crafting – their name derived from the golden cordons they had been making for generations – being a tailor was the young Kordonciyan’s dream and he managed to make it a reality. After studying in Paris for five years, he returned to Istanbul and opened a tailor shop in Sultanhamam, the city’s fashion center in those days. The day he nailed his signboard to the door, a very special customer with his own designs visited Kordonciyan. It was Atatürk.
Young Kordonciyan made history as the person to make Atatürk’s first tuxedo with tails. All of Atatürk’s tuxedos, especially those with tails, had the signature of Kordonciyan until the Turkish leader’s death in 1938. According to the tailor’s great-grandson, one of the Kordonciyan-brand tuxedos Atatürk wore is on display at the Atatürk Museum in Thessaloniki.
Giant scissors made of train tracks
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found the grandson of Levon Kordonciyan, who shares his name, on the 86th anniversary of establishment of the Turkish Republic. The younger Kordonciyan, a tailor like his great-grandfather, shared the story of his family with Daily News readers.
Like his predecessor, Kordonciyan makes tuxedos with tails, still using the patterns, scissors and rulers he inherited. According to Kordonciyan, Atatürk’s bowties and shirts were made by Greek tailors, while his hats were made by their Jewish colleagues. One of those hats is still in his studio. During the interview, Kordonciyan pointed to a giant pair of one-meter long scissors and said: “My grandfather made these scissors out of train tracks. They were crafting their own equipment in those years.”
Historical drawings lost in fire
Atatürk’s drawings and his cloth patterns were burned to ashes along with many other historical objects and documents during the events of Sept. 6 to 7, 1955. “According to what I heard from my family, our house was set on fire during the actions by the demonstrators. The historical documents inside were burned to ashes at that time,” said Kordonciyan. “It is so sad that my grandfather’s gold-foiled diploma from Paris was burned in the fire too.”
The events of that Sept. 6 and 7, a black mark in the history of Turkey, were caused by the tension arising from the Cyprus issue between Turkey and Greece, developments that made the public very tense. When daily Istanbul Express published the news that the house where Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki had been bombed, violent mobs hit the streets. The Greek, Armenian and Jewish populations and their belongings became a target for the mob. Schools, churches, synagogues, hospitals, houses and stores were set on fire. It was later understood that the whole thing was a set up, but the damage was already done.
A gift to the White House
The Kordonciyan family was lucky; even though their house was burnt down, they survived. Moreover, some of the things inherited from the elder Kordonciyan remained intact after the attacks, which hit their studio too. “The reason I do my work in the best sense today is the patterns I inherited from my grandfather. I still work with his scissors and patterns,” said the younger Kordonciyan, adding that his grandfather died in 1953.
“I saw myself working together with my grandfather in my dreams; we create models together. You see, design is in my life 24 hours a day,” said Kordonciyan, who makes tuxedos with and without tails for high-level bureaucrats, just as his grandfather did. The tuxedos of Turgut Özal, the eighth president of Turkey, carried his signature.
Kordonciyan said he had prepared a special box and sent it to the White House for U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration. The box contained a tuxedo Kordonciyan made, cuff links, silk socks, a belt and a bow tie. Kordonciyan also made tuxedos for Hollywood actor Bruce Willis and the James Bond movie “Casino Royale.”
Tuxedo made in one day, without taking measurements
Kordonciyan said he does not need to take measurements to make a tuxedo for someone; a look is enough for him. “I need one day only to make a whole tuxedo flawlessly,” he said, noting that he is very precise, from the cloth of the tuxedo to the shirt to wear with it.
“The collars of a good tuxedo with tails should be satin,” he said. “The bowtie and belt should be of the same satin and the buttons of the shirt should never be visible. The socks have to be silk.”
Wednesday, October 29, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Levon Kordonciyan is the great-grandchild of Atatürk's tuxedo maker. The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found him on the 86th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic to share his family's tale
The ancestors of Levon Kordonciyan migrated to Istanbul from Rize at the beginning of the 1900s. The family settled in the neighborhood of Samatya, which was called “The Paris of Istanbul” in those years due to its modern look and lifestyle.
Kordonciyan was born in 1907, according to Ottoman records, and the Republic was founded in his early youth, turning a new page for Turkey and for Kordonciyan as well.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, prepared a special law to send talented youths to foreign countries for training and education in various subjects, benefitting hundreds of young people. Kordonciyan was among the first group that went abroad, traveling to Paris, the heart of fashion, to receive training to become a tailor.
