New lake pier constructed for Akdamar church
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The Van Governor’s Office is aiding in the preparations for the second Divine Liturgy on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church by building a pier that will be better equipped to handle the number of expected visitors. Other arrangements are also being made to serve the guests who will attend the Sept 11 ceremony that falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival
The construction of a new pier is ongoing on Lake Van for the second Divine Liturgy that will be held at Surp Haç Church.
The Van Governor’s Office has begun comprehensive preparations, including the construction of a new pier on Lake Van, for a second Divine Liturgy that will be held on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church on Sept. 11. “The governor’s office is building a large pier that will meet the needs [of visitors] in place of the current pier. Moreover, arrangements are also underway to better serve the guests who will be coming to the island for the Divine Liturgy,” Van Gov. Münir Karaloğlu recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Over 7,000 people attended last year’s ceremony, said Karaloğlu, adding that they were expecting a large number of congregants to attend this year’s Divine Liturgy as well.
“This year, we are also expecting Armenians from Iran as well. At any rate, there is generally an apparent increase in the [number] of tourists who arrive in Van starting in the month of August,” Karaloğlu said.
“Of course, it is not just Armenians but tourists from all corners of the world who come to Van. We broke a record in [the number of tourist arrivals] during this year’s first six months in comparison to previous years,” he said.
Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, who will preside over this year’s Divine Liturgy, said in a press release that no official invitations were going to be sent either to Armenia or to the diaspora for the September ceremony.
“It will be a routine Divine Liturgy. As the [deputy] patriarch has said, no official invitations are going to be issued,” Karaloğlu said, adding that they had formed a joint commission with the Patriarchate and that preparations were underway for the Divine Liturgy.
The Divine Liturgy on Akdamar will be held on Sept. 11, which falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival. Ateşyan will be in charge of the Divine Liturgy because a debilitating illness prevents Patriarch Mesrop II from fulfilling his duties.
Asked whether visitors would again be accommodated in private residences in Van, Karaoğlu said: “If the need arises, we can launch a similar campaign again. But this year, there is no demand.”
Touching on a controversy surrounding the lack of a cross atop the church last year, the governor said: “The diaspora was saying that another Divine Liturgy was not going to be allowed [in Surp Haç Church.] The arguments were fuelled because no crosses were put on [the church.] The cross was put in place after the Divine Liturgy, and as you can see, a permit for the Divine Liturgy is also being issued for the second time.” Past years’ debates regarding the church’s cross were unnecessary, he added.
Çarpanak Monastery next in line
The governor also said they had applied to international organizations and received funds to restore several churches and monasteries within the boundaries of the eastern province.
Restoration works for the Çarpanak Monastery on the island of the same name will start in a couple of months, the governor said, adding that the original name of the Armenian monastery, which dates back to the 15th century, was “Gduzs.”
When the restoration is completed, Çarpanak will also be open to visitors as a museum,” he said.
18 Ağustos 2011 Perşembe
15 Ağustos 2011 Pazartesi
Minorities condemn ‘Our Pledge’ but fear speaking out
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Members of Turkey’s minority communities criticize Turkey’s “Our Pledge”, recited by school children every morning, yet say they are hesitant to speak out their thoughts
Representatives of Turkey’s minorities are critical of Turkey’s “Our Pledge,” the oath recited every morning by primary school students, but are hesitant to voice their opinions on the matter, according to community representatives.
Many commentators who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on the issue asked for their names to remain anonymous, fearing they could face a serious backlash in case they openly propagate their views as members of the Kurdish political movement have done.
“[The pledge is] an assimilating slogan that [aims for] uniformity; it is rhetoric that causes the individual to draw away from his or her own culture, starting in childhood. This situation is causing damage to the people’s [sense of] self,” B.Ş., a prominent Syriac Christian, told the Hürriyet Daily News by phone.
“Everyday I was forced to say ‘I am a Turk,’ whereas I had storms brewing in me not to say that I am a Syriac. Once, I yelled that I am a Syriac. For that reason, I was attacked with the [derogatory term] ‘gavur.’ This state of affairs has to come to an end,” B.Ş. said.
Protests against the pledge
All children attending Turkey’s primary schools are expected to read aloud the “Andımız” (“Our pledge”) every morning when they come to school. The oath begins with the phrases, “I am a Turk; I am honest; I am hardworking. Let my entire being serve as a gift to Turkish existence.”
