i n th is issue

th e ur ban tr agedy¶

a long affai r

ANATOLIAN VOICEI S SU E 31 O F THE

i n th is issue

anatolian ecojustice¶

a long affai r

22A Long Affair

13Kültür Ocağı

16Anatolian Ecojustice

President’s Letter 3

Schedule of Events 4

Open Book 5Community News

19 Mayıs Youth Day

Children’s Day & General Assembly

Wine Tasting Tour

Canton Diversity Day

Movie Night

Ramazan Bayramı

Father’s Day Picnic

Zafer Bayramı

Valentine’s Day Party

Leadership Workshop

Döner Night

Friends of Turkey Night

Turkish Kitchen 46

Editor’s Letter 47

TABLE OF CONTENTS

volume 10

issue 31

9Outreach Grant

2

When I had to begin writing my letter for the Anatolian Voice, I did not know where to begin. As I was leafing through older issues, I realized that our editor has been working with great passion on the Anatolian Voice for nearly four years, when I was also president. It then hit me what my topic should be. The new board began working in May 2009 from the prior board, which was under the wonderful leadership of Didem Şeyhoğlu-Hepaktan. We began with the 19 Mayıs festivities. It was then that I noticed one thing: our community is getting stronger and more unified. It is important to have this strength to leave to our children in Michigan. tacam was established by a dedicated group interested in preserving Turkish

culture thousands of miles apart from their homeland. We must engage our children in our organization so that they may enjoy it and preserve it for their children. The pride we have of being Turkish must be preserved. I am working with an excellent group of people, which are also dear friends of mine. They put up countless ours of hard work into every event and every activity, just because they believe it is important to take care of tacam and its legacy. Please be a part of tacam for our future, for our children. Do not stop supporting. I would like to draw attention to a new grant we received from the ataa and the tca to help broaden support for our voice in Michigan politics and society (p. 9). Jason Windes will steward the fund. We also are continuing our popular Turkish school with our teachers Beste Windes and Özgün Ulupınar. Emine Zeren is our education coordinator, who is hoping to get more children involved in the language. Remember: it is your membership dues and participation that keep tacam thriving. I thank our board and members of the community for the tireless effort and countless hours they give to our organization, so that one day it will be stronger, and one day it will be a part of our children’s lives and their children so that tacam can truly be a Turkish home for everyone. Wishing you all a great year.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

leylâ ahmed2009 – 2010 Term

3anatolian voice

for up-to-date information visit tacam.org

2009–2010

letters to the editor

The Anatolian Voice is interested in what you have to say. Tell us what you liked and disliked by adding your unique knowledge and experience to the discussions in each issue. Please send your letters or e-mails to the Anatolian Voice, po Box 3445, Farmington Hills, mi, 48333–3445, or at av@tacam.org. As always, please let us know of births, surgeries, job promotions and other community news — you are our first link!

May17 Sunday 19 Mayıs

June21 Sunday Father’s Day

picnic

JulyNo Events

August15 Saturday Wine tour29 Saturday Victory Day

(Zafer Bayramı)

September12 Saturday Friends of Tur-

key Night20 Sunday Ramazan

Bayramı celebration

October12 Monday Turkish classes

for adults begin18 Sunday Turkish classes

for children begin31 Saturday Republic Day

Ball

November17 Tuesday Tales from Expat

Harem public reading28 Saturday Kurban

Bayramı celebration

Decembertba Holiday Program

JanuaryHappy new year!tba Movie night

Februarytba Fundraising programtba Valentine’s Day party

Marchtba Döner nighttba Academic summit

April11 Sunday General Assembly24 Saturday Children’s

holiday

2010

4 events

sch

edu

le o

f ev

ents

Our condolences go to the family of a dear friend and educator, Barbara Bilge, who passed away on March 2, 2009.

Feridun and Seyran Bek announced the birth of their second son Kayhan Evran Bek, who was born on August 1, 2009, in Leesburg, va.

Ebru and Ron Shull announce the birth of their 6 lb. 15 oz. daughter Ada Shull, who was born on Au-gust 15, 2009, a little early but very healthy.

On July 10, 2009, Minâ Laçin was born to the par-ents Tijen and Sinan Laçin. She is a healthy and happy 7.5 lb. baby.

İlkim Ertürk and Serdar Arıcıoğlu are the proud parents of a baby boy Burak Arıcıoğlu, who was born on August 6, 2009 — congratulations!

Aslı Sönmezocak-Yashin and Deniz Başer were honored with awards from the International Insti-tute of Metropolitan Detroit on June 19, 2009.

Emre Bülbül was offered a job by the bmc Truck company in İzmir. He accepted the position, and we wish him the best in his new work.

Congratulations to Professor Mümtâz A. Usmen, who was named interim Dean for the College of Engineering at Wayne State University.