Though the family profession was jewel crafting – their name derived from the golden cordons they had been making for generations – being a tailor was the young Kordonciyan’s dream and he managed to make it a reality. After studying in Paris for five years, he returned to Istanbul and opened a tailor shop in Sultanhamam, the city’s fashion center in those days. The day he nailed his signboard to the door, a very special customer with his own designs visited Kordonciyan. It was Atatürk.
Young Kordonciyan made history as the person to make Atatürk’s first tuxedo with tails. All of Atatürk’s tuxedos, especially those with tails, had the signature of Kordonciyan until the Turkish leader’s death in 1938. According to the tailor’s great-grandson, one of the Kordonciyan-brand tuxedos Atatürk wore is on display at the Atatürk Museum in Thessaloniki.
Giant scissors made of train tracks
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review found the grandson of Levon Kordonciyan, who shares his name, on the 86th anniversary of establishment of the Turkish Republic. The younger Kordonciyan, a tailor like his great-grandfather, shared the story of his family with Daily News readers.
Like his predecessor, Kordonciyan makes tuxedos with tails, still using the patterns, scissors and rulers he inherited. According to Kordonciyan, Atatürk’s bowties and shirts were made by Greek tailors, while his hats were made by their Jewish colleagues. One of those hats is still in his studio. During the interview, Kordonciyan pointed to a giant pair of one-meter long scissors and said: “My grandfather made these scissors out of train tracks. They were crafting their own equipment in those years.”
Historical drawings lost in fire
Atatürk’s drawings and his cloth patterns were burned to ashes along with many other historical objects and documents during the events of Sept. 6 to 7, 1955. “According to what I heard from my family, our house was set on fire during the actions by the demonstrators. The historical documents inside were burned to ashes at that time,” said Kordonciyan. “It is so sad that my grandfather’s gold-foiled diploma from Paris was burned in the fire too.”
The events of that Sept. 6 and 7, a black mark in the history of Turkey, were caused by the tension arising from the Cyprus issue between Turkey and Greece, developments that made the public very tense. When daily Istanbul Express published the news that the house where Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki had been bombed, violent mobs hit the streets. The Greek, Armenian and Jewish populations and their belongings became a target for the mob. Schools, churches, synagogues, hospitals, houses and stores were set on fire. It was later understood that the whole thing was a set up, but the damage was already done.
A gift to the White House
The Kordonciyan family was lucky; even though their house was burnt down, they survived. Moreover, some of the things inherited from the elder Kordonciyan remained intact after the attacks, which hit their studio too. “The reason I do my work in the best sense today is the patterns I inherited from my grandfather. I still work with his scissors and patterns,” said the younger Kordonciyan, adding that his grandfather died in 1953.
“I saw myself working together with my grandfather in my dreams; we create models together. You see, design is in my life 24 hours a day,” said Kordonciyan, who makes tuxedos with and without tails for high-level bureaucrats, just as his grandfather did. The tuxedos of Turgut Özal, the eighth president of Turkey, carried his signature.
Kordonciyan said he had prepared a special box and sent it to the White House for U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration. The box contained a tuxedo Kordonciyan made, cuff links, silk socks, a belt and a bow tie. Kordonciyan also made tuxedos for Hollywood actor Bruce Willis and the James Bond movie “Casino Royale.”
Tuxedo made in one day, without taking measurements
Kordonciyan said he does not need to take measurements to make a tuxedo for someone; a look is enough for him. “I need one day only to make a whole tuxedo flawlessly,” he said, noting that he is very precise, from the cloth of the tuxedo to the shirt to wear with it.
“The collars of a good tuxedo with tails should be satin,” he said. “The bowtie and belt should be of the same satin and the buttons of the shirt should never be visible. The socks have to be silk.”
27 Ekim 2009 Salı
Yerevan picks historians for commission
Yerevan picks historians for commission
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians expected to participate in the controversial history commission, although the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
Also, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul has been unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute of Nagorno-Karabakh and the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the 1915 deaths of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government rejected Turkey’s offer of a history commission, labeling it as “politically motivated.” However, while saying Armenia would never step down from its stance on the 1915 killings, Yerevan has already chosen the historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by the administration of Sarkisian, a senior Armenian government official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. The official was speaking on the condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, further saying that the commission would begin working immediately if the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both the Turkish and Armenian parliaments.