The recitation of the pledge has been protested by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, who said that he did not want his children to recite the oath.
Armenian and Greek community leaders, however, said they have no opportunity to express their thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds.
“I am irritated by all pronouncements pertaining to nationalism. We cannot express our thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds. If we did that, we would completely attract all the wrong attention,” E.O., a prominent figure within the Armenian community, told the Daily News.
E.O. also said he experienced great difficulties during his military service, just as in school. If someone from his own community had requested him to take the oath “Let my entire being serve as a gift to Armenian existence,” he would still object to it, E.O. added.
A.P., who spent about 40 years of his life as a lecturer in Greek minority schools, agreed. “If you ask me whether it is necessary or not, I do not think it is right for [the oath] to be recited every day; not in terms of nationality, [but because] I do not think it contributes anything to the child in terms of [their] education,” A.P said.
Meanwhile, B.C., the manager of a minority school who preferred not to publicly reveal his community identity, said there were more pressing concerns. “We have much deeper issues than [whether] to recite [the oath] every day. Our priority is to solve those issues [first.],” he said.
On the other hand, Marissa Gormezano, a Turkish citizen of Jewish descent, who became a deputy candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, during the 2011 general elections but was not included on the final election list, disagreed with other minority representatives.
“When [modern Turkish founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk said, ‘Happy is the one who calls himself a Turk,’ he was defining everyone who is a Turkish citizen. The opposing stance [rests on] a narrative that corrupts [Kemalist] nationalism,” Gormezano told the Daily News.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Members of Turkey’s minority communities criticize Turkey’s “Our Pledge”, recited by school children every morning, yet say they are hesitant to speak out their thoughts
Representatives of Turkey’s minorities are critical of Turkey’s “Our Pledge,” the oath recited every morning by primary school students, but are hesitant to voice their opinions on the matter, according to community representatives.
Many commentators who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on the issue asked for their names to remain anonymous, fearing they could face a serious backlash in case they openly propagate their views as members of the Kurdish political movement have done.
“[The pledge is] an assimilating slogan that [aims for] uniformity; it is rhetoric that causes the individual to draw away from his or her own culture, starting in childhood. This situation is causing damage to the people’s [sense of] self,” B.Ş., a prominent Syriac Christian, told the Hürriyet Daily News by phone.
“Everyday I was forced to say ‘I am a Turk,’ whereas I had storms brewing in me not to say that I am a Syriac. Once, I yelled that I am a Syriac. For that reason, I was attacked with the [derogatory term] ‘gavur.’ This state of affairs has to come to an end,” B.Ş. said.
Protests against the pledge
All children attending Turkey’s primary schools are expected to read aloud the “Andımız” (“Our pledge”) every morning when they come to school. The oath begins with the phrases, “I am a Turk; I am honest; I am hardworking. Let my entire being serve as a gift to Turkish existence.”
The recitation of the pledge has been protested by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, who said that he did not want his children to recite the oath.
Armenian and Greek community leaders, however, said they have no opportunity to express their thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds.
“I am irritated by all pronouncements pertaining to nationalism. We cannot express our thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds. If we did that, we would completely attract all the wrong attention,” E.O., a prominent figure within the Armenian community, told the Daily News.
E.O. also said he experienced great difficulties during his military service, just as in school. If someone from his own community had requested him to take the oath “Let my entire being serve as a gift to Armenian existence,” he would still object to it, E.O. added.
A.P., who spent about 40 years of his life as a lecturer in Greek minority schools, agreed. “If you ask me whether it is necessary or not, I do not think it is right for [the oath] to be recited every day; not in terms of nationality, [but because] I do not think it contributes anything to the child in terms of [their] education,” A.P said.
Meanwhile, B.C., the manager of a minority school who preferred not to publicly reveal his community identity, said there were more pressing concerns. “We have much deeper issues than [whether] to recite [the oath] every day. Our priority is to solve those issues [first.],” he said.
On the other hand, Marissa Gormezano, a Turkish citizen of Jewish descent, who became a deputy candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, during the 2011 general elections but was not included on the final election list, disagreed with other minority representatives.
