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On Armenians | PM Davutoglu Condolence Message

April 22, 2015, 9:42 am
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Mavi Boncuk | Davutoglu conveys ‘condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who lost their lives’.

April 21, 2015 - 1:06:00
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has offered his condolences to the grandchildren of Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during World War I.

STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. AHMET DAVUTOĞLU, PRIME MINISTER OF

THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY ON THE OTTOMAN ARMENIANS WHO LOST T

HEIR LIVES DURING THE LAST YEARS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

During the last years of the Ottoman Empire, a very large number of Ottoman citizens from different ethnic and religious backgrounds endured great suffering, leaving deep scars in their memories. They had all lived together for centuries in peace and harmony.

As descendants of nations with different ethnic and religious origins who endured these sufferings amid the conditions of the First World War, we understand what the Armenians feel. We remember with respect the innocent Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives and offer our deep condolences to their descendants.

It is both a historical and humane duty for Turkey to uphold the memory of Ottoman Armenians and the Armenian cultural heritage.

With this in mind, a religious ceremony will be held by the Armenian Patriarchate on 24 April this year and Ottoman Armenians will be remembered in Turkey, just as they will be across the world.

On this day, it would have been much more meaningful if Turkey and Armenia had been able to commemorate Ottoman Armenians together with a ceremony that befits both nations. This is what our President, Mr.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated in his message on 23rd of April 2014, when the was the Prime Minister.

We believe that when history is no longer exploited for political purposes, such a mature and morally sound outcome can be attained.

Ancient Anatolian civilization teaches us to stand up for our history, to remember both our joys and pains, to heal our wounds collectively and to look to the future together.

As I declared in my message on 20 January 2015, on the anniversary of the passing away of Hrant Dink, “two ancient nations can demonstrate the wisdom to understand each other and to contemplate a future together”.

As a consequence of our historical responsibilities and humane mission, and without making any distinction among those who suffered, we respectfully remember today all those who lost their lives in those events that transpired a century ago.

We also believe that, in order to ease the ongoing suffering, it is just as important to face the past with honestly, as it is to remember the deceased.

It is possible to establish the causes of what happened in World War One and those who were responsible for it.

However, laying all blame - through generalizations - on the Turkish nation by reducing everything to one word and to compound this with hate speech is both morally and legally problematic.

The scars left by the exile and massacres that Turkish and Muslim Ottomans were subjected to a century ago are still vivid in our minds today.

To ignore this fact and discriminate between pains suffered is as questionable historically as it is mistaken morally.

Indeed, recent years have shown that nothing can be achieved by trying to impose conflicting narratives upon one another.

In this context, the memories and convictions of all Ottoman citizens must be heard and respected.

To reach the truth, it is sufficient to attain a just memory, empathy, respectful language and a reasonable and objective way of looking at things.

In Turkey, every viewpoint is freely expressed and openly debated. Documents and knowledge of every kind can be investigated. By providing these means, Turkey is taking significant and positive steps towards the building of a common future.

As descendants of two ancient peoples who a hundred years ago shared the same destiny whether in joy or in sorrow, our common responsibility and calling today is to heal century old wounds and re-establish our human ties once again.

Turkey will not remain indifferent to this responsibility and will continue to do its utmost for friendship and peace.

As such, we are calling on all third parties to adopt an approach based on just memory and a common peaceful future, rather than aggravating age old wounds.

It is with these feelings and thoughts that we once more commemorate with deep respect the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during the relocation in 1915 and we share in the grief of their children and grandchildren.
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White House | “a full, frank and just acknowledgment”

April 22, 2015, 10:08 am
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Mavi Boncuk |
WASHINGTON — The White House urged on Tuesday “a full, frank and just acknowledgment” of the Armenian genocide a century after the deaths of as many as 1.5 million people, but once again refused to use the word genocide.

Although President Obama vowed during his 2008 campaign to use the term once he got to the White House, he has consistently not followed through in the six years since he took office out of concern about angering Turkey, a NATO ally that has long rejected the description.

The president’s continued resistance to the word stood in contrast to a stance by Pope Francis, who recently called the massacres “the first genocide of the 20th century” and equated them to mass killings by the Nazis and Soviets. The European Parliament, which first recognized the genocide in 1987, passed a resolution last week calling on Turkey to “come to terms with its past.”


Turkish Premier Says European Stance on Armenian Genocide Reflects Racism
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged Europe to look in its own backyard after the European Parliament asked Turkey to recognize mass killings of Armenians as genocide.APRIL 17, 2015

Armenians and others will observe the 100th anniversary of the start of the genocide on Friday, and many had hoped that Mr. Obama would finally fulfill his promise. The Ottoman Turks ordered the roundup and deportation of Christian Armenians, resulting in wholesale deaths, out of fear that they would align themselves with the Russian enemy during World War I.

The Turkish government has denied that the killings amounted to genocide, arguing that many people were killed in a time of war, including Turks.

Mr. Obama announced on Tuesday that he would send his Treasury secretary, Jacob J. Lew, to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, to commemorate the anniversary. Two top presidential aides — Denis McDonough, Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, and Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser — met on Tuesday with leaders from the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America.

“They pledged that the United States will use the occasion to urge a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts that we believe is in the interest of all parties,” the White House said in a statement after the meeting.

Susan E. Rice, the president’s national security adviser, met separately with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu of Turkey and, according to another statement, urged “an open and frank dialogue in Turkey about the atrocities of 1915.”

Armenian leaders and their congressional allies expressed disappointment with Mr. Obama. “His failure to use the term genocide represents a major blow for human rights advocates,” said Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America.

Ken Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, said the president had succumbed to foreign pressure. “President Obama’s surrender to Turkey represents a national disgrace,” he said. “It is, very simply, a betrayal of truth, a betrayal of trust.”

While running for president, Mr. Obama criticized President George W. Bush’s administration for recalling an ambassador who used the word genocide, and as a senator, he supported a measure using the word. “The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact,” Mr. Obama said in a statement on Jan. 19, 2008.

Members of both parties have introduced resolutions commemorating the anniversary. Such measures have provoked angry responses from Turkey, an ally that Washington wants to play a larger role in the battle against the Islamic State group in Syria.
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The White House | Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day

April 22, 2015, 10:11 am
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Mavi Boncuk |

The White House | Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 24, 2014

Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day

Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor those who perished in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.  We recall the horror of what happened ninety-nine years ago, when 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, and we grieve for the lives lost and the suffering endured by those men, women, and children.   We are joined in solemn commemoration by millions in the United States and across the world.   In so doing, we remind ourselves of our shared commitment to ensure that such dark chapters of human history are never again repeated.

I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed.  A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests.  Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past.  We continue to learn this lesson in the United States, as we strive to reconcile some of the darkest moments in our own history.   We recognize and commend the growing number of courageous Armenians and Turks who have already taken this path, and encourage more to do so, with the backing of their governments, and mine.  And we recall with pride the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the American Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief, funded by donations from Americans, which saved the lives of countless Armenians and others from vulnerable communities displaced in 1915.

As we honor through remembrance those Armenian lives that were unjustly taken in 1915, we are inspired by the extraordinary courage and great resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of such tremendous adversity and suffering.  I applaud the countless contributions that Armenian-Americans have made to American society, culture, and communities.  We share a common commitment to supporting the Armenian people as they work to build a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous nation. 