Meanwhile, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul is unofficially holding meetings for Turkey about the establishment of the commission. The Armenian historian, who went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum, is also the first historian of Armenian origin who was granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives in 1974.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission matter is political and he does not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right address for the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited. So, a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena,” he said.
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Yerevan has already picked the Armenian historians expected to participate in the controversial history commission, although the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia has yet to be ratified by either parliament.
Also, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul has been unofficially put in charge of the committee by the Turkish government.
The history commission, which is expected to be part of an intergovernmental commission between the two countries, is one of the most delicate matters in the recently signed diplomatic protocols.
Although not mentioned in the protocols, Turkey has been naming a settlement on the long-standing territorial dispute of Nagorno-Karabakh and the history commission as preconditions for reconciliation with its ex-Soviet neighbor. Ankara says the joint history commission should study and discuss the 1915 deaths of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and his government rejected Turkey’s offer of a history commission, labeling it as “politically motivated.” However, while saying Armenia would never step down from its stance on the 1915 killings, Yerevan has already chosen the historians for the commission.
The names for the commission were selected by the administration of Sarkisian, a senior Armenian government official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. The official was speaking on the condition of anonymity due the sensitivity of the issue. Another diplomatic source from the Turkish side also verified the appointments, further saying that the commission would begin working immediately if the diplomatic protocols are ratified by both the Turkish and Armenian parliaments.
Meanwhile, an Armenian historian who was born in Istanbul is unofficially holding meetings for Turkey about the establishment of the commission. The Armenian historian, who went to Yerevan last year to conduct research using the archives of the Genocide Museum, is also the first historian of Armenian origin who was granted special permission by former President Fahri Korutürk to conduct research using the Ottoman archives in 1974.
The Armenian side would offer only Armenian historians to the commission, he said, adding that historians from the diaspora, who have been carrying out research in the archives of many countries, would not be included.
Ara Sarafian, a leading diaspora historian and the director of London-based Gomidas Institute, said the commission matter is political and he does not want to comment on the issue. In a previous interview with the Daily News, Sarafian said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a history commission was a positive move, but added that Armenia is not the right address for the issue. “The archived documents in Armenia are insufficient. The freedom of historians is limited. So, a delicate matter such as genocide will be pulled into the political arena,” he said.
14 Ekim 2009 Çarşamba
Ottoman Armenians in one of the most important provinces of the empire: Bursa
Ottoman Armenians in one of the most important provinces of the empire: Bursa
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Bursa, also once called Hüdavendigar, was one of the most important provinces of the Ottoman Empire and was where the Patriarch of the Armenians resided. The city continues to be a center for commerce and tourism, especially well known for its hot springs
The national football match between Turkey and Armenia will be played in Bursa, a city with one of the highest populations of Armenians in the Marmara region during the Ottoman Empire.
Bursa is also known in history as one of the most important places for Armenians in terms of religion because the Patriarch resided there. There were many Armenian schools and monasteries in the province. Sultan Mehmet II, also known as “Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror,” focused on the Armenians of Bursa after he conquered Istanbul and brought Hovagim Golod, the Armenian Patriarch, to Istanbul. Mehmet II also brought Armenian artists and craftsmen to the new capital.
Bursa the capital
Last year, “Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago,” a detailed book featuring photographs and historical documents from the Carlo Calumeno, was released by Osman Köker through Birzamanlar Publishing. The book includes information on the history of Bursa. Köker spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research and said Bursa was among the Ottoman’s biggest provinces and its borders extended from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. “We see that 82,000 Armenians lived in Bursa before 1912, according to data by former Patriarch Mağakya Ormanyan,” said Köker. “There was an Armenian population of 10,000 in the capital city of Bursa and most of them lived in the districts known as Setbaşı, Kurtoğlu and Emirsultan. The Patriarchate was at Setbaşı anyway.”