“When [modern Turkish founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk said, ‘Happy is the one who calls himself a Turk,’ he was defining everyone who is a Turkish citizen. The opposing stance [rests on] a narrative that corrupts [Kemalist] nationalism,” Gormezano told the Daily News.
8 Ağustos 2011 Pazartesi
Armenian singer’s death to be commemorated
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran is best known for his songs in Kurdish, ‘Aram is the voice of the Middle East peoples,’ according to the organizer
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to the organizers of the commemoration event.
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran, who was best known for his songs in Kurdish, had requested in his will that his body be buried in Diyarbakır but was denied permission on the grounds that he was not a Turkish citizen.
The first event will be staged at the Ankara Yapı Art Center on Mithatpaşa Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, while the second event will be held in Diyarbakır on Oct. 15.
“Aram is the voice of the freedom of peoples. With his voice and his instrument, he is the breath of the oppressed and bitter peoples of the Middle East,” Sait Çetinoğlu, one of the events’ organizers, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“Many people who are not Turkish citizens can be buried on this land through a Cabinet decision. [Tigran’s] will should have been respected and followed through, but his burial on this land was prevented because of Aram’s Armenian identity,” Çetinoğlu said. “We intend to bring Aram’s will back into the public agenda through these commemoration ceremonies,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that they were expecting support.
“Even if we cannot yet bring his body [back] to this land, we are bringing his voice and breath [here.] We expect [to see] everyone who believes in the brotherhood of peoples at this event, regardless of whatever their religion, language or race might be,” he added.
Tigran’s family appealed to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fulfill his will. Failing to obtain the necessary permit, however, Tigran’s body was then burried in Brussels.
Tigran passed away on Aug. 8, 2009 following a brain hemorrhage he suffered in Greece.
Back in those years when no one sang in Kurdish
“He had given voice to the freedom of peoples in all languages spoken in the Middle East and conveyed their emotions,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that Tigran’s music was extremely diverse, as he had composed and sung songs in nearly every language.
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to Çetinoğlu.
“Gomidas, the milestone of Armenian music, had also issued his doctorate thesis on Kurdish music,” he said.
Gomidas Vartabed (Priest) was sent into exile along with some 230 Armenian intellectuals on the night of April 24, 1915, after which time he lost his mental balance. Gomidas Vartabed is known for his in-depth research over and compilation of Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian music, just as much as he is known for his work on Armenian music.
“Aram was born in the city of Kamışlı in Syria. [Kamışlı] is a city densely populated by Kurds. As such nothing could have been more natural [for him] than to lend a voice to the emotions of the people he lived amongst in their own tongue,” Çetinoğlu said. “Back in those years, people singing in Kurdish were almost non-existent. It is for this reason that the Kurds cannot forget Aram who lent a voice to their emotions,” he added.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran is best known for his songs in Kurdish, ‘Aram is the voice of the Middle East peoples,’ according to the organizer
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to the organizers of the commemoration event.
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran, who was best known for his songs in Kurdish, had requested in his will that his body be buried in Diyarbakır but was denied permission on the grounds that he was not a Turkish citizen.
The first event will be staged at the Ankara Yapı Art Center on Mithatpaşa Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, while the second event will be held in Diyarbakır on Oct. 15.
“Aram is the voice of the freedom of peoples. With his voice and his instrument, he is the breath of the oppressed and bitter peoples of the Middle East,” Sait Çetinoğlu, one of the events’ organizers, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“Many people who are not Turkish citizens can be buried on this land through a Cabinet decision. [Tigran’s] will should have been respected and followed through, but his burial on this land was prevented because of Aram’s Armenian identity,” Çetinoğlu said. “We intend to bring Aram’s will back into the public agenda through these commemoration ceremonies,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that they were expecting support.
“Even if we cannot yet bring his body [back] to this land, we are bringing his voice and breath [here.] We expect [to see] everyone who believes in the brotherhood of peoples at this event, regardless of whatever their religion, language or race might be,” he added.
Tigran’s family appealed to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fulfill his will. Failing to obtain the necessary permit, however, Tigran’s body was then burried in Brussels.
Tigran passed away on Aug. 8, 2009 following a brain hemorrhage he suffered in Greece.