Today, our thoughts and prayers are with Armenians everywhere, as we recall the horror of the Meds Yeghern, honor the memory of those lost, and reaffirm our enduring commitment to the people of Armenia and to the principle that such atrocities must always be remembered if we are to prevent them from occurring ever again.
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Pan Armenian Decleration

April 22, 2015, 10:26 am
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Mavi Boncuk | PAN-ARMENIAN DECLARATION ON THE CENTENNIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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The State Commission on the Coordination of Events Dedicated to the
100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, in consultation with its
regional committees in the Diaspora,
-expressing the united will of the Armenian people,
-based on the Declaration of Independence of Armenia of 23 August 1990
and the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,
-recalling the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of
10 December 1948, whereby recognition of the inherent dignity and of
the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
-guided by the respective principles and provisions of the United Nations
General Assembly Resolution 96(1) of 11 December 1946, the United Nations
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
of 9 December 1948, the United Nations Convention on the NonApplicability
of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against
Humanity of 26 November 1968, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights of 16 December 1966 as well as all the other international
documents on human rights,
-taking into consideration that while adopting the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the United Nations
specifically underlined the importance of international cooperation in the
struggle against that criminal offence,
-emphasizing the inadmissibility of impunity of the constituent elements
of the crime of genocide and the non-applicability of statutory limitation
thereto,
-condemning the genocidal acts against the Armenian people, planned and
continuously perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and various regimes
of Turkey in 1894-1923, dispossession of the homeland, the massacres and
ethnic cleansing aimed at the extermination of the Armenian population,
the destruction of the Armenian heritage, as well as the denial of the 
Genocide, all attempts to avoid responsibility, to consign to oblivion
the committed crimes and their consequences or to justify them, as a
continuation of this crime and encouragement to commit new genocides,
- also considering the 1919-1921 verdicts of the courts-martial of the
Ottoman Empire on that grave crime perpetrated “against the law and
humanity’’ as a legal assessment of the fact,
- appreciating the joint declaration of the Allied Powers on May 24, 1915,
for the first time in history defining the most heinous crime perpetrated
against the Armenian people as a “crime against humanity and civilization”
and emphasizing the necessity of holding Ottoman authorities responsible,
as well as the role and significance of the Sevres Peace Treaty of 10 August
1920 and US President Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award of 22 November
1920 in overcoming the consequences of the Armenian Genocide:
1. Commemorates one-and-a-half million innocent victims of the Armenian
Genocide and bows in gratitude before those martyred and surviving
heroes who struggled for their lives and human dignity.
2. Reiterates the commitment of Armenia and the Armenian people to
continue the international struggle for the prevention of genocides,
the restoration of the rights of people subjected to genocide and the
establishment of historical justice.
3. Expresses gratitude to those states and international, religious and nongovernmental
organizations that had political courage to recognize and
condemn the Armenian Genocide as a heinous crime against humanity
and even today continue to undertake legal measures to that end, also
preventing the dangerous manifestations of denialism.
4. Expresses gratitude to those nations, institutions and individuals,
who often endangering their lives, provided multifaceted humanitarian
assistance and rescued many Armenians facing the threat of total
annihilation, created safe and peaceful conditions for the survivors of the
Armenian Genocide, thus promoting orphan care and the international
Armenophile movement.
5. Appeals to UN member states, international organizations, all people of
good will, regardless of their ethnic origin and religious affiliation, to unite
their efforts aimed at restoring historical justice and paying tribute to the
memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
6. Expresses the united will of Armenia and the Armenian people to
achieve worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the
elimination of the consequences of the Genocide, preparing to this end
a file of legal claims as a point of departure in the process of restoring
individual, communal and pan-Armenian rights and legitimate interests. 
7. Condemns the illegal blockade of the Republic of Armenia imposed by
the Republic of Turkey, its anti-Armenian stance in international fora
and the imposition of preconditions in the normalization of interstate
relations, considering this a consequence of the continued impunity of the
Armenian Genocide, Meds Yeghern.
8. Calls upon the Republic of Turkey to recognize and condemn the
Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire, and to face its
own history and memory through commemorating the victims of that
heinous crime against humanity and renouncing the policy of falsification,
denialsm and banalizations of this indisputable fact. Supports those
segments of Turkish civil society whose representatives nowadays dare to
speak out against the official position of the authorities.
9. Expresses the hope that recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide by Turkey will serve as a starting point for the historical
reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples.
10. Proudly notes that during the last century the Armenian people, having
survived the Genocide,
- demonstrated an unbending will and national self-consciousness and
restored its sovereign statehood, lost centuries ago,
- preserved and developed national values, achieved the renaissance
of their national culture, science and education, bringing its unique
contribution to the development of world heritage,
- established a powerful and effective network of religious and
secular institutions in the Armenian Diaspora, thus contributing to
the preservation of their Armenian identity in Armenian communities
worldwide, the shaping of a respected and esteemed image of the
Armenian, and the protection of the legitimate rights of the Armenian
people,
- united and restored the national gene pool that was facing extermination
as a result of the Genocide, through a pan-Armenian cooperation and
extensive repatriation program,
- made its valuable contribution to international peace and security during
the First and the Second World Wars and won glorious victories in the
heroic battle of Sardarapat and the Artsakh war.
11. Considers the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide an
important milestone in the ongoing struggle for historical justice under
the motto “I remember and demand”.
12. Calls upon the coming generations of Armenians to protect their sacred
native heritage with patriotism, consciousness and intellect and resolutely
struggle and serve for: 
- a stronger Homeland, free and democratic Republic of Armenia,
- the progress and strengthening of independent Artsakh,
- the efficient unity of Armenians worldwide,
- the realization of the centuries-old sacrosanct goals of all Armenians.
29 january 2015, Yerevan, Armenia
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Great War | Before and After

April 22, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Advertising | Başkanın Portakal Suyu.

April 23, 2015, 6:35 am
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Mavi Boncuk | Doğanay Sıkma Portakal - Başkanın Portakal Suyu.
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Word Origin | Kin, Nefret, Garaz, Hınç, Öfke, Intikam, Acı

April 23, 2015, 7:27 am
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Mavi Boncuk |
Kin:  grudge[1] n. also: garez, hınç); kin [ Atebet-ül Hakayık,  1200]; kīne [ Mukaddimetü'l-Edeb,  1300] ḥased ḳılıştılar, kīneleştiler
from Persian kīn كين garaz, düşmanlık    oldPersian kēn kan davası, öç = Avesta kaēnā- kan bedeli    indoE *kʷoi-nā-   indoE *kʷei-1 kan bedeli ödemek, kan davası gütmek
oldGR poinā (kan bedeli, kısas, cereme) Latin poena (ceza) EN punish, penal [5]. penaltı TR. Not to be confused with English word Kin [6].

Similar: kindar, kinlenmek

Nefret: TR; hate[2], hatred EN
[ Seyf-i Sarayî, Gülistan tercümesi, 1391]
"kaçınma, uzak durma" [ Evliya Çelebi, Seyahatname, 1680]
şehir halkı «bunlar taˁūnlu şehirden gelmişlerdir» deyü sizlerden nefret edüp ac u zāc kalırsız[ Meninski, Thesaurus, 1680]

(...) Usit. pro nefr: Aversio, fuga, abominatio [kullanımda nefr yerine, kaçınma, tiksinme].  from Arabic nafra ͭ نفرة  [#nfr faˁlaͭ msd.] ürküp kaçışma, panik, kaçışan güruh   Ar nafara نفر ürktü, ürküp kaçtı.  Derivative nefer. Similar: menfur

Garaz: bgaraz [ Aşık Paşa, Garib-name, 1330] [ Meninski, Thesaurus, 1680]
ğaraz: scopus sagittariorum [okçu hedefi] & intentio, propositum [maksat, niyet] & item machinatio, passio animi, mala intentio, malignus affectus, odium, malevolentia [içten pazarlık, kötü niyet, nefret].
from Arabic ġaraḍ غرض  [#ġrḍ faˁal ] 1. ok hedefi, 2. amaç, kasıt, özellikle gizli kasıt = Ar ġariḍa özledi, arzuladı, yokluğunu hissetti, elem duydu
Turkish use is in a negative sense.