A town of tourism and commerce
Bursa is an important city in history in an economic and social sense as well. The city attracted many tourists for its thermal springs in the past and continues to today. Zakarya Mildanoğlu, who researched Bursa’s economy, said: “Bursa is not a port city like İzmir but it is as important as that in commercial means. Nearly all the Anatolian caravan trails pass through Bursa.” Mildanoğlu said the city is also important for silkworm breeding, jewel crafting and the carpet trade. “Bursa is well known for its thermal springs alongside commerce. There are many hotels run by Armenians in Çekirge. Since Armenians were the most active group in business life, Hüdavendigar, the only official gazette of the province, was published in the Armenian alphabet,” he said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Bursa, also once called Hüdavendigar, was one of the most important provinces of the Ottoman Empire and was where the Patriarch of the Armenians resided. The city continues to be a center for commerce and tourism, especially well known for its hot springs
The national football match between Turkey and Armenia will be played in Bursa, a city with one of the highest populations of Armenians in the Marmara region during the Ottoman Empire.
Bursa is also known in history as one of the most important places for Armenians in terms of religion because the Patriarch resided there. There were many Armenian schools and monasteries in the province. Sultan Mehmet II, also known as “Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror,” focused on the Armenians of Bursa after he conquered Istanbul and brought Hovagim Golod, the Armenian Patriarch, to Istanbul. Mehmet II also brought Armenian artists and craftsmen to the new capital.
Bursa the capital
Last year, “Armenians in Turkey 100 years ago,” a detailed book featuring photographs and historical documents from the Carlo Calumeno, was released by Osman Köker through Birzamanlar Publishing. The book includes information on the history of Bursa. Köker spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research and said Bursa was among the Ottoman’s biggest provinces and its borders extended from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. “We see that 82,000 Armenians lived in Bursa before 1912, according to data by former Patriarch Mağakya Ormanyan,” said Köker. “There was an Armenian population of 10,000 in the capital city of Bursa and most of them lived in the districts known as Setbaşı, Kurtoğlu and Emirsultan. The Patriarchate was at Setbaşı anyway.”
A town of tourism and commerce
Bursa is an important city in history in an economic and social sense as well. The city attracted many tourists for its thermal springs in the past and continues to today. Zakarya Mildanoğlu, who researched Bursa’s economy, said: “Bursa is not a port city like İzmir but it is as important as that in commercial means. Nearly all the Anatolian caravan trails pass through Bursa.” Mildanoğlu said the city is also important for silkworm breeding, jewel crafting and the carpet trade. “Bursa is well known for its thermal springs alongside commerce. There are many hotels run by Armenians in Çekirge. Since Armenians were the most active group in business life, Hüdavendigar, the only official gazette of the province, was published in the Armenian alphabet,” he said.
11 Ekim 2009 Pazar
The Inga and Anush sisters: Armenian Angels in Blue Kaftans
Friday, October 9, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The Inga and Anuş sisters, who represented Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow last May with the song 'Jan Jan,' say they have not been invited to Turkey for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match, denying Turkish and Armenian reports suggesting they were planning to come.
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest.
Rumors are flying that the sisters who represented Armenia with the song “Jan Jan” at the Eurovision contest in Moscow in May will perform at the return World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Bursa on Wednesday.
The Inga and Anuş sisters broke their silence on the matter in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review: “We have not received an invitation from Turkey. We don’t understand the speculation surrounding us. They are attempting to drag us into politics but our business is music, not politics.”
When asked about their attitude toward any prospective invitation to Bursa as well as their thoughts on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash, the respective Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives at the Eurovision contest, Inga became tense: “This interview has started to get political. I do not want to comment on our Turkish and Azerbaijani neighbors at all; that does not serve any purpose except to raise polemics. If an invitation comes from Turkey, we will think about it then…”
Anuş praise for Hadise
Anuş said although they did not receive an invitation to football match scheduled for Wednesday, they have been invited to Turkey in previous years to play shows. “We could not come because of tours but we would be happy to meet audiences that enjoy us anywhere in the world. Besides, there is an Armenian community living in Istanbul. A show in Turkey would be a very different experience for us in that sense.”
Unlike her sister Inga, Anuş did not refuse to comment on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash: “Hadise has a very friendly personality; her show was pretty successful. Turkey sends successful names to Eurovision every year.”
Anuş said they did not know the Azerbaijani finalists as well as they knew Hadise, but suggested that, as far
as they could tell, the duo also seemed friendly and personable.
‘The people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only’
Inga and Anuş’s origins date back to Anatolia. Their mother is from Van and their father is from Muş. “We grew up hearing the tunes of Van and Muş from our grandfather and grandmother,” said Inga. When reminded that much anonymous music from both Turkey and Armenia share the same melodies, she said, “We are the people from the same region, so that is very natural.”