Back in those years when no one sang in Kurdish
“He had given voice to the freedom of peoples in all languages spoken in the Middle East and conveyed their emotions,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that Tigran’s music was extremely diverse, as he had composed and sung songs in nearly every language.
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to Çetinoğlu.
“Gomidas, the milestone of Armenian music, had also issued his doctorate thesis on Kurdish music,” he said.
Gomidas Vartabed (Priest) was sent into exile along with some 230 Armenian intellectuals on the night of April 24, 1915, after which time he lost his mental balance. Gomidas Vartabed is known for his in-depth research over and compilation of Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian music, just as much as he is known for his work on Armenian music.
“Aram was born in the city of Kamışlı in Syria. [Kamışlı] is a city densely populated by Kurds. As such nothing could have been more natural [for him] than to lend a voice to the emotions of the people he lived amongst in their own tongue,” Çetinoğlu said. “Back in those years, people singing in Kurdish were almost non-existent. It is for this reason that the Kurds cannot forget Aram who lent a voice to their emotions,” he added.
5 Ağustos 2011 Cuma
Old mansion in Cental Anatolia becoming hotel
Thursday, August 4, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Gülbenkay Mansion in the central province of Kayseri is located only 100 meters from the historical American High School in the district of Talas.
The historical Gülbenkyan Mansion, which was originally owned by a prominent Armenian family in Turkey’s central Kayseri province, will be transformed into a boutique hotel by a businessman who has pledged nearly $1 million for its restoration. The mansion’s original owner was an eminent Ottoman citizen of Armenian descent who influenced the birth of the international oil industry.
“It is such a pretty edifice that it would have been selfish to withhold such beauty from [other] people. For that reason, we thought it appropriate to open the building as a hotel. There is a magnificent ceiling on the mansion’s upper story that seems reminiscent of a dome. A cross has been depicted; there are paintings in different compartments; the woodwork features wondrous pieces of art,” businessman Necip Dinçer told the Hürriyet Daily News via e-mail.
The mansion was originally owned by Kalust Gülbenkyan and his family, who also own the Calouste Gülbenkyan Museum in Lisbon.
Dinçer said he had visited the forlorn building several times and immediately contacted the mansion’s previous owners in Istanbul when he heard it was going to be put on sale. The permit for the restoration work has been obtained, Dinçer said, and the mansion will be opened as a hotel immediately after the renovation work is complete.
The mansion is located only some 100 meters from the historical American High School in the district of Talas in Kayseri, Dinçer said. Various stories are circulated among the locals regarding the Gülbenkyan family, he added.
“I am in possession of certain information [regarding Gülbenkyan, including that] he was from Talas, and that he was arrested in Sivas, then migrated to Istanbul and later moved abroad. It is also said he had close connections with the Ottoman dynasty. Had the family been living in Kayseri today, an intellectual with such tastes [back] in that time would certainly have been a citizen beneficial to [the city,]” Dinçer said.
Kalust Gülbenkyan, an Ottoman citizen of Armenian ancestry, played an important role in the birth of the international oil industry and led efforts to convince Sultan Abdülhamid II, also dubbed the “Red Sultan,” to purchase oil fields near the city of Mosul in present day northern Iraq.
Beyzade Bülent Osman, one of Abdülhamit II’s grandsons, confirmed this knowledge during an interview he gave to the Daily News last year.
‘Kayseri has been spent out’
“This place smells profusely of history; a rare settlement that still bears memories of old, though they are a bit tired,” Dinçer said, adding that he was born in Kayseri himself and that the district of Talas bore a special significance for him.
The tourism potential of the city still remains untapped, according to Dinçer, who claimed that Kayseri is a city that has been spent out over the years.
“Historical buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones. Ignorant and unconscious behavior de-personalized this city, whose roots go far back in time. Buildings 15 stories high were constructed over historical houses and mansions that were demolished. Only a tiny portion of Talas’ remains have been preserved, and that was through personal efforts of individuals,” he said.
Dinçer said he has been striving for years alongside the chamber of commerce and the tourism association to help preserve the historical fabric of the city, but they still could not exert enough influence, he added.
“Because the only [thing] the city’s administrators believe in is opportunism,” he said.
“When this mansion is up and running, we want the Armenians and Greeks of Kayseri to come here and see this edifice,” Dinçer said. “We are going to strive for [them] to remember their own cultures and the traces they left behind and to come over here.