Dr. Cem Akin, medical director of statinmed Re-search, was awarded the Sedat Simavi Foundation for Medical Science Award for outstanding medical contributions.

Didem Şeyhoğlu and Cenk Hepaktan tied the knot on July 18, 2009. Best wishes to the new couple!

Burak ArıcıoğluAda Shull

for more pho tographs visit tacam.org

National Sovereignty and Chil-dren’s Day & General Assembly

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

We gathered to celebrate children on April 23, 2009, at the tacam grounds. An inflatable play-ground, clown and Turkish games were a delight for the kids. We also held our General Assembly and elected the 2009–2010 board.

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

In an effort to honor Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk, and to celebrate “Youth Day,” tacam community mem-bers gathered on May 17, 2009. Jason Windes gave us a wonderful presentation on the importance of this day, and we got to taste wonderful beyli köfte!

Minâ LaçinKayhan Bek

Community News

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Ramazan Bayramı

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

We gathered on September 20, 2009, at the tacam grounds to celebrate the close of the month of fasting. We want to give a special thanks to Gökçe Donat and family for donating the huge inflated bounce-houses and pizza. The kids (and parents) had an absolute blast, and the weather held out long enough for everyone to have a great time.

Wine Tasting Tour

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D & JA S O N W I N DE S

Michigan’s wine region became the highlight for a wonderful outing on August 15, 2009. The day-long trip took us near the St. Joseph and Benton Har-bor vineyards, where we sampled wines from three vineyards. We then ate dinner and enjoyed the fa-mous Silver Beach on Lake Michigan. Tasting wine and mingling with fellow members and guests was a delight that hopefully we can enjoy again!

Canton Diversity Day

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D & JA S O N W I N DE S

The Workman Elementary School invited tacam to take part in their diversity day on March 20, 2009. Members helped to decorate a room themed on the Republic of Turkey with cultural items, edu-cational posters and delicious food made possible by generous donations specifically for this event by tacam members. Many members dressed in folk costume while tacam Board member Murat Ulaşır played the darbuka and tacam member Özgün Ulupınar taught visitors fun Turkish dances. Our room was one of the most lively, and popular, with many guests returning again and again to see more about Turkey and Turkish culture!

Movie Night cmylmz

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

During chilly winter, members of tacam gathered on January 24, 2009, to watch the stand-up movie cmylmz starring none other than Cem Yılmaz.

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Father’s Day Picnic

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

We gathered on June 21, 2009, at Kensington Park to celebrate and honor our fathers for Father’s Day. Delicious food was a favorite of everyone who at-tended, as well as volleyball out in the park. We also had our annual round of competitive games with fathers and their children to determine who would be this year’s “Best Baba.” The winners were father Ramazan Kızak — married to Nâzan — and their daughter Selin, who returned to Germany af-ter their stay here in Michigan.

Zafer Bayramı

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

Wonderful activities and food? Naturally. tacam celebrated the victory of Turkish troops in secur-ing Anatolia for the modern republic on August 29, 2009. This year we also welcomed members of the Japanese community to come share their culture with us and bring some of their delicious food — an unexpectedly delightful event for all!

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Valentine’s Day Party

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

Featuring our wonderful musicians Mine Özalp and Murat Ulaşır, we gathered on February 14, 2009, at the spacious Gladwin Center in Ann Arbor.

Döner Night

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

We welcomed spring on March 21, 2009, at the Glad-win Center. The evening was not complete without our wonderful music, cooks and dance!

Leadership Workshop

W R I T T E N B Y E R O L A H M E D

Our free event on leadership best practices was held on March 28, 2009, at the University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Stud-ies. We thank the following speakers for sharing their knowledge at the event: Kari Alterman of the American Jewish Committee; architect Mark Farlow; Marilyn Katz-Pek, founder of Biotechnol-ogy Business Consultants; Onur Ülgen, president of pmc; and Mümtâz Usmen, interim Dean for the College of Engineering at Wayne State University.

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tacam has recently been awarded a $15,000 grant through ataa, with funds provided by the Turk-ish Coalition of America. The grant is earmarked toward establishing an aggressive and meaning-ful grassroots campaign throughout Michigan in order to introduce politicians, community leaders, media and the general public to Turkish culture and Turkish-Americans. The funds for the grant include $10,000 to es-tablish a coordinator position to direct and ex-ecute the campaign, as well as $5,000 for tacam to use towards implementing this program. This highly competitive grant was awarded to only three Turkish groups around the country, with the other two being Chicago (taca) and southern California (atasc). During the summer, the tacam board select-ed Jason Windes, as the candidate grassroots co-ordinator, after voting to apply for the grant. As part of the application process, Jason compiled a proposal for tacam’s vision for implementing the grant. After receiving word in early Septem-ber that tacam was one of the three winning component associations, the tacam board for-mally established the Grassroots Committee in their September board meeting. At that meeting, board member Gökhan Özalp was selected as the chairman of the Grassroots Committee and Mick-ey Katz-Pek was selected as co-chair. These three individuals will be leading the implementation of the new program for the length of the terms of the grant, which will expire on August 31, 2010. Currently the Grassroots Committee is in the process of forming the structure of the organiza-tion, which will be composed of a corps of volun-

teers in addition to an advisory committee. This advisory committee will be composed of volun-teers who chair the various grassroots sub-com-mittees and other individuals, who have commit-ted to the program. This committee will be the core group of supporters to shape the direction of grassroots activities — in addition to being essen-tial individuals implementing activities and stag-ing events. In the coming weeks the Grassroots Commit-tee leadership will be soliciting volunteers from the tacam membership, Michigan Turks and Turkish-Americans, including various university Turkish student associations. Volunteers will be able to select their level of commitment and share their interests in how they wish to contribute to the program. tacam expects to host a grassroots training and committee meeting sometime near the end of 2009. As the program begins to become more ac-tive in the coming months, and tacam begins to achieve the mandated goals according to the ataa grant, members should expect to see more com-munity outreach to state and national politicians; events focused on empowering local Turks and Turkish-Americans in political activism; engage-ment with local media outlets; and educational initiatives directed towards different communi-ties in Michigan. If you are interested in learning about ways in which you can contribute to this new and excit-ing chapter in tacam’s 37-year history, please stay tuned to the tacam Web site or facebook groups for up-to-date information, including the volun-teer sign-up page.

tacam Awarded Grant for Grassroots Activities

W R I T T E N B Y JA S O N W I N DE S

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On September 12, 2009, the Honorary Consul Gen-eral of the Republic of Turkey, Detroit, Nurten Ural, and with the leadership of President Leylâ Ahmed, tacam, had a successful event at the resi-dence of Nurten Ural. Attending guests included Congressman Gary Peters from the ninth district and his wife, along with Consul General Kenan İpek from Chicago. Other guests included more than thirty Consul Generals and Honorary Con-sul Generals from other countries; Director of the Detroit Institute of Arts; curators from the dia; representatives from different universities; leaders from different ethnic organizations; and teachers that went to Turkey through a program sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation and lead by the World Affairs Council. Almost 250 guests and tacam members were in attendance. Thank you to the board members Leylâ Ahmed, Gökhan Özalp, Ferid Ahmed, Jason Windes, Beste Windes, Hurol Ulupınar, Murat Ulaşır and Emine Zeren, who were involved in every aspect of the planning and organization of the event. We had over fifty Meze dishes. Thank you to our food experts Leylâ Ahmed, Nurten Ural, Zekiye Ural, Gökhan Özalp, Mine Özalp, Özgün Ulupınar, Beste Windes, Emine Zeren, Müge Okuyucu, Elif Persinger, Yasemin Elnan, Nurhan Taşdemiroğlu and all who cooked the delicious authentic dishes.

We would also like to thank bestturkishfoods.com and Tabor Hill Wineries for helping us to serve Turkish rakı and Michigan wine. We also send many thanks to ionnia for providing our Turkish décor. Nisaniko, who entertained us with Turkish mu-sic, kept us dancing and singing throughout. The music brought much richness to our evening. A big thank you goes to Herman Hintiryan, who spon-sored and provided us with the entertainment. In her welcoming speech, Nurten Ural stressed that “the strength, resilience and richness of the us is based on the diversity of its citizens. Each im-migrant in the us has brought its own culture and beliefs. The blending and melding of all these cul-tures has made us strong and able to learn from each other’s aspects of culture, human life and ex-periences. “We would like to foster the awareness of diver-sity. It is important to learn about different cul-tures to create peace in the world. ‘Peace at home — peace in the world’ are words of our first Presi-dent Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk. We live in a country that has taken shape by the melding of countless cultures: among them the Turkish culture. I would like to thank all of you for accepting our invitation to allow us to share our culture, our food, drink and music. Later we are looking forward to sharing your cultures.”

Friends of Turkey Night

W R I T T E N B Y N U R T E N U R A L

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RADYO’DANE CALINIYOR?

¸

1 Mustafa Ceceli — Limon Çiçekleri

2 Göksel — Dudaklarında Arzu

3 Funda Arar — Yak Gel

4 Manga — Beni Benimle Bırak

5 Sertab Erener — Bu Böyle

10TOP

1 Aşk ELİF ŞAFAK

2 Abdülmecit HIFZI TOPUZ

3 Koloni JE AN-CHRI STOPHE GR ANGÉ

4 Çivisi Çıkmış Dünya AMIN M AALOUF

M ARY SHELLEY

6 Dava FR ANZ K AFK A

7 Eldivenler, Hikâyeler MUR AT HAN MUNG AN

8 Bir Terapistin Arka Bahçesi ALPER HA SANOĞLU

İyi Hayat ALEX ROVIR A

10 Sahiler Düş Düşler Sahi YILM AZ ERDOĞ AN

KITAPLAR

5 Frankenstein

9

SEYREDIYORLAR?Sizi Seviyorum Kanımdaki Bârut&

SINEMALARDA NEYI

Kültür Ocagı˘

13kültür ocağı

Ella Rubinntain Amerikalı bir ev kadı-nıdır. Tipik burjuva değerlerinin hâkim olduğu oldukça varlıklı bir ailesi, dü-zenli ve görünüşte “sorunsuz” bir evli-liği vardır. Üç çocuğunu da büyüttükten sonra bir yayınevinde editör-asistanı olarak iş bulur; görevi a.z. Zahara adlı tanınmamış bir yazarın tasavvuf felse-fesini konu alan tarihi romanını değer-lendirmektir. Ancak hayatının kritik

bir döneminde eline aldığı bu kitap, hiç beklemediği bir şekilde Ella’yı derinden sarsacak, dünyevi aşkı keşfetmek adına zorlu ve tehlikeli bir yolculuğa çıkma-sına neden olacaktır. Hayatlarımızın durgun gölünü dalgalandıran taş misali, yüzleşmek zorunda olduğumuz sıkıntı-lar, acılar. Ve aşkın peşinde kat etmek zorunda olduğumuz zorlu yollar, ödedi-ğimiz bedeller.

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Gaye & Serkan’dan Seçenekler

AskElif Şafak

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Başarılı sanatçı Göksel’in yeni albüm ça-lışması “Mektubumu Buldun mu?” şar-kıların organik ve orijinaline sadık ka-lınmış aranjmanları ile sizi şehrin eski caddelerinde ispanyol paça pantalon-larla iyi niyetli bir gezintiye çıkarıyor. Yeni albümünde 70’li yılların şarkıları-na yer veren Göksel, eski şarkıları ses-lendirmesine rağmen 2000’li yıllar için sıradışı ve yenilikçi bir albümle müzik severlerin karşısına çıkmaya hazırlanı-yor. Besteci kimliğiyle pek çok hit şar-

kıya imzasını atan Göksel, bu albümde sadece yorumcu kimliğiyle dinleyicisiyle buluşmaya hazırlanıyor. Göksel; “Kendi şarkılarım olmamasına rağmen diğer albümlerimle paralellik gösteren bu proje albümde, yorumcu kimliğimle var olmaktan çok mutluyum… Müzikal yol-culuğumda çok güzel bir deneyimdi. Ço-cukluğumdan beri severek dinlediğim şarkıları yeniden yorumlamak beni bu albüme duygusal olarak bağladı. Çünkü her şarkının ayrı bir hatırası var” dedi.

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Mektubumu Buldun mu?Göksel

16 Haziran 1961. Devlet Başkanı Cemal Gürsel tümüyle yerli üretim bir oto-mobil yapılmasını emreder ve görevin tcdd işletmesine verildiği bildirilir. O gün orada bulunan 23 mühendis bu emri “Türk insanının makûs talihine karşı bir meydan okuma” olarak algılarlar. En kü-çük bir tereddüt ya da endişe sergilen-meksizin derhal işe başlanır. Çalışma mekanı olarak Devlet Demiryolları’nın Eskişehir’deki Cer Atölyesi seçilir. Za-man müthiş dardır. Ekibin Cumhuriyet

Bayramı na kadar yalnızca 130 günü vardır. Türkiye’nin ilk yerli otomobili olacak eserin adı da konmuştur: “Dev-rim.” Devrim Arabaları azmin ve birbi-rine inanan Türk insanının neleri ba-şarabileceğini gösteren, bu topraklarda yaşanmış bir başarı öyküsüdür. Zaman zaman tebessüm edeceğiniz, zaman za-man gözyaşlarınıza hakim olamayacağı-nız, izlediğinizde sizde derin duygusal izler bırakacak insanların filmi “Devrim Arabaları.”

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Devrim ArabalarıTolga Örnek

14 kültür ocağı

T HE

ART ICLE S31 • 10

a key figure of reviving o ttoman art, dr. süheyl ünver drew countless mo tifs

like the one below done in 1951

15

anatolian

ecojustice+WRITTEN BY JASON WINDES

16

The land that is now defined as the Republic of Tur-key has an expansive history of human interaction with the land. The varied terrain has been home over the millennia to countless cultures, and some have proved themselves more sustainable than others. Today the nation state of Turkey is the sev-enteenth largest economy in the world, but at what cost to the land and the cultures of the people has this Western-imposed ranking been achieved? I will attempt to explain the conditions the Turkish people find themselves today, especially those citizens of school age, who are growing up with vast exposure to Western cultural influences unlike any generation before them. I will give examples of points where Western root metaphors 1 are coming up against traditional cultures and ways of thinking, and hopefully point towards potential sites of resistance and revitalization necessary for a sustainable future. The Marmara is but one of seven generally accepted bioregions, the others being the Black Sea

1 See the glossary on p. 19 for a complete list of terms.

region, central Anatolian plateau, Aegean region, eastern Anatolia, southeastern Anatolia and the Mediterranean coastal region. These regions are important to mention individually because their climates, flora and fauna vary significantly; which has resulted in very different interactions between people and the land between those regions. These differences will receive further attention later on. The Hittite kingdoms reigned between 2000 bce and 1000 bce. We are able to gain a significant amount of information about their culture due to the fact that they used a written language. The connection of the Hittites to their land can best be explained by their name, which can be translated to “those of the land of Hatti.” 2 Their definition of themselves derived from the land from which they came, and geography rather than culture defined who was “one of us,” and who was “different.” Although the Hittite Empire at its peak covered nearly the extent of modern-day Turkey, and even

2 Trevor Bryce, Life and Society in the Hittite World (Oxford: Ox-

ford University Press, 2002), 8.

≠

previous page Aerial view of Ankara from 2005. Image courtesy

kari through esa.

17feature articles

down into modern Lebanon, their heartland was located in the bioregion of the Central Anatolian Plateau. This region has cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers and generally consists of hilly steppe. The Hittites were an agriculturally-based people who combined farming with grazing of domesticated animals and hunting. Trevor Bryce explains that agriculture was the center of Hittite society. While certain plots of land were leased to individuals, actually all land “belonged” to the king. Families would receive rights to certain plots of land, and those rights could be inherited, bought or sold. However there is also evidence of communal grazing lands, as the land, much like today, lent itself to livestock grazing more so than intensive farming. Non-domesticated animals also held an important place in Hittite diet and culture, and these were hunted in common areas as well. Bryce also makes mention of the fact that this area, like much of Anatolia, has a limited amount of flat land suitable to growing cereals and other crops, and so the assignment of smaller plots of land is interpreted as being useful to encourage “efficient” use of the land. Hittite rulers could give large amounts of land to individuals but would scatter it throughout the kingdom in order to ensure the land was used to grow food (and also to prevent consolidation of power). 3 Still, the small

3 Ibid., 75.

family farm was the main “unit” of land use, and Bryce’s description is that these family farms were devoted to mixed-usages and would have annual crops, orchards, livestock and vegetable gardens. The Hittite pantheon of gods was mostly related to the elements, with the storm god the most powerful, and the most important to please. 4 To people so intricately connected to the land, and in an area where arable land was a premium, one dry season or one storm could mean the difference between life and death. The Gods did not live apart from humans, but lived in the same natural environment as humans; and it was thought that spirits were to be found in the springs, rivers, and trees. 5 The highest level gods even possessed vast farming estates in another realm, which reveals that to the Hittites, working the land was seen as the optimal way to spend ones life. 6

Still, found in the wording of Hittite scrolls a sense of their place within the world can be understood. They speak often of taming and controlling nature being the purpose of humans, but also in understanding how their fate was linked with what was provided by the land. In fact, Bryce argues at the end of this book that some of the cultural attitudes of the Hittite may have laid the foundations for the early Greek cultures that would

4 Ibid., 143–144

5 Ibid., 145.

6 Ibid., 73.

Aerial view of Istanbul in 1984 (this page) and 2004 (following page). Lighter areas represent urbanization. Image courtesy the esa.

18 feature articles

develop soon after the end of the Hittite empire. 7 If Bryce’s theory holds ground, that would mean that some of the root metaphors found in the West today may have developed, or been transmitted, from earlier cultures (such as the Assyrians) by the Hittites. Western Anatolia was considered a part of Homeric ancient Greece. Therefore many of the root metaphors that would serve to influence Europe and later the West had their origins in this area. For purposes of space the description of Greek, Roman and Byzantine culture will mostly be excluded from my survey, and the fact that it is likely that one will find more that is common with Western thought than finding metaphors of a different mindset. Therefore I will jump in time towards the latter part of the Byzantine empire and attempt to briefly describe Anatolia during the rise of the Ottoman empire. The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest continuous dynasties in modern history, continuing from around 1300 until 1922. The dynasty gets its name from the patriarch Osman, who came to power as the head of a small beylik, or fiefdom, in Anatolia. Turkish tribes entered Anatolia after migrating over centuries across central Asia, and served as useful mercenaries for many Byzantine emperors. As the Byzantine Empire weakened so did its influence in Anatolia,

7 Ibid., 260.

and localized Arab, Turkic and Armenian principalities emerged and clashed. The Anatolia of the early 1300s was divided into numerous beyliks that were controlled by a single ruler, but were a collection of villages with perhaps a small town or two, and were thus largely self-sufficient. In his history of the beginnings of the Ottoman Empire, Cemal Kafadar views this fragmentation as an advantage for the residents of Anatolia during that time and believes “in fact, fragmentation and the emergence of small local powers may well have increased the possibility for a more local redistribution of resources that would otherwise have been siphoned off to distant imperial capitals.” 8

The beylik of Osman was located southwest of the city of Bursa, in northwest Anatolia and in the Marmara region. This was a time of cultural mixture, and as Karadar argues, cultural ambiguity. There were existing, mainly Christian, settlements that were predominantly agricultural. The Turkic peoples were nomadic and herded animals, namely sheep and goats. However there was frequent trade between the two communities, and most decisions for governance and trade were decided at that time by the local communities. 9

8 Cemal Kafadar, Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ot-toman State (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1995), 6–7.

9 Ibid., 125.

19feature articles

Although not fixed in one space, nomadic peoples must still develop an understanding of the land, and its limits. In fact, nomadic Turkic peoples found their sense of identity in the fact that they had no specific place to call home, but they did (and still do) feel attached to the land that encompasses their range. Kafadar recalls a poem that was recorded in the beginning of the twentieth century by an ethnographer who was studying a group of Turks who were still semi-nomadic in the hills close to where Osman’s beylik first developed: Do not cultivate a vineyard, you’ll be bound

Do not cultivate grains, you’ll be ground.

Pull the camel, herd the sheep.

A day will come, you’ll be crowned. 10

The cultures of the Turkic peoples in Anatolia at that time were a mixture of beliefs from Islam and from their pre-Islamic beliefs. Their language and traditions were passed orally, and it was around this time that the various Turkic languages began to be written in Arabic script (which later developed into Ottoman Turkish). During the span of time between the early beyliks and today there are many elements of Turkish culture which survive the adoption of Islam, and of a transition to a sedentary lifestyle. Moving to the beginning of the twentieth century, and at the end of the Ottoman Empire, life in villages that were agriculturally-based was often quite similar to life of the previous centuries. Land was sectioned off and owned by specific individuals, and the villagers grew what had grown in those places for centuries. There was no formal education, the children learned by following and

10 Ibid., 188.

working with their parents, other adult relatives and village elders. Although certain land was owned by certain families, there was also communal land for the grazing of livestock. Souren Aprahamian, an Armenian-American, grew up in a small village in eastern Anatolia near the city of Van. Aprahamian recalls many of his childhood experiences there in his autobiography From Van to Detroit, and makes mention of the importance of the communal grazing lands by stating that “the very existence of the village was dependent on this area.” 11 He also describes how a neighboring village came together to dam a local stream in order to use the water for communal irrigation for their fields. 12 Stories similar as this one can be found in all regions of what is today the Republic of Turkey.

Author’s note: In the next issue of the Anatolian Voice,

we will delve into these connections in more modern

times from the founding of the Republic of Turkey to

the current issues and potential sources for solutions in

resisting wholesale and uncritical adoption of Western

mindsets and values. A complete bibliography will be

provided following the last installment.

11 Souren Aprahamian, From Van to Detroit: Surviving the Arme-

nian Genocide (Southfield, mi: Self-published, 1993), 19.

12 Ibid., 18.

20 feature articles

anthropocentrismA way of thinking of the natural world as a resource to be exploited for human purposes; the fate of the environment as separate from the fate of humans; humans as rational while the environment is viewed as wild and in need of being brought under rational control — or replaced by an artificial environment created by scientific and technological experts; a key feature of Western thinking that can be traced back to the Book of Genesis.

commonsThe commons represent both the naturals systems (water, air, soil, forests, oceans, etc.) and the cultural patterns and traditions (intergenerational knowledge ranging from growing and preparing food, medicinal practices, arts, crafts, ceremonies, etc.) that are shared without cost by all members of the community; nature of the commons varies in terms of different cultures and bioregions; what has not been transformed into market relationships; the basis of mutual support systems and local democracy; in the modern world the commons may be managed and thus kept from becoming enclosed through private and corporate ownership by being managed by local and national government — municipal water systems and state and national parks are contemporary examples of the commons.

enclosureThe process of limiting access, use, and democratic decisions about what can be freely shared by members of the community; enclosure both of natural systems and cultural practices and achievements through the monetization and integration into industrial culture; privatization;

glossary of termssource ecojusticeeducation.com

expansion of markets; privatization of what were previously public services and maintenance of the commons is the latest expression of enclosure.

intergenerational knowledgeIts complexity and importance has largely been marginalized by the liberal emphasis on individual freedom and progress; it is the basis of sustainable commons and is the source of empowerment in terms of being able to carry out tasks as an individual and as a member of a group; represents alternative knowledge to the industrial mode of production and is the basis of the mutual support systems in the community; it may take the form of building on past achievements in the arts, science, health care, food preparation, and so forth.

root metaphorsThe languaging processes carry forward past ways of thinking that are based on assumptions unique to the culture; these deeply held and gen-erally taken-for-granted assumptions, which are derived from the culture’s mythopoetic narratives and powerful evocative experiences, are encoded in the words that are called root metaphors; the root metaphors of a culture provide the interpre-tative frameworks that survive over many genera-tions and influence values, approaches to problem solving and activities in a wide range of daily life; the dominant root metaphors in the West that contributed to an ecologically destructive culture include mechanism, a linear notion of progress, anthropocentrism, Cartesian individualism, patri-archy, and evolution as a way of explaining which cultures survive; these root metaphors are basic to the expansion of the industrial culture.

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TH

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Aalong

affair

Orientalist intrigue,lush backdrops and voyeuristicviews envelop the landscapes of

İstanbul. One Englishwoman’s travelsare but one part in a never ending love of

the Golden City.W R I T T E N B Y E RO L Z A F E R A H M E D

¶

22

¶ A good city is never finished. İstanbul, or the world of Constanti-

nople, provided countless travelers and members of the city an un-

ending map: networked between tight alleys and grand minarets,

the city pointed the travelers up and down, in and around the

city, but never to a satisfying conclusion. ¶ We revisit the

Golden City once again with a peculiar find. Miss Julia

Pardoe (1804/6-1862) was a British traveller, histo-

rian, novelist and poet. Her interests ranged from

Renaissance history of the Medicis to the intrica-

cies of Ottoman living. She published a lengthy

volume titled The Beauties of the Bosphorus

about Ottoman life during her stay in

the city. ¶ w.h. Bartlett, a noted Brit-

ish engraver created the engravings

as a travel companion to Pardoe.

The book went to print in 1838

with a reprint in 1854. I

have selected some of the

most interesting of

the 80 or so images

and have kept

her spelling of

names and

places.

* * ** **

23

24 feature articles

scene from above the new

palace of beshik-tash

Construction on Dolmabahçe

Palace began in the 1840s, yet

this etching from the 1830s

shows us that construction was

well underway by the time this

book was published in 1838. The

great landmarks of Hagia So-

phia and the Ottoman mosques

on both shores of the city dot

the skyline. Indeed, this was the

view of the city in its entirety,

before the explosion of growth

witnessed in the twentieth

century.

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26 feature articles

mosque of sultana vâlide

(from the port)

The Yeni Vâlide Mosque

was completed in the late

1600s by two separate queen

mothers on the site of an old

Jewish neighborhood. In the

background rests the Süley-

maniye Mosque. Enchanted

by the shoreline of the

Bosphorus, Pardoe describes

a waterway as congested as

the streets of the city.

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28 feature articles

fountain near the asian valley of sweet waters, on the bosphorus

The Asian Valley of Sweet Waters has been a popular natural landscape for escape in the

congestion of the city. Likewise, during Pardoe’s time it was a favorite spot with a gorgeous view

of the old city — the place where the well-to-do would earn their income, but not their relaxation.

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30 feature articles

the floating bridge

Leonard da Vinci drew plans

in 1502 for a bridge to con-

nect the old city of Constan-

tinople with the European

section of the city in Galata.

Those plans never came to

fruition, and yet the bridges

over the Golden Horn have

always been busy, popular

destinations for city-dwellers

between the old city and the

European quarter.

31feature articles

court of the mosque of eyoub

What a refreshing counterpart to a congested London would these scenes have been?

Tall sycamore trees, soaring minarets and idle chatter complete the scene. The artist

almost hints at a photographic style, where we feel we are a curious observer, just

turning our head to peak around the walls of the arch leading into the court.

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34 feature articles

yeni djami, or mosque of the

sultana vâlide

It is hard to imagine that such a

large scale structure overshad-

owed by old trees would be

lying in the center of the busiest

section of the city next to the

Egyptian Spice Bazaar and the

Covered Bazaar. And yet, the

area is full of activity underlying

the important non-religious and

social function of mosques.

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36 feature articles

a turkish apartment in the fanar

Miss Julia Pardoe spent much of her time visiting the well-to-do of the city.

Pages of the text are devoted to the meticulous care given by the women of the

household to their dwellings and clothing. This room is no exception: it exhibits a

characteristically diverse set of architectural styles from the West and the East.

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37feature articles

The Turkish Kitchen

Afiyet olsun!

Semolina ½ cup

Flour ⅔ cupBaking powder 1 tbsp.Granulated sugar ½ cupExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp.Vanilla extract 1 tsp.

Eggs 4

Granulated sugar 1 cup + 2 tbspWater 500 mL 2 cupsLemon juice 2 tsp.

W R I T T E N B Y L E Y L Â A H M E D

dry

mixture

wet

mixture

revanisyrup-soaked semolina dessert

Ingredients (7 servings)

Set off to the side an 8 × 8 × 2 inch oven-safe dish, such as Pyrex or a cake tray. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small pot, mix together all the syrup ingre-dients. Bring to a boil for a minute or so. Then set aside off the stove to slightly cool. After the mix-ture is warm, but not cold, blend this syrup until all the sugar melts either using a whisk or in an elec-tric mixer. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingre-dients with a spoon. Combine both the dry ingre-dients and wet ingredients thoroughly in the mixer or by hand. Grease the bottom and sides of the cooking dish and place the mixture inside of it. When the oven reaches the temperature of 375°f, place the cook-ing dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Once

slightly cool, cut the revani into nine equal square pieces. Then pour the warm syrup on top while the cake is still warm. Use a tablespoon-sized spoon to do this and make sure to do it slowly so the cake absorbs the syrup equally. Let cool and serve the revani with thick cream and pistachios. Keep this dessert in the fridge.

syrup

38 anatolian voice

We have been spending a great deal on the history and current events of the city of İstanbul. In Issue 29 of the Anatolian Voice, Garo Laçin wrote on the unmistakably unique treasures of Byzantine col-umns in his article “İstanbul’da Roma-Bizans Dev-İstanbul’da Roma-Bizans Dev-rine Ait Bilinmeyen Eşsiz Eserler.” This was part of a larger three-part project on Byzantine history that begin with an article on Byzantine gates (Issue 23) and continued through Issues 27–29. These ar-ticles have filled a large gap in the understanding of the city and its extremely long history. Likewise, I have been writing on the cultural productions that people produced about the city. Whether they be photographs of the “City of Felic-ity” (Issue 28) or etchings produced decades earlier (this issue, p. 22), people have been memorializing the city of İstanbul for centuries. We have also focused on the people who inhabit-ed the city of Constantinople. Jason Windes provid-ed a glimpse into the wavering nationalities of the Ottoman imperial court in his piece on Demetrius Ypsilantis (Issue 29), the Ottoman-offical-turned-Greek-patriot. We have spent time on the artists like Levnî (Issue 22), who revolutionized miniature painting; Ottoman women (Issue 25) in their day-to-day lives; and Byzantine gladiators (Issue 28) racing towards near death around the famous Hip-podrome. How will people today, then, memorialize this city? What monuments will they choose and which people will they wish to remember? Will palace in-trigue be replaced by akp urban politics and monu-ments to religion be replaced by monuments to commerce? We shall be moving out of İstanbul for a time in the coming issues and beginning with “Anatolian Ecojustice” (p. 16). New times and places, but we will still pursue the same intriguing stories.

anatolian voicemichigan türk-amer İkan kültür derneğ İ

issue 31 volume 10

editor-in-chief

Erol Zafer Ahmed

contributors

Gaye Özdemir, Serkan Özdemir, Jason Windes, Beste Windes, Erol Ahmed, Leylâ Ahmed, Nurten Ural

published by

The Turkish American Cultural Association of Michiganpo Box 3445, Farmington Hills, mi, 48333-3445

p 248.438.8580 f 248.626.8279e av@tacam.org

www.anatolianvoice.orgPlease inquire about purchasing back issues at $7 each

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TAC AM GOVERNING BOARD2009 – 2010

executive board of directorspresident Leylâ Ahmed

vice-president Beste Windessecretary Hurol Ulupınartreasurer Murat Ulaşır

past-president Didem Şeyhoğlu-Hepaktan

board of directors 2009–2010Ferid Ahmed

Cenk HepaktanGökhan ÖzalpJason WindesEmine Zeren

board of trusteesFeridun Bek 2011

Serkan Özdemir 2011Güner Sarıoğlu 2011

Ali Kayaalp 2010Mine Özalp 2010Aslı Yashin 2010

audit committeeBirsel Küsefoğlu 2011Yesim Kayaalp 2010Hâlide Koçak 2010

Cihangir Taşdemir 2010

erol zafer ahmed2005 – 2010 Editor-in-Chief

Editor’s Letter last word

All statements or comments in the newsletter are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the

Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan

+

¶

39anatolian voice

Turkish AmericanCultural Association

of Michigan

Issue 31 — Volum

e 10A

natolian Ecojustice —

A

Long Affair

The Anatolian Voice is a Publication of the Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan

on t he cov er Miss Julia Pardoe visited Constantinople in the 1830s and recorded her impres-sions for a British market. Depicted here is the fountain of Sultan Ahmet iii, which is nearby Hagia Sophia. Etched by w. h. Bartlett.