Anna Avenesyan, the duo’s manager, said Inga and Anuş have received offers from all over the world since the Eurovision contest and that their biggest dream was to become world class artists.
Anuş said: “The world thinks only of the Gyumri Earthquake in 1989 and the genocide when Armenia is mentioned. Yes, a disaster was experienced in the past but the people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only; that would be unfair to our thousands of years of culture. Our mission is to introduce our culture to the world.”
The costumes carry the signature of an Azeri
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest. The general opinion was that a more Western style would have been better. “It is true that we received criticism for our costumes,” said Anuş. “We brought our culture onto the stage with those costumes. We emphasized the West with our song and the East with our costumes.”
The attire in question was prepared by Fresh Art Design in Moscow. Three of the company’s partners are Armenian and the fourth is from Azerbaijan, Aslan Memedov. Anuş met Memedov while the costumes were being prepared and said he had a very warm and friendly personality.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia because of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1993. The two countries are involved in ongoing negotiations to open border and restart diplomatic relations. When asked their opinion on the possible opening of the border, Anuş said, “There are no borders for music. My field is music, let the politicians handle the politics.”
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
The Inga and Anuş sisters, who represented Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow last May with the song 'Jan Jan,' say they have not been invited to Turkey for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match, denying Turkish and Armenian reports suggesting they were planning to come.
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest.
Rumors are flying that the sisters who represented Armenia with the song “Jan Jan” at the Eurovision contest in Moscow in May will perform at the return World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Bursa on Wednesday.
The Inga and Anuş sisters broke their silence on the matter in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review: “We have not received an invitation from Turkey. We don’t understand the speculation surrounding us. They are attempting to drag us into politics but our business is music, not politics.”
When asked about their attitude toward any prospective invitation to Bursa as well as their thoughts on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash, the respective Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives at the Eurovision contest, Inga became tense: “This interview has started to get political. I do not want to comment on our Turkish and Azerbaijani neighbors at all; that does not serve any purpose except to raise polemics. If an invitation comes from Turkey, we will think about it then…”
Anuş praise for Hadise
Anuş said although they did not receive an invitation to football match scheduled for Wednesday, they have been invited to Turkey in previous years to play shows. “We could not come because of tours but we would be happy to meet audiences that enjoy us anywhere in the world. Besides, there is an Armenian community living in Istanbul. A show in Turkey would be a very different experience for us in that sense.”
Unlike her sister Inga, Anuş did not refuse to comment on Hadise and Aysel Teymurzade & Arash: “Hadise has a very friendly personality; her show was pretty successful. Turkey sends successful names to Eurovision every year.”
Anuş said they did not know the Azerbaijani finalists as well as they knew Hadise, but suggested that, as far
as they could tell, the duo also seemed friendly and personable.
‘The people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only’
Inga and Anuş’s origins date back to Anatolia. Their mother is from Van and their father is from Muş. “We grew up hearing the tunes of Van and Muş from our grandfather and grandmother,” said Inga. When reminded that much anonymous music from both Turkey and Armenia share the same melodies, she said, “We are the people from the same region, so that is very natural.”
Anna Avenesyan, the duo’s manager, said Inga and Anuş have received offers from all over the world since the Eurovision contest and that their biggest dream was to become world class artists.
Anuş said: “The world thinks only of the Gyumri Earthquake in 1989 and the genocide when Armenia is mentioned. Yes, a disaster was experienced in the past but the people of Armenia cannot be described through genocide only; that would be unfair to our thousands of years of culture. Our mission is to introduce our culture to the world.”
The costumes carry the signature of an Azeri
Inga and Anuş’s traditional costumes and dances caused a heated debate both in Armenia and among members of the diaspora after the Eurovision contest. The general opinion was that a more Western style would have been better. “It is true that we received criticism for our costumes,” said Anuş. “We brought our culture onto the stage with those costumes. We emphasized the West with our song and the East with our costumes.”
The attire in question was prepared by Fresh Art Design in Moscow. Three of the company’s partners are Armenian and the fourth is from Azerbaijan, Aslan Memedov. Anuş met Memedov while the costumes were being prepared and said he had a very warm and friendly personality.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia because of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1993. The two countries are involved in ongoing negotiations to open border and restart diplomatic relations. When asked their opinion on the possible opening of the border, Anuş said, “There are no borders for music. My field is music, let the politicians handle the politics.”
8 Ekim 2009 Perşembe
Closed border hampers geologists'
Closed border hampers geologists'
Thursday, October 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A team of geologists conducting research on volcanic formations and fault lines near the Turkish-Armenian border cannot continue their work on the Turkish side due to the closed border.
“There are no boundaries for science, but we are helpless at the border,” said a leading geologist within the team. “We cannot cover an area only a few meters away at walking distance because of the border problem at the most critical stage of our research,” said professor Chuck Connor, chairman of the University of South Florida and a scholar in the geology department.
The geological analysis, the most extensive ever made in Armenia, started right after the deadly earthquake of Gyumri in 1988, which claimed thousands of lives. Along with international experts, the staff of the Armenian Academy of Scientists has focused on geological inspections in the country.
The geology team does not only inspect volcanic formations, but earthquakes as well. Connor said the fault lines in Armenia extend to Turkey, adding: “Detailed research on the fault lines would clearly reveal the earthquake risks for both countries. But our research is still unfinished.”
Dr. Ivan P. Savov from the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment agreed with Connor. “In order to have clearer data from the research that we conducted in Armenia, we need to compare results with the ones that we must do in Turkey,” he said.
When asked why they do not carry on their research in Turkey, Savov said: “We have managed to receive funding for the Armenia leg of our research only. This research requires huge funding and we need to employ our time most wisely.”
Julia Crummy, a PhD student from the University of Leeds, said she was unaware of the closed border until she arrived in Armenia. “It is not possible to comprehend or understand closed borders in this age. Problems can only be overcome through dialogue,” Crummy said.
Crummy said that the obstacles in the path of the science team should be removed, adding: “The research projects to be carried out in the two countries would complete each other. This research carries great importance for the future of mankind; therefore it is more important than the border problem.”
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In our sixth ‘Postcards from Armenia,’ the Football Federation in Armenia will be explaining their objections to the so-called “football diplomacy.”
Thursday, October 8, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
A team of geologists conducting research on volcanic formations and fault lines near the Turkish-Armenian border cannot continue their work on the Turkish side due to the closed border.
“There are no boundaries for science, but we are helpless at the border,” said a leading geologist within the team. “We cannot cover an area only a few meters away at walking distance because of the border problem at the most critical stage of our research,” said professor Chuck Connor, chairman of the University of South Florida and a scholar in the geology department.
The geological analysis, the most extensive ever made in Armenia, started right after the deadly earthquake of Gyumri in 1988, which claimed thousands of lives. Along with international experts, the staff of the Armenian Academy of Scientists has focused on geological inspections in the country.
The geology team does not only inspect volcanic formations, but earthquakes as well. Connor said the fault lines in Armenia extend to Turkey, adding: “Detailed research on the fault lines would clearly reveal the earthquake risks for both countries. But our research is still unfinished.”
Dr. Ivan P. Savov from the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment agreed with Connor. “In order to have clearer data from the research that we conducted in Armenia, we need to compare results with the ones that we must do in Turkey,” he said.
When asked why they do not carry on their research in Turkey, Savov said: “We have managed to receive funding for the Armenia leg of our research only. This research requires huge funding and we need to employ our time most wisely.”
Julia Crummy, a PhD student from the University of Leeds, said she was unaware of the closed border until she arrived in Armenia. “It is not possible to comprehend or understand closed borders in this age. Problems can only be overcome through dialogue,” Crummy said.
Crummy said that the obstacles in the path of the science team should be removed, adding: “The research projects to be carried out in the two countries would complete each other. This research carries great importance for the future of mankind; therefore it is more important than the border problem.”
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In our sixth ‘Postcards from Armenia,’ the Football Federation in Armenia will be explaining their objections to the so-called “football diplomacy.”
7 Ekim 2009 Çarşamba
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
"POSTCARDS FROM ARMENİA - www.hurriyetdailynews.com"
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
As the debate over the closed border between Turkey and Armenia intensifies with the recent talk of normalizing relations, an Italian-Armenian also waits for a green light from the Turkish authorities to enter Turkey.
Ararad Khatchikan is not interested in visiting his distant kinsmen in any Turkish village, nor in making small-scale trade agreements with Turkish vendors. Instead, his sole aim is to carry a peace message to the peoples on both sides of the Turkish-Armenian border with 44 Siberian wolves that he has trained for sleigh races.
Each wolf will carry a white flag as a symbol of peace, the Armenian peace activist told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the third Postcard from Armenia. “My family has endured great suffering but nobody would benefit by [being] trapped by the past. The fighting must end. Let me pass from the border in the name of friendship and peace,” he pleaded.
Khatchikan said his biggest dream is to reach the outskirts of Mt. Ağrı, or Ararad in Armenian, after getting a visa from Turkey. “Ağrı or Ararad, it does not matter at all,” he said, adding: “I will be proud of carrying the name of that holy mountain for all my life. None of us get to choose their identities and relations. We are all one and equal. We are all brothers.”
Khatchikan said that although he is a member of the Armenian diaspora, he can assess the recent developments between Turkey and Armenia more moderately. “It will be a mistake, if we [associate] the Armenian diaspora with just its radical wing. There are people who see matters with a more moderate outlook. We can [help] our societies engage in dialogue through those people,” he said.
Khatchikan said he had made the first official application for his peace project through the Turkish Embassy in Rome in 2007, but then decided to delay it. “[Armenian daily] Agos Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink fell victim to an assassination in Istanbul while my negations were ongoing with the Turkish authorities. I got confused, so I shelved it.”
Khatchikan was born in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan to an Armenian father and Italian mother. His family fled Turkey during the 1915 killings of Armenians and sheltered in Khartoum before resettling in Italy. For years, Khatchikan attended various peace activities in several countries alongside his Turkish friends, but he never visited Turkey. His recent visit to Armenia was also his first trip to the tiny country. While visiting Khor Virap Monastery, which is only few meters away from the Turkish border and has the best view of Mt. Ağrı, Khatchikan said: “This is a magical view. Turkey is just a few kilometers away and that is unbelievable.”
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In our fourth Postcard from Armenia, two senior Armenian editors will share their thoughts on the recent thaw between Turkey and Armenia and its potential implications.
Armenian peace activist to cross Turkey with 44
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
YEREVAN - Hürriyet Daily News
As the debate over the closed border between Turkey and Armenia intensifies with the recent talk of normalizing relations, an Italian-Armenian also waits for a green light from the Turkish authorities to enter Turkey.
Ararad Khatchikan is not interested in visiting his distant kinsmen in any Turkish village, nor in making small-scale trade agreements with Turkish vendors. Instead, his sole aim is to carry a peace message to the peoples on both sides of the Turkish-Armenian border with 44 Siberian wolves that he has trained for sleigh races.
Each wolf will carry a white flag as a symbol of peace, the Armenian peace activist told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review for the third Postcard from Armenia. “My family has endured great suffering but nobody would benefit by [being] trapped by the past. The fighting must end. Let me pass from the border in the name of friendship and peace,” he pleaded.
Khatchikan said his biggest dream is to reach the outskirts of Mt. Ağrı, or Ararad in Armenian, after getting a visa from Turkey. “Ağrı or Ararad, it does not matter at all,” he said, adding: “I will be proud of carrying the name of that holy mountain for all my life. None of us get to choose their identities and relations. We are all one and equal. We are all brothers.”
Khatchikan said that although he is a member of the Armenian diaspora, he can assess the recent developments between Turkey and Armenia more moderately. “It will be a mistake, if we [associate] the Armenian diaspora with just its radical wing. There are people who see matters with a more moderate outlook. We can [help] our societies engage in dialogue through those people,” he said.
Khatchikan said he had made the first official application for his peace project through the Turkish Embassy in Rome in 2007, but then decided to delay it. “[Armenian daily] Agos Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink fell victim to an assassination in Istanbul while my negations were ongoing with the Turkish authorities. I got confused, so I shelved it.”
Khatchikan was born in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan to an Armenian father and Italian mother. His family fled Turkey during the 1915 killings of Armenians and sheltered in Khartoum before resettling in Italy. For years, Khatchikan attended various peace activities in several countries alongside his Turkish friends, but he never visited Turkey. His recent visit to Armenia was also his first trip to the tiny country. While visiting Khor Virap Monastery, which is only few meters away from the Turkish border and has the best view of Mt. Ağrı, Khatchikan said: “This is a magical view. Turkey is just a few kilometers away and that is unbelievable.”
---
In our fourth Postcard from Armenia, two senior Armenian editors will share their thoughts on the recent thaw between Turkey and Armenia and its potential implications.
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