“Those governing us are to blame for the causes of this lag. The incapability to promote to the world Anatolia, the bearer of thousands of years of culture, is the product of a mindset that [sails] in the opposite direction of where [the rest of] the world is going,” he said, adding that there had been some new momentum in recent years regarding tourism in Anatolia.
The name of the mansion will remain as “Gülbenkyan” even after the building is transformed into a boutique hotel, he said.
“We need the [kind of] sensitivity that will save the rest of Talas and win it for tourism,” he said.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Gülbenkay Mansion in the central province of Kayseri is located only 100 meters from the historical American High School in the district of Talas.
The historical Gülbenkyan Mansion, which was originally owned by a prominent Armenian family in Turkey’s central Kayseri province, will be transformed into a boutique hotel by a businessman who has pledged nearly $1 million for its restoration. The mansion’s original owner was an eminent Ottoman citizen of Armenian descent who influenced the birth of the international oil industry.
“It is such a pretty edifice that it would have been selfish to withhold such beauty from [other] people. For that reason, we thought it appropriate to open the building as a hotel. There is a magnificent ceiling on the mansion’s upper story that seems reminiscent of a dome. A cross has been depicted; there are paintings in different compartments; the woodwork features wondrous pieces of art,” businessman Necip Dinçer told the Hürriyet Daily News via e-mail.
The mansion was originally owned by Kalust Gülbenkyan and his family, who also own the Calouste Gülbenkyan Museum in Lisbon.
Dinçer said he had visited the forlorn building several times and immediately contacted the mansion’s previous owners in Istanbul when he heard it was going to be put on sale. The permit for the restoration work has been obtained, Dinçer said, and the mansion will be opened as a hotel immediately after the renovation work is complete.
The mansion is located only some 100 meters from the historical American High School in the district of Talas in Kayseri, Dinçer said. Various stories are circulated among the locals regarding the Gülbenkyan family, he added.
“I am in possession of certain information [regarding Gülbenkyan, including that] he was from Talas, and that he was arrested in Sivas, then migrated to Istanbul and later moved abroad. It is also said he had close connections with the Ottoman dynasty. Had the family been living in Kayseri today, an intellectual with such tastes [back] in that time would certainly have been a citizen beneficial to [the city,]” Dinçer said.
Kalust Gülbenkyan, an Ottoman citizen of Armenian ancestry, played an important role in the birth of the international oil industry and led efforts to convince Sultan Abdülhamid II, also dubbed the “Red Sultan,” to purchase oil fields near the city of Mosul in present day northern Iraq.
Beyzade Bülent Osman, one of Abdülhamit II’s grandsons, confirmed this knowledge during an interview he gave to the Daily News last year.
‘Kayseri has been spent out’
“This place smells profusely of history; a rare settlement that still bears memories of old, though they are a bit tired,” Dinçer said, adding that he was born in Kayseri himself and that the district of Talas bore a special significance for him.
The tourism potential of the city still remains untapped, according to Dinçer, who claimed that Kayseri is a city that has been spent out over the years.
“Historical buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones. Ignorant and unconscious behavior de-personalized this city, whose roots go far back in time. Buildings 15 stories high were constructed over historical houses and mansions that were demolished. Only a tiny portion of Talas’ remains have been preserved, and that was through personal efforts of individuals,” he said.
Dinçer said he has been striving for years alongside the chamber of commerce and the tourism association to help preserve the historical fabric of the city, but they still could not exert enough influence, he added.
“Because the only [thing] the city’s administrators believe in is opportunism,” he said.
“When this mansion is up and running, we want the Armenians and Greeks of Kayseri to come here and see this edifice,” Dinçer said. “We are going to strive for [them] to remember their own cultures and the traces they left behind and to come over here.
“Those governing us are to blame for the causes of this lag. The incapability to promote to the world Anatolia, the bearer of thousands of years of culture, is the product of a mindset that [sails] in the opposite direction of where [the rest of] the world is going,” he said, adding that there had been some new momentum in recent years regarding tourism in Anatolia.
The name of the mansion will remain as “Gülbenkyan” even after the building is transformed into a boutique hotel, he said.
“We need the [kind of] sensitivity that will save the rest of Talas and win it for tourism,” he said.
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