Hınç: rage[3][ Ahmet Vefik Paşa, Lugat-ı Osmani, 1876] χınc. Esvattan [onomatope]. χıncāχınc: dopdolu.
hınç "öfke" [ Cumhuriyet - gazete, 1930]
halk kitleleri hınç ve intikamlarını almak istedikleri diktatörü ortada göremediklerinden
from Persian χanc خنج hırıltı, feryat, orgazm nidası
Not: 20. yy başlarında zuhur eden "öfke" anlamının kaynağı açık değildir.
Similar: hıncahınç Persian *χanc ā χanc خنج آ خنج bağırış çığırış from persian χanc feryat, özellikle orgazm çığlığı

Öfke:  rage EN [3] ("act in an angry manner"); anger ("A strong feeling of displeasure, hostility or antagonism towards someone or something").
ETü: [ Irk Bitig,  900]
oglı ögintä kaŋınta öbkäläpän täzipän barmış [oğul anasına babasına öfkelenip kaçıp gitmiş]ETü: öpke "1. akciğer, 2. öfke, kızgınlık" [ Divan-i Lugat-it Türk, 1070] KTü: [ Codex Cumanicus, 1300] Opcha & öpkä: ira. Opchalarmen: irascor [öfkelenirim].  oldTR öbke kızgınlık
Similar: öfkelenmek, öfkelendirmek, öfkeli

Intikam:  vengeance [4] EN[ Aşık Paşa, Garib-name, 1330]
 from Arabic intiḳām إنتقام  [#nḳm infiˁāl VII msd.] öç alma, öç   Ar naḳama نقم öç aldı, hınç duydu
öç OldTü: öç/ööç "kin, intikam" [ Uygurca metinler,  1000] oldTR öç   AsianTR höç 

Acı: pain EN [7];oldTR: açığ "1. acı tad, 2. ağrı, sancı" [ Uygurca metinler, oldTR āçığ ETü āçı- acımak +Ig → acı- 
Similar: acılaşmak, acılı, acımık, acımtırak, acısız

[1] grudge (v.) mid-15c., "to murmur, complain," variant of grutch. Meaning "to begrudge" is c. 1500. Related: Grudged; grudges; grudging; grudgingly. The noun is mid-15c., from the verb.

[2] hate (v.)  Old English hatian "to hate," from Proto-Germanic *haton (cognates: Old Saxon haton, Old Norse hata, German hassen, Gothic hatan "to hate"), from PIE root *kad- "sorrow, hatred" (cognates: Avestansadra- "grief, sorrow, calamity," Greek kedos "care, trouble, sorrow," Welsh cas "pain, anger"). Related: Hated; hating. French haine (n.), hair (v.) are Germanic. Hate crime attested from 1988. 

hate (n.)  hete "hatred, spite," from Proto-Germanic *hatis- (cognates: Old Norse hattr, Old Frisian hat, Dutch haat, Old High German has, German Hass, Gothic hatis; see hate (v.)). Altered in Middle English to conform with the verb. Hate mail is first attested 1967. 

odium (n.)  c. 1600, "fact of being hated," from Latin odium "ill-will, hatred, grudge, animosity; offense, offensive conduct," related to odi "I hate" (infinitive odisse), from PIE root *od- "to hate" (cognates: Armenianateam "I hate," Old Norse atall, Old English atol "dire, horrid, loathsome"). Meaning "hatred, detestation" is from 1650s. Often in an extended form, such as odium theologicum "hatred which is proverbially characteristic of theological disputes" (1670s). 

[3] rage (n.) c. 1300, "madness, insanity; fit of frenzy; anger, wrath; fierceness in battle; violence of storm, fire, etc.," from Old French rage, raige "spirit, passion, rage, fury, madness" (11c.), from Medieval Latin rabia, from Latin rabies "madness, rage, fury," related to rabere "be mad, rave" (compare rabies, which originally had this sense), from PIE *rebh- "violent, impetuous" (cognates: Old English rabbian "to rage"). Similarly, Welsh (cynddaredd) and Breton (kounnar) words for "rage, fury" originally meant "hydrophobia" and are compounds based on the word for "dog" (Welsh ci, plural cwn; Breton ki). In 15c.-16c. it also could mean "rabies." The rage "fashion, vogue" dates from 1785. 

rage (v.) mid-13c., "to play, romp," from rage (n.). Meanings "be furious; speak passionately; go mad" first recorded c. 1300. Of things from 1530s. Related: Raged; raging. 

furor (n.) "rage, madness, angry mania," late 15c., from Middle French fureur (12c.), from Latin furor "a ravaging, rage, madness, passion," which is related to furia "rage, passion, fury" 

[4] vengeance (n.) c. 1300, from Anglo-French vengeaunce, Old French vengeance, venjance "revenge, retribution" (12c.), from vengier "take revenge," from Latin vindicare "assert a claim, claim as one's own; avenge, punish" (see vindicate). Vengeance is mine, ... saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. [Paul to the Romans, xii:19-20] 

vendetta (n.)  "a private war in which a kinsman wreaks vengeance on the slayer of a relative," 1846, from Italian vendetta "a feud, blood feud," from Latin vindicta "vengeance, revenge" (see vindictive). Especially associated with Corsica. 

[5] penal (adj.)  "pertaining to punishment," mid-15c., from Old French peinal (12c., Modern French pénal) and directly from Medieval Latin penalis, from Latin poenalis "pertaining to punishment," from poena "punishment," from Greek poine "blood-money, fine, penalty, punishment," from PIE *kwoina, from root *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (cognates: Greek time "price, worth, honor, esteem, respect," tinein "to pay a price, punish, take vengeance;" Sanskrit cinoti "observes, notes;" Avestan kaena "punishment, vengeance;" Old Church Slavonic cena "honor, price;" Lithuanian kaina "value, price").

[6] Kin: From Middle English kin, kyn, ken, kun, from Old English cynn (“kind, sort, rank, quality, family, generation, offspring, pedigree, kin, race, people, gender, sex, propriety, etiquette”), from Proto-Germanic *kunją(“race, generation, descent”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to produce”). Cognate with Scots kin (“relatives, kinfolk”), North Frisian kinn, kenn (“gender, race, family, kinship”), Dutch kunne (“gender, sex”), Middle Low German kunne (“gender, sex, race, family, lineage”), German Künne, Kunne (“kin, kind, race”), Danish køn (“gender, sex”), Swedish kön (“gender, sex”), Icelandic kyn (“gender”), and through Indo-European, with Latin genus (“kind, sort, ancestry, birth”), Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “kind, race”), Albanian dhen (“(herd of) small cattle”).

[7] Pain: Late 13c., "punishment," especially for a crime; also "condition one feels when hurt, opposite of pleasure," from Old French peine "difficulty, woe, suffering, punishment, Hell's torments" (11c.), from Latin poena "punishment, penalty, retribution, indemnification" (in Late Latin also "torment, hardship, suffering"), from Greek poine "retribution, penalty, quit-money for spilled blood," from PIE *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (see penal). The earliest sense in English survives in phrase on pain of death.


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Book | Gallipoli 1915: The Case of Frank Coffee

April 23, 2015, 8:32 am
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Serviceman: COFFEE, Frank Matthew Serv no. - b 11 April 1887 – Willoughby NSW (12877) d 18 November 1915


Gallipoli 1915 and the Story of Frank Matthew Coffee.

Mavi Boncuk | 

A book written by Bülent Günal, compiled from 100 Vatican documents, focuses on the story of young ANZAC lieutenant and underscores the favorable attitude of the Turks for their enemies at the time of the Battle of Gallipoli

Journalist and author Bülent Günal recently wrote a book titled "Çanakkale 1915: Vatikan Gizli Arşiv Belgeleri Işığında Frank Coffee Vakası" (Gallipoli 1915: The Case of Frank Coffee in Light of Secret Vatican Archives) with a focus on the humanitarian side of the Battle of Gallipoli. Published by Kültür A.Ş. to mark the centenary of World War I, the book was inspired by the true story of a young ANZAC lieutenant and was written after secret Vatican documents were released thanks to the efforts of Rinaldo Marmara, the press secretary of Turkey's Catholic Bishops Conference and Cultural Attaché, who worked to uncover for them for three years.

The book opens with historical documents that feature the correspondences between the Vatican, which was closely following the war, and its Istanbul representative, Monsieur Dolci. It then picks up momentum by featuring the family's letters to Pope Benedict XV that pleaded with him to find where lost soldiers were buried.

Amid the chaos of war, Ottoman War Minister Enver Pasha paid particular attention to graves and ordered the generals to respect them, and even directly told soldiers to take care of them. Upon the request of English, French and Austrian families, the graves of dead soldiers were searched for. 

The report of Monsieur Dolci to Roman Catholic Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, dated April 4, 1916, gives detailed information about the cardinal's meeting with Enver Pasha. Dolci first wrote about his talk with Enver Pasha and then the pasha's response. Some of the translated accounts include:

"The military priests have confirmed that War Minister Enver Pasha gave the order with this intention. I am well-aware of his noble and heroic feelings; even though he has many responsibilities, he was ordering his generals to protect these sacred graves from the early days of the war."

"The minister drew my attention to his strict orders to take the necessary precautions, and immediately bounded the cemetery areas with iron wires as well as restricted anyone from harming the graves, as much as the war conditions allowed."

"He said if any of them were damaged, it was probably because of the howitzers of enemy ships hitting the graves, adding he even saw such an incident in a war zone. Honestly, I was also informed about this case. Shells damaged some of the graves inside the cemeteries, but when the firing ended, [Turkish] soldiers immediately intervened and returned them to their normal condition upon the order of Enver Pasha." 

Count von Lüttichau of the German General Staff, who was a Protestant military chaplain, wrote in 1996 about the conditions of the graves of English and French soldiers who died in Gallipoli. The original name of his work, "Bericht über den Befund der Gräber der französischen und englischen Gefallenen auf Gallipoli, Konstantinopel, Kaiserlicher Botschaftsprediger und Marinefeldgeistlicher" (Report on the findings of the graves of the French and English who died at Gallipoli, Constantinople by the imperial embassy's priest and navy chaplain). Von Lüttichau also described how Turkish soldiers took care of the graves. 

The story of the ANZAC lieutenant, Frank Matthew Coffee, stands out among all the letters featured in the book, and it has a special section about the case of Coffee who died after shrapnel struck his heart on Nov. 19, 1915. His unfortunate story began with the letter by his father who heard the tragic news in Sydney, far away from the war. His father wrote a letter to the Vatican to find his son's grave and send his body to his homeland in order to hold a funeral. Coffee's efforts took almost four years; Yungels, the head of the Ottoman Army Medical Department and the chief of staff of the mobile military hospital, sent a letter to Dolci on June 28, 1918 and suggested that Coffee's grave might have been damaged due to the bombardment. In his letter to Gasparri, dated June 17, 1920, Dolci said that he had received the record and photographs of Coffee's grave. Another piece, dated Oct. 5, 1920, reported that his body was not transferred and was left next to other soldiers in Gallipoli.



The case of Coffee presents another question: Was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk aware of this incident? Did he know about the abovementioned letters or the search for the young lieutenant's grave? These questions are also addressed in the book, and Atatürk's statement that was delivered during the commemorations of the Battle of Gallipoli on March 18, 1934 is discussed as well.

"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side-by-side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers who sent your sons to far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."
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No Stamp of Approval

April 23, 2015, 8:35 am
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Mavi Boncuk | 

 Embassy of Palestine in Azerbaijan issued a statement on publication of a postage stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of "Armenian genocide" in Palestine in some media agencies. 

Report informs, the embassy said in a statement that it was not a real postage stamp and Palestine does not have a formal postage stamp in that form reflected there. According to the diplomatic corps, the Palestinian government and people has very strong and special ties with Turkish people and Palestine cannot take such a step which can cause to the deterioration of its relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
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Bad Logic | Save by Objecting Development

April 23, 2015, 10:22 am
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Mavi Boncuk | Dorsay Article 1 | Dorsay Article 2


Batililasma Dönemi Istanbul'unda hanlar ve pasajlar (ITO PDF Link)| Commercial Buildings and Passages of Istanbul during the Westernization Period.
by Dr. NURSEL GÜLENAZ.

Istanbul Ticaret Odasi Publication, Istanbul, 2012. Soft cover. 9¾ - 12" tall. Paperback.269 pgs.
In Turkish and English summary. Color and b/w illustrations.

Published by Istanbul Ticaret Odasi

ISBN 10: 9944608688  | ISBN 13: 9789944608688

Alternate PDF Link

See also: Zeyrek, Fatih İstanbul'un Tarihi Yarımadası by Nursel Gülenaz/ İnci Tüysüz (2011) 144 pgs. Published by Remzi 
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1366 | Gallipoli

April 23, 2015, 12:15 pm
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The Savoyard [1] crusade (1366–67) was born out of the same planning that led to the Alexandrian Crusade. It was the brainchild of Pope Urban V and was led by Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, against the Ottoman Empire in eastern Europe. Although originally intended as a collaboration with the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine Empire, the crusade was diverted to attack the Second Bulgarian Empire, where it made small gains that it handed over to the Byzantines. 

It made small gains against the Ottomans in the vicinity of Constantinople and on Gallipoli. Noting the greater attention paid to Bulgaria than to the Turks, historian Nicolae Iorga argued "it was not the same thing as a crusade, this expedition that better resembled an escapade."

Yet the taking of Gallipoli, according to Oskar Halecki, was "the first success achieved by the Christians in their struggle for the defense of Europe, and at the same time the last great Christian victory [over the Turks] during all the fourteenth century." 

Mavi Boncuk | 
Detail of a fresco on the walls of a hall in the bishop's palace at Colle Val d'Elsa. Under the knight on the left appears the legend: "C di Savoi" [not visible]. The fresco portrays the departure of barons on a crusade and some of their exploits against the infidel. The artist is unknown.


Although the crusaders were hoping for assistance from John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor, the pope had made it dependent on his bringing the Greek Orthodox Church back into communion with the Roman Catholic Church—and under papal supremacy—even though it was the Byzantine empire that the crusade was seeking to relieve from Turkish pressure.

The crusaders also expected support from Louis of Hungary, although all that was ever received was two royal squire who served Amadeus "in the Bulgarian provinces" (in partibus Burgarie).

In the spring of 1366, John V travelled to the Hungarian court to accept military aid and swear an oath on behalf of himself and his sons to convert to Catholicism. On 1 July Pope Urban had extended to Louis the Crusade indulgence, but on 22 July a letter from the pope suspended the privileges granted earlier that month for one year, postponing assistance to the Greeks until after their return to the Catholic fold and convincing Louis not to assist the "schismatic", although the pope had not expressly forbid him to.

On his return through Bulgaria, so recently attacked by his would-be ally, John found himself trapped, either imprisoned or surrounded by Bulgarian forces, and unable to continue to his own domain, where his son, Andronicus IV, married to Keratsa, daughter of the Bulgarian tsar, had taken control of the government. Amadeus and John V were first cousins, John's mother, Anna, was the sister of Amadeus's father, Aymon.

After being apprised of the situation in Bulgaria and of the Turkish positions in Europe, Amadeus led his fleet into the Dardanelles, where it was joined by a flotilla under Francesco I Gattilusio, Prince of Lesbos, and son-in-law of the trapped emperor. They may also have been met by a detachment of the Byzantine army under the Patriarch of Constantinople, as the Savoyard chronicles record. The combined crusader fleet launched an attack on Gelibolu (Gallipoli), the second city of the European Turks, on 22 August. While the army began the siege with an assault on the walls, during the night the Turks abandoned the city and in the morning the inhabitants opened the gates to the crusaders.

The sources shed limited light on this brief episode. It is known from the count's register that both town and citadel were in Savoyard hands by 26 August, and garrisons and commanders were appointed for each—Giacomo di Luserna for the city and Aimone Michaele for the citadel, with responsibility for not just defending Gelibolu but also for guarding the entrance to the straits. On 27 August a messenger was sent westward with news of the count's "first and most famous victory against the heathen Turks".

The chronicles explain the rapid success by the Turkish retreat, but it is also known that on 12 September, at Beyoğlu (Pera) in Constantinople, the count was preparing the funerals of several of his men who died in the attack on Gelibolu. Simon de Saint-Amour and Roland de Veissy, both knights of the Collar, had been killed, and the count's bursar, Antoine Barbier had purchased eighteen escutcheons bearing the "device of the Collar" (devisa collarium) for their funeral, while eighty-one wax torches and alms were paid for the burial of Girard Mareschal from Savoy and Jean d'Yverdon from the Vaudois.

A large storm in the Sea of Marmora initially prevented the remainder of the crusade from leaving Gelibolu, but by 4 September they had arrived by sea at Constantinople. The fleet landed at Beyoğlu (Pera), the Genoese quarter where most of his men stayed, although some took lodgings in Galata, the borgo de Veneciis (Venetian quarter), and Amadeus himself purchased a house in the city proper, which he had to furnish. Besides the cost of furniture and funerals, the count had to pay his interpreter Paulo three months' wages.

[1] Savoy (/səˈvɔɪ/;[2] Arpitan: Savouè, IPA: [saˈvwɛ]; French: Savoie, IPA: [savwa]; Italian: Savoia) is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps between Lake Geneva in the north and Dauphiné in the south. The region occupied by the Allobroges, a Celtic people became part of the Roman Empire. The name Savoy stems from the Late Latin Sapaudia, referring to a fir forest. 

The historical land of Savoy emerged as the feudal territory of the House of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern republics of France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Installed by Rudolph III, King of Burgundy, officially in 1003, the House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe.[3] It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1714.


The territory of Savoy was annexed to France in 1792 under the French First Republic, before being returned to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1815. Savoy, along with the county of Nice, was finally annexed to France by a plebiscite, under the Second French Empire in 1860, as part of a political agreement (Treaty of Turin) brokered between the French emperor Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel II of the Kingdom of Sardinia that began the process of unification of Italy. Victor Emmanuel's dynasty, the House of Savoy, retained its Italian lands of Piedmont and Liguria and became the ruling dynasty of Italy.

Several subdialects of Savoyard exist that exhibit unique features in terms of phonetics and vocabulary. Among them, many words have to do with the weather: bacan (French: temps mauvais); coussie (French: tempête); royé (French: averse); ni[v]ole (French: nuage); ...and, the environment: clapia, perrier (French: éboulis); égra (French: sorte d'escalier de pierre); balme (French: grotte); tova (French: tourbière); and lanche (French: champ en pente).
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Book | Spotlight on Turkey: Continuity and Change: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum.

April 24, 2015, 7:01 am
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Mavi Boncuk | DOWNLOAD PDF Spotlight on Turkey_Interdiciplinary Curriculum 1992 (16.8 MB)

Spotlight on Turkey: Continuity and Change. 
An Interdisciplinary Curriculum.
Arkin, Linda, Ed.; Greenberg, Hazel Sara; Barasch, Abby, Ed.

This resource guide provides background and source material about the Turkey for secondary teachers and students. In addition to suggested classroom activities, there are background readings and notes for the teachers that can be used for enrichment lessons with students. Each chapter views a single question from multiple perspectives. The six chapters focus on: 
(1) "Who Are the Turks?"; 
(2) "Is Turkey a Bridge between East and West?"; 
(3) "How Do the Turks Express Themselves in Music, Art and Literature?"; 
(4) "How Did the Turks Create a Tolerant Community?"; 
(5) "What Is Daily Life among the Turks?"; and 
(6) "How is Twentieth Century Leadership a 'Lens' for Change?" 

The volume concludes with a description of the accompanying slides, a 50-item select bibliography, and 14 end notes. 

Descriptors: Area Studies, Cultural Awareness, Culture, Foreign Countries, Interdisciplinary Approach, Middle Eastern History, Middle Eastern Studies, Multicultural Education, Non Western Civilization, Secondary Education, Social Change, Social Studies, World History

American Forum for Global Education, 45 John Street, Suite 908, New York, NY 10038; telephone: 212-732-8606 
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Anti-Westernism on the European Periphery: The Meaning of Soviet-Turkish Convergence in the 1930s

April 24, 2015, 7:16 am
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Mavi Boncuk |

Anti-Westernism on the European Periphery: The Meaning of Soviet-Turkish Convergence in the 1930s
Samuel J. Hirst
Slavic Review

Vol. 72, No. 1 (SPRING 2013), pp. 32-53

PDF LINK

[1] Samuel J Hirst is Assistant Professor of History at the European University at St. Petersburg. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (2012) and a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis (2004). He writes and teaches about Russia, Turkey, and a broader Eurasia. His work has been published in Slavic Review and Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to joining the department in St. Petersburg, he taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania, The College of New Jersey, and Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan.

University webpage (русская версия)
Curriculum Vitae

Contact:
sjh@notesfromeurasia.com
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Chiles’ Global Warming

April 24, 2015, 7:31 am
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Chiles’ Global Warming by Deana Sidney[1]
Can you imagine a world without salsa? Or Tabasco sauce, harissa, sriracha, paprika or chili powder?
Mavi Boncuk |


Aramco LINK

PDF from Mavi Boncuk Archives


  • [1] Deana Sidney (deanasidney[at]gmail[dot]com) is a New York film production designer who also writes about food, style and history and regularly attends the Oxford Food Symposium. Readers of her blog “Lost Past Remembered” often come for the recipes and stay for the stories.


Also from Mavi Boncuk
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Cumhuriyet on the Ashes of an Armenian Printing House

April 24, 2015, 8:01 am
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Mavi Boncuk |
This is the front page of Cumhuriyet todat. In Turkish and Armenian "Never Again".

There is a back story in this.

Cumhuriyet newspaper did rise on the ashes of an Armenian printing house, a major publisher of the ottoman era. How and why is not obscure. Let's leave it to your imagination. However a few words are in order. Abandoned Armenian property called Emval-i Metruke(Terkedilmiş Mallar). Now we can read more about it.[1]



Read aboutAgop Matosyan Matbaası


Rakel Dink, 91 yıllık tarihinde ilk kez ‘Bir daha asla‘ anlamına gelen Ermenice manşetle çıkan Cumhuriyet gazetesine ‘Ermeni soykırımı‘nın 100. yıldönümünde çarpıcı bir yazı kaleme aldı.

Bu yazıyı okuduğunuz gün 24 Nisan. Ağır ve çok acılı bir yas günü. Bugün sizler için kendi hikâyemi Tanrı’nın yardımıyla kısaca yazmaya çalışacağım.

1959’da şimdi Şırnak’a bağlı olan Ermeni Varto Aşireti’nde doğdum. Adı şimdi Yolağzı Köyü olarak değişmiştir. Varto, babamın dedesinin adı, Vartan’dan gelir. Büyük dede Vartan zamanında Van’dan gelmiş oraya. Cudi Dağı’nın güney eteğinde bulunur. Irak ve Suriye sınırına yakın. Cudi Dağı bizim oradan bakarken çok heybetlidir. Bize komşu Hasana köyünden ise kanatlarını üzerine germiş gibi görünür. Şimdi ise ne Hasana Köyü ne de Ermeni Varto Aşireti var. 1915’te yok etme fermanı gelir. Bizde Kürtçe “Fermana Me Xatibi” derlerdi. Bizimkiler bu fermandan “Tayanlar” olarak bildiğimiz Arap Müslüman bir aşiretin yardımıyla Cudi’nin içinde, yükseklerdeki kaya kovuklarında, mağaralarda uzun yıllar saklanarak hayatta kalmışlar. “Cudi bir azizin adı. Mesih onun adı hatrına bizi sakladı” derler. Hatta efsane olmuştur; o zamanki mağaralar aslında yokmuş…

Kurt mu yedi kuş mu?

1915’te kaçarlarken akrabalardan birinin yeni doğmuş ağlayan çocuğu susturulamaz. Kayınvalide “Siz yürüyün, biraz bana ver kızım onu” diyerek alır ve Ben telaffuz edemiyorum, siz tahmin edin. Bebek anneannemin ablasının çocuğu. Başka biri kız çocuğunu artık taşıyamamış ve gözünü bağlayarak bir ağacın altına koymuşlar. Eline bir kuru ekmek parçası tutuşturmuşlar. Gözlerini bağlamışlar ki bir zarar gördüğünde korkmasın. Her anlattıklarında “Kurt mu yedi, kuş mu” der ağlarlar. Kim bilir? Belki bir yerlerde birinizin anneannesidir…

Babam Siyament’in soyadı Vartanyan iken Soyadı Kanunu’yla Yağbasan olmuş. Annem Delal. İkisi de becerikli, yaptıkları her işi en iyi şekilde yapan, cesur, dürüst insanlardı. Ekmeğini taştan çıkaran bu insanlar, kimsenin malına göz dikmediler, yalan solumadılar, her zaman hakkı, doğruyu, adaleti savundular. Zulme karşılık bile. Bize de kendilerinde olanı yaşayarak verdiler, öğrettiler. Annem 35 yaşında hastalandı. Ben sekiz yaşındaydım. Rahmete kavuştu. O yıl içinde bir grup hayırseverin yolu bizim köye de düştü. O zamanki Patriğimiz Şnork Srpazan’ın teşvikiyle Anadolu’daki köyleri gezip kılıç artıklarını buluyorlardı. Anadolu’da tek bir Ermeni okulu kalmadığı için yaşı okula uygun çocukları alıp İstanbul’a getirmekti amaçları. Hrant Güzelyan ve Orhan Yünkes, babamla birlikte 12 çocuğu İstanbul’a getirdiler. İkinci gruptuk biz. Dilimizi, dinimizi öğrenmemiz, eğitim almamız için yatılı okula yerleştirildik.

Babamız nöbet tutardı

Köydeyken çok geceler babalarımız nöbet tutardı. Köpekler ulurdu. Bir korku ruhu sanki gezinirdi. Tabii ki çocuklara hissettirmemeye çalışırlardı ama tavırlardan, kadınların fısır fısır durmadan dua etmelerinden sezer, tedirginliği görürdünüz. Farklı zamanlarda iki kere çobanlarımız öldürüldü. Geride son kalanların İstanbul’a göç etmesinden önceki hafta bir başka Hıristiyan köyü olan komşu Hasana Köyü’nden bir adamı öldürüp her bir parçasını bir tarafa atmışlardı. Korku gittikçe arttı. Babama kiracı olan komşu Dadar Köyü ağası sahte tapu icat edip mahkemeye vermişti babamı. Babam 40 yıl bu davaların, toprak keşiflerinin peşine düştü. Çok kez yaralandı, yoruldu ama vazgeçmedi. Babam 72 yaşında Brüksel’de, sizin deyiminizle “Diyaspora” olarak “toprak talebi” sürerken rahmete kavuştu. Dava hâlâ devam ediyor.

Haber görseli1978’de kamp yöneticimiz Güzelyan’ı vurdular. Yaralı kurtuldu. 1979’da Ermeni militan yetiştiriyor diye hapse attılar. İki çocuklu biz, yazları kampta yönetici olarak sorumluluk aldık. Hrant bir taraftan üniversitede öğrenci, bir taraftan da süren bir ekmek kavgası. 1986’da üçüncü çocuğumuz doğdu. Ve Tuzla Kampı’na el kondu. Bugün yıkık dökük duruyor. Keşke hayırlı bir amaç için kullansalardı. Alıp eski sahibine geri verdiler. Sonra kaç el değiştirmiş. Hiçbir sahibine hayır getirmedi.

Kışın İstanbul’da çocukların kaldıkları yerler ise o dönemde birer birer kapatıldı.

Bugün bu bilgi çağında aslında hiç kimsenin bilmiyorum demeye hakkı yok. Benim veya başkasının hayat hikâyeleri... O dönem hayatta kalanların her birinin mucizeyle hayatta kaldıklarını görüyor insan.

Şimdi “Soykırım demiyordu Hrant” deyip laf ebeliği yapıyor Perinçek gibi zavallılar. “İfade özgürlüğü”nün peşine düşmüşler devlet kadrosuyla. Talat Paşa ve dostları... Öldürmenin öteside varmış. 19 Ocak 2007’den sonraki mahkemeleri de gördük. Öldürmekle tatmin olmayan öfkeyi de, nefreti de mahkemelerde gördüm.

Canım Çutağım... O, sizi incitmeden, kendinizin sonuçları görme, anlama büyüklüğüne, onuruna erişmenizi istiyordu. Çünkü çok iyiydi. Sizi çok seviyordu. Size yardım etmekti isteği ve amacı. Irkçılığın insanlıktan nasibini almamış, körleşmiş, gözleri dönmüş çok hallerini gördük. Mahkemenin ortasında resmen ölünün üzerinde tepiniyorlardı. Hem tehditlerle yaşarken hem de cinayetten sonra. Bu soykırım zihniyeti değil mi?

Öyle, “Kimse kalmadı... Gittiler işte”, “Keşke gitmeselerdi. Gittiler, bereket de gitti”, “Aramız iyiydi, dış güçler nifak soktular” demeyle olmuyor. Samimiyetle, yaşanılan vahşeti, ölü soyuculuğunu, mahremiyetlerin hepsinin yerle bir edilmiş olma kötücüllüğünü, o kul hakkı dediğiniz bütün hakların çiğnendiğini, malın mülkün, haysiyetin yok edildiğini, hiçbir hakkın korunmadığını ikrar etmek gerekli.

Bildiklerim, duyduklarım, yaşadıklarım belki cüzi. Belki bir bütünün azıcığı. Ama bütünün ne kadar büyük olduğunu hangi akıl, hangi yürek kavrayabilir?

Şimdi seyrediyorum. İnkâr libası ne kadar komik duruma düşürüyor, gülünçleştiriyor insanlığı. Benimkisi acı bir gülümseme. Acılaşmış, gözyaşı dolu bir gülümseme. Biraz da öfkeyle beklenti dolu bir gülümseme.

1915’teki dünyayı seyrediyorum. Bütün insanlığa, politikalarına acı acı ağlıyorum. 2015 insanlığını seyrediyorum, ruhum inliyor içimde. Canım çekiliyor. Ülkemi seyrediyorum. Utanıyorum. Ağlıyorum. Boğazım düğümleniyor. Yutkunmakta zorlanıyorum. Sesimi koyveriyorum. Bağrımdan dökülüyor gözyaşlarım. Tanrı’yla konuşuyorum, dertleşiyorum. Biriciğinin adında Hisus’ta yalvarıyorum. İnsanlığa merhamet etsin diye. Yürekleri tövbeye yönlendirsin diye. O zaman Tanrı yere iner, insan da içtenlikli ikrarla devam eder. Yürekler birleşir, yaralar merhem bulur, şifa ve sevinç gelir. Eski kokuşmuş zihniyet de kirli, paçavra bir elbise gibi sıyrılıp atılır. İnsan billurlaşır, kurtulur, hafifler, özgürleşir tarihin kementlerinden.

Ben bugün, önce Balıklı’da Çutağımın mezarında, sonra Şişli’de Sevag’ın mezarında, sonra da 1915 soykırımında ölenlerimizi anmak için Taksim Meydanı’nda sessizce bu ülkenin özgürleşmesini bekleyeceğim. 


 [1] EXCERPT Matosyan Matbaası: Cumhuriyet’in Emval-i Metruke mirası by ALIN OZINIAN[*]

"...6 Ekim 2013, PazarCemal Paşa'nın torunu Hasan Cemal “1915: Ermeni Soykırımı” adlı kitabında ailesine verilen, şu an hâlâ Ermenilerin yoğun olarak yaşadığı Kurtuluş'taki konaktan bahseder. Hasan Cemal, aynı kitapta çok az insanın bildiği bir yaraya daha parmak basar. Cumhuriyet'te çalıştığı yıllarda öğrendiği bir gerçeği, Matosyan Matbaası'nı anlatır: “Nadir Nadi şöyle anlatırdı: Matosyan'ın sahibi yurtdışına kaçtıktan sonra babama satıldı matbaa. Atatürk gazete için çok acele ediyordu. Avrupa'dan bir makine getirtmeye kalkışsanız uzun zamana gereksinme duyulacaktı. Oysa el altında ve boş duran bir makine vardı."

Genç Cumhuriyet'in ‘gözde' gazetecisi, Mustafa Kemal'in en yakınındaki isimlerden biri olan Yunus Nadi, 1924 senesinde ele geçirdiği matbaa için bir miktar para ödedikten sonra ödeme yapmamış, üstelik devlete ödediği paranın kendisine derhal verilmesini dahi talep etmişti. Zira makinelerin tesliminden kısa bir süre sonra bilinmeyen bir sebeple yangın çıkmış, çıkan yangında her nasıl olmuşsa matbaa makinelerinin demir aksamlarından dahi geriye en ufak bir iz bulunamamıştı. Matosyan Matbaası'nda bulunan her türlü demirbaş ve kişisel eşyayı satışa çıkaran Yunus Nadi, elde ettiği ganimeti en ufak parçasına kadar değerlendirmiş, hatta Matosyan'ın kütüphanesindeki kitapları dahi Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'na satmış; sonrasında bu kitaplar Gazi Eğitim Enstitüsü'ne verilmiştir. Dönemin Tanin Gazetesi'nin verdiği haberde, Matosyan'ın kitaplığının değerinin bile tek başına, Yunus Nadi'nin Matosyan Matbaası için devlete ödemeyi taahhüt ettiği miktardan daha fazla olduğuna dikkat çekilmişti.

Döneme ait tapu kayıtlarının 2005 yılında, Tapu Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü'nün Türkçeleştirerek, bilgisayar ortamına aktarmak girişimi, Milli Güvenlik Kurulu Seferberlik ve Savaş Hazırlıkları Planlama Daire Başkanlığı'nca böyle bir girişimin ülke menfaatleri açısından sakıncalı olduğunu belirtmesi ile, başarıyla engellenilmiştir. İttihatçı yapılanma karanlık geçmişini korumayı başarabilmiştir.

Osmanlı'nın en önemli matbaalarından biri olan Matosyan Matbaası bugün rejim bekçiliği yapan Cumhuriyet Gazetesi'ne çevrilirken, Kasapyan ailesinin el konulan evlerinden biri Çankaya Köşkü'ne dönüştürülmüştür. Kısacası yeni kurulan Cumhuriyet, sadece Ermenilerin acıları, kayıpları üzerine değil, bizzat mülkü ve hakkı üzerine de kurulmuştur.


Gaspa dönüşen Emval-i Metruke kanunu sonrasında, Cumhuriyet'in temel taşı olan Ermeni Kapitali, gelecek yıllarda Rum ve Musevi mallarıyla birlikte, Varlık Vergisi ve 6-7 Eylül olaylarıyla Türkleştirilmeye devam etmiştir. 1974'te vakıf mallarına el konulması, ziyafetin son lokması olmuştur. Yaklaşık 100 yıl sonra, Ermenilerin izi tamamen bu topraklardan silinmeye ramak kala, bugün, Vakıflar Kanunu'ndaki tüm sorunlara rağmen bazı önemli adımlar atılmakta, gaspçı ve inkarcı siyasetin yanında “kul hakkı"ndan da yoksun İttihatçı yapılaşma ilk kez mağlup olmakta..."

[*] Türk-Ermeni iş geliştirme konseyi (TABDC) basın sözcüsü. doğu ve batı Ermenicesi, Türkçe, Ingilizce, Rusça ve Osmanlıca bilir. Doğu Bilimleri ve Türkoloji master'ı vardır. Siyaset biliminde doktora yapmaktadır. alinozinian 

Aline Ozinian is currently a PhD candidate at the Yerevan State University in the faculty of Political Science. Besides her studies Ozinian is the Regional Project Coordinator for International Alert-CBDN, and the Press and Public coordinator with TABDC/Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council. Ozinian is the author of several studies concerning Turkey-Armenia relations and regional political analyst with Daily Zaman and Weekly Agos Newspapers. Research Studies: “The intellectual and spiritual atmosphere in Turkey about the Armenian Problem” Heinrich Boll Foundation, 2006-2007 “Armenian citizens working illegally in Turkey” Friedrich Ebert Stiftung-Turkey 2007-2008. “State of Armenian Working Migrants in Turkey” Eurasia Partnership Foundation 2009-2010, E-mail: alineozinian[at]gmail[dot]com 
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Internment of Ottoman Turks in Canada

April 24, 2015, 10:55 am
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Mavi Boncuk | During the First World War, enemy aliens (nationals of Germany and of the Austro-Hungarian and Turkish empires) were subject to internment, but only if there were "reasonable grounds" to believe they were engaged in espionage or otherwise acting illegally. Some municipalities "unloaded" indigents, many of them recent immigrants, on internment camps. In 1916–17, many Austrians were paroled to fill labour shortages. Of 8,579 men at 24 camps across Canada, 5,954 were of Austro-Hungarian origin, including 5,000 Ukrainians; 2,009 were Germans; 205 were Turks[1]and 99, Bulgarians. All endured hunger and forced labour, helping to build some of Canada's best-known landmarks, such as Banff National Park. Moreover, 81 women and 156 children, dependants of male internees, were voluntarily interned. Although responsibility shifted in 1915 from the Department of Militia and Defence to the Department of Justice, Major General Sir William Otter remained officer commanding (later director of) internment operations. 


On a cold night in late November 1914 police rounded up 100 Turkish immigrants living in Brantford, Ontario (56 miles west of Toronto). Most of the arrested were laborers in a local foundry.  A few days later the 100 men were shipped off to a concentration camp in Kapuskasing (then called MacPherson), 520 miles north of Toronto. The Turkish immigrants spent most of the First World War in the Canadian gulag (average winter temperature -25C). These Turks lived in Armenian-owned boarding houses and had come from their homeland with Armenians to work in area foundries.

What was their crime? They happened to be citizens of Ottoman Turkey, a country which was at war with the British Empire. The Dominion of Canada considered the Turks dangerous aliens. How did these men—mostly bachelors and thousands of miles from their home—live in Canada’s sub-Arctic internment camp? How were they treated? How many survived? Only a “Turkish Lot” exists in the public Cemetery in Brantford, a piece of land they themselves purchased privately, a self-dedication marked simply as Muslim Ottomans in 1909. Currently a Plaque in their memory stands frozen on the agenda of the Brantford City Council. 

SEE: Bill Darfler article 


"...In 1895, a Brantford businessman was in Constantinople, selling his company’s plows across Europe. He met members of a refugee community there, mostly Armenians, and invited them to come to Canada and work in the factories. By 1911, 3-400 Armenians worked at Pratt&Letchworth, Cockshutt Plow[*], Buck Stoves, and other factories in the city. Roughly a hundred “Turks” accompanied them. They were identified as Turkish by the 1911 Census and by the newspapers of the day, but it has been suggested that they may have been ethnic Kurds. At any rate, they were clearly seen as being very different from the Armenians[**]; Muslim, not Christian. These men [families didn’t come over until much later], lived in boarding houses, worked the dirtiest jobs at the plants, and sent their pay cheques home to Turkey. This use of “foreign workers” in an industrial setting may have been a Brantford idea. It certainly helped make Brantford a major industrial city in Canada at that time. Brantford was the #3 industrial city in Canada, after Toronto and Montreal with twenty times the population. In 1911, Brantford had a higher percentage of foreigners per capita than any other city in Canada..." 


[*] Originally founded as the Brantford Plow Works by James G. Cockshutt in 1877, the name was changed to the Cockshutt Plow Company when it was incorporated in 1882. 

 [**] Early Canadian oral history reveals that a member of the Cockshutt family, owners of the Cockshutt Plow Co. in Brantford, Ontario, went to Constantinople in the 1880's and recruited ten Armenian workers, originally from Keghi[+] in the province of Erzerum. Soon, other Armenians began arriving in the southern Ontario industrial towns of Hamilton, Brantford and St. Catharines in search of employment. Dr. Isabel Kaprielian calls this early period of Armenian immigration to Canada, the 'Sojourner' period which continued until the Genocide. Most of these pioneers arrived in the country hoping to return to their native villages with their hard-earned savings. Little distinguished the small and predominantly male communities from other Armenian settlements, except for the fact that 80% were from Keghi. By the 1920?s, the largest Armenian communities existed in Brantford and St. Catharines, each with an Armenian population of 500, while Toronto numbered 200. SOURCE


[+] Keghi/ Kiğı (Kurdish: Gêxî, Armenian: Քղի Kʿġi) is now a town and district of Bingöl Province

[1] "They were Alevis, Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks, Jews, Kurds and Armenians. Their names say it all: Kevork, Elias, George, Alex, John, Albert, Thomas, Kiro Vasileff, Maic Yanos, Nick Yarowy, Kamil Rosa, Arakilian, Salaman, Marcus, Kuriakos, Kibicz, Manchur... and those with Arab/Muslim names (Khalil, Rachim…are Arabs, Kurds, and Alevis). They were members of ethnic and religious minorities." 

Editors note: These names do not exist in SOURCE: Roll Call for names and the addendum to the roll call records.

"...As to the Turks who were interned. It is not just their names, but their dietary habits, their prayer rugs and their burial rituals that assure me they were not Armenian. Even though Armenians came from the Ottoman Empire and Canada was at war with the Ottoman Empire, it was known that Armenians were not sympathetic to the Ottoman Empire and none were interned. As well, Brantford Armenians started up a Home Guard to work with local Canadian soldiers and were not considered in any way a threat to security..." Marsha Skrypuch

Marsha Skrypuch is currently doing research for a novel about the Kapuskasing internees.



See also:  Prof. Dr. Kemal ÇİÇEK 
KANADALI TÜRKLER’İN 100 YILDIR UNUTULAN TEHCİRİ

See also: Canadian First World WarInternment Recognition FundFonds canadien de reconnaissance de l'internement durant la première guerre mondiale
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Book | The Greek War of Independence

April 24, 2015, 12:52 pm
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Mavi Boncuk | PDF

The Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom and from Ottoman Oppression 

The Greek War of Independence offers an authoritative account — told in gripping detail — of the fight to end four centuries of brutal Ottoman rule over Greece. Fought over twelve bloody years between 1821 and 1833, the Greek revolution captured the imagination of the Romantic Age, inspiring painters, poets and patriots the world over to celebrate the Greek cause and join the fight. For nearly four hundred years the Ottoman Turks governed Greece, subjecting the country to crushing and arbitrary tax burdens and its peasants to serfdom.; the glories of the ancient past were gone, and under Turkish rule Greece was poor and backward. But inspired by the examples of the American and French revolutions, Napoleon’s victories, and the Latin American wars of liberation, the Greek people rose up against their Turkish masters in 1821. For twelve brutal years – years of terrible violence and bloody massacre – the Greeks and the foreign volunteers who flocked to their cause fought until independence was won in 1833.
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Canada | Justin Trudeau on the Armenian Genocide

April 27, 2015, 7:38 am
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Just In... Justin's One Sided Justice. The party is Liberal in name only. He sounded same 2 years ago in French.

Mavi Boncuk | 

Justin Trudeau on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

April 24, 2015

OTTAWA – The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

“Today, we commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; an event which saw the destruction of the national and personal freedom of over a million people during and after the First World War.

“By recognizing the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, we are reminded of the pain and suffering endured by those affected, as we endeavor to achieve peace and reconciliation for the people of Armenia, and a stable and prosperous future for all of its citizens.

“While the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is a time for solemn remembrance, it also provides us with the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to never again be indifferent to hatred and genocide, nor remain silent to those who discriminate against others based on characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation.

“On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and the entire Liberal Caucus, I stand with Canadians across the country as we honour the memories of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.”
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Kardashian's TIME Article

April 27, 2015, 1:34 pm
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Mavi Boncuk | 

IDEAS WORLD AFFAIRS
Kim Kardashian West: Armenian Genocide Victims ‘Should Never Be Forgotten’

April 24, 2015     

In an exclusive essay for TIME, Kardashian West reflects on her heritage and the 100th anniversary of the conflict

It was such a big part of our life: We’d eat Armenian food, we would listen to stories—my dad was really outspoken about our history. We were told that when a lot of Armenians moved, they took the “ian” off their last names in fear that they would be killed. “Whatever you girls do, never change your last name—it’s Kardashian,” he would say. He was very vocal and wanted us to never to forget where we came from.

My great-great-grandparents came from Armenia to Los Angeles in 1914, right before the genocide happened. We have no existing family left in Armenia. Had they not escaped, we wouldn’t be here. There are so many people who lost their families, and the stories of how they were killed are so heartbreaking—they should never be forgotten. The whole point of remembering the genocide is to make sure it doesn’t happen again. A million-and-a-half people were brutally massacred, and a country can just pretend like it never happened? I don’t think that’s right.

My family wanted to go back to Armenia for the longest time. My dad would have loved to go. My grandparents would have loved to go. My great-grandparents would have loved to go. None of them were able to go.

My sister Khloé, my daughter North, and my husband Kanye West finally went to Armenia this month. So many people have come to me and said, “I had no idea there was a genocide.” There aren’t that many Armenians in this business. We have this spotlight to bring attention to it, so why would we just sit back?
  
Now is the time to speak out, and every little bit helps. I will continue to ask the questions and fight for the genocide to be recognized for what it was.

I would like President Obama to use the word “genocide.” It’s very disappointing he hasn’t used it as President. We thought it was going to happen this year. I feel like we’re close—but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.

It’s time for Turkey to recognize it. It’s not the fault of the people who live there now; it was 100 years ago on Friday. I think if they recognize it and acknowledge it, everyone can move on. I believe in moving on and looking toward a brighter future, but you can’t move on unless you acknowledge the past. To not do so is an act of disrespect.

There’s a purple centennial pin that everyone wears to commemorate the genocide. Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan gave me his when I met him. Purple is my daughter’s favorite color, so she wants to wear it every single day. When she gets older, I will explain to her the real meaning behind it. I’m half-Armenian, but I grew up with a such a strong sense of my Armenian identity, and I want my daughter to have the same.

My great-great-grandparents were so brave to move their whole family. I’ll honor them by passing their memory down to my daughter.
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Orders, Decorations and Medals of Turkey

April 28, 2015, 6:56 am
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Mavi Boncuk| 

 
Orders, Decorations and Medals of Turkey



SOURCE Image Collection by Megan C. Robertson
e-mail: megan[at]medals[dot]org[dot]uk

Orders, Decorations and Medals of Turkey

The Ottoman EmpireClick HERE to view the ribbon chartClick HERE to view a text list of the Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Ottoman Empire


Republic of Turkey
Click HERE to view the ribbon chart
Click HERE to view a text list of the Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Republic of Turkey
Click HERE to view links and other references to the medals of Turkey
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