GTurkiye

Category: Heritage

  • Fascinating Facts Illustrating Turkey’s Rich Heritage

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    – As an ancient land and modern nation, Turkey today holds and protects the common past of all people.

    – The only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which has been the capital of three great empires – Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman – for more than 2000 years.

    – Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents Europe and Asia. During its 25,000 year history, it has been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires.

    – The number of archaelogical excavations going on in Turkey every year is at least 150.

    – The oldest known human settlement is in Catalhoyuk, Turkey (7500 B.C.).

    – Ephesus and Halicarnassus – two of the seven wonders of the ancient world – are in Turkey.

    – Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Homer (the poet), King Midas, Heredotus (the father of history), and St. Paul the Apostle.

    – Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered) in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.

    – The famous Trojan Wars took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.

    – The first church built by man (St. Peter’s Church) is in Antioch Antakya, Turkey.

    – The Amazons originated in Turkey’s Northeastern region.

    – The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkey.

    – Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tablets – in the ruins of Assyrian Karum (merchant colony) – date back to 1950 B.C.

    – Prophet Abraham was born in Sanliurfa in Southeast Turkey.

    – St. Nicholas, known as Santa Claus today, was born and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The village contains the famous Church of St. Nicholas, which contains the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.

    – Many archeologists and biblical scholars believe Noah’s Ark landed on Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat) in eastern Turkey.

    – The last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding with nearly 40 ingredients, is still served throughout Turkey.

    – The last home of Virgin Mary is in Selcuk, Turkey.

    – St. John, St. Nicholas, St. Paul and St. Peter have all lived and prayed in Southern Anatolia.

    – Part of Turkey’s Southwestern Shore was a wedding gift that Mark Anthony gave to Cleopatra.

    – The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Uskudar in the 17th century.

    – Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey and he depicted Troy in his Epic the Iliad.

    – Suleyman the Magnificent (the famous Ottoman Sultan) was a poet who wrote over 3000 poems some of them criticising the greed of mankind.

    – One of the biggest and best preserved theatres of antiquity seating 15,000 is Aspendos on the southern coast of Turkey where international music festivals are held each year.

    – Aesop – famous all over the world for his fables and parables – was born in Anatolia.

    – Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Bosphorus, the strait that flows through Europe and Asia. (It was never built then; but now there are two Bosphorus bridges.).

    – President Woodrow Wilson was fond of telling some of the tales of Nasreddin Hoca (13th century Turkish wit and raconteur; UNESCO has declared a “Nasreddin Hoca year”, 1996-1997).

    – Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey – and cut the Gordion Knot in the Phrygian capital (Gordium) not far from Turkey’s present day capital Ankara.

    – Greek Cynic philosopher Diogenes was born in Sinop on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast.

    – Croesus – whose name is synonymous with great wealth – had his kingdom (Lydia) in Western Turkey.

    – Smallpox vaccination was introduced to England and Europe from Turkey by Lady Montagu in early 18th century (after Turkish phsycians saved her son’s life).

    – Istanbul’s Robert College, established in 1863, is the oldest American School outside the United States.

    – Throughout history Anatolia – land of Turks has been a bridge between Europe and Asia where people of different origins have come together and mingled with the ones already settled each time creating a new sythesis.

    – Early Christians escaping Roman persecution nearly 2000 years ago sheltered in Cappadocia in Central Anatolia.

    – In 1492 Sultan Beyazid II, learning about the expulsion of Jews dispatched the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to the Ottoman lands. Like wise Jews expelled from Hungary in 1376; from Sicily early in the 15th century; from Bavaria in 1470; from Bohemia in 1542 and from Russia in 1881, 1891, 1897, 1903 all took refuge in the Ottoman Empire.

    – As it was the case during the Bolshevik revolution, Turkey served as a safe passage an haven for those fleeing their native countries during the World War II, Turkey was one of the few countries in the world which welcomed the Jewish refugees escaping the horros of Nazism.

    – During the Gulf War in 1991, Turkey welcomed nearly half a million Kurds from Northern Iraq, who were fleeing the torment of Saddam.

    – Turkey provided homes for some 313,000 Bulgarian refugees of Turkish origin expelled from their homelands in Bulgaria in 1989.

    – According to Turkish tradition a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered “A Guest from ALLAH” and should be accommodated accordingly.

  • Where can I find information on Festivals, Fairs and other Events in Turkey?

    There are more than 100 festivals in Turkey every year. In addition to the local festivals organized in almost every city of the country, international culture and art festivals are held in major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya. Istanbul is the most important center in Turkey of international culture and art festivals.

    Information on the principle Turkish international art and culture festivals and other important events can be found at www.turkey.org (click on Travel and Tourism Calender and Weather section) The Istanbul Culture and Art Foundation’s web site, www.istfest.org, gives detailed information on their festivals in Istanbul. In recent years, Turkey has been very popular with the congress tourism market, and Turkey hosts more congresses, fairs and conventions every year. With over 50 airlines flying to Turkey and most major European cities just a two or three hour flight away, Istanbul has become the venue of choice for many conventions and exhibitions.

    Istanbul offers the 5,000-person capacity Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Center (ICEC), two fair and exhibition halls, the International Exhibition Center (CNR) and the Fair and Congress Center (TUYAP), and numerous five star hotels with convention facilities. Istanbul can host 25,000 conference and exhibition delegates and visitors at any one time.

    For more information on ICEC, CNR, TUYAP and for a calendar of fairs and exhibitions at these centers, visit their web sites: www.icec.org, www.itf-exhibitions.com, and www.tuyap.com A list and a calendar of all fairs throughout Turkey can be found at www.igeme.org.tr (the calendar of fairs is in Turkish).

  • Ahmet Gazi Theology School and Turbe (Mausoleum), Milas

    Turbe (Mausoleums)
    Abdulaziz Agalar Turbe, Ahmet Gazi Turbe, Buharali Bedrettin Turbe and seyh Dede Turbe are the first Turbe valuable to see in Milas.

    Ahmet Gazi Medrese (Theology School)
    According to the inscriptions, it is constructed in 1375, by Mentese Ruler, Tacettin Ahmet Gazi. Main courtyard of the theology school is a visiting place, which is assumed as holy by natives.

  • Traditional Milas Houses

    Most of the Milas houses are remained from 19th century and generally have an irregular big or small sized courtyard. Upper floors of two floor houses are exceeds to street like balconies. There is absolutely a floor furnace within each Milas houses. Shafts are also an exceptional architectural samples. External walls and garden walls of the houses are painted with whitewash. On the Izmir exit of province at Burgaz District, Abdulaziz Agalar Villa is still standing and its masonry sample composing consoles are attractive.

  • The moonscaped region of Cappadocia unique for geological features called fairy chimneys

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    Cappadocian region is the place where the nature and history come together with most beautiful scene in the world. While geographic events are forming Peribacaları (fairy chimneys), during the historical period, humans had carried the signs of thousand years old civilizations with carving houses and churches within these earth pillars and decorating them with frisks.

    During the Roman Emperor, Augustus period, territories of Cappadocian Region as a wide region lying till to the Toros Mountains at south, Aksaray at west, Malatya at east and Eastern Black Sea shores at north within the 17 volume book named ‘Geographika’ of Strabon, one of the Antic Period writers. Today’s Cappadocian Region is the area covered by Nevsehir, Aksaray, Nigde, Kayseri, and Kirsehir cities. More limited area, rocky Cappadocian Region is composed of Uchisar, Goreme, Avanos, Urgup, Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Ihlara and environment.

    Traditional Cappadocian houses and dovecotes carved into stones are showing the uniqueness of the region. These houses are constructed on the feet of the mountain via rocks or cut stones. Rock, which is the only construction material of the region, as it is very soft after quarry due to the structure of the region, can be easily processed but after contact with air it hardens and turns into a very strong construction material.

    cappadocia-turkey

    Due to being plentiful and easy to process of the used material, regional unique masonry is developed and turned into an architectural tradition. Materials of neither courtyard nor house doors is wood. Upper parts of the doors built with arches are decorated with stylized ivy or rosette motifs.

    Dovecotes within the region are small structures constructed within 18th century and end of 19th century. Some of the dovecotes, which are important for showing Islamic picture art are constructed as monastery or church. Surfaces of dovecotes are decorated with rich inscriptions and adornments by regional artists.

  • Traditions, Customs and Religion in Safranbolu

    The philosophy of life inspired by traditions, customs and religion is to be content with very little. People of Safranbolu are thrifty; they have no tendency for luxury. Simplicity is everywhere. They sit and work on the floor, sleep in laid on the floor and eat at low tables. There is not much furniture in the homes. Even ornamentation is mostly limited to the properties such as color and texture of the materials used, thus preserving their natural appearance. Consequently it is difficult to tell a rich man’s house from a poor man’s. In spite of simplicity, however, there is an evident abundance. Food is plentiful and lots of variety; rooms are many and large; even their houses are double, It is a healthy, problem-free society all in all.

  • Ironmongery in Safranbolu

    Ironmongers, which even today exist in the market area, were in a well established branch of activity in the old days. Farming equipment, metal parts of harnesses, tools for wood and leather working, household utensils, tools and building elements such as axes, adzes, gimlets, hammers, nails, screws, hinges, locks, door handles, door knocks, iron hooks for window shutters latches and hooks etc… used in building construction were manufactured in the ironmongers’ market.

    Coppersmiths
    Safranbolu was the copper market of the area. The shops which sell ready-made copperware today formerly produced all these themselves.

  • Saddlers and Leather Workers in Safranbolu

    Saddlers and Leather Workers: Horses and donkeys which were important means of transport were used in great numbers in and Safranbolu 46. For this reason saddle and harness making was a common field of production. The producers of saddles and harnesses were gathered in two separate streets in the carsi, called “semerciler ici” and “saraclar ici”, names denoting the crafts excersised within. It is known that in 1923 there were 120 people engaged in saddle-making.

    There still are a few saddle-makers today .

    Farriers
    As each household owned at least one or two saddle-horses, there was a sufficient number of farriers engaged in horse-shoeing.

  • Leather Manufacturing in Safranbolu

    The most significant area of production in Safranbolu was leather and leather goods. There is no records as to when leather production actually began in Safranbolu. It can be assumed however that the valley of the Tabakhane stream has been used for leather-tannig, being extremely suitable from many aspects: the topography both conceals the unattractive sight of the tannery and prevents the unpleasent odours from reaching the mean settlement areas while the stream provides a natural recipient for contaminated water. The Ottomans were at a considerably advenced level in leater manufacturing until the end of the 18th century.

    Mordtmann notes that leather manufacturing had an economic value for Safranbolu in 1852 and 84 tanneries are listed in 1890. Considering that the population was around 7500 during the same period, leather tanning appears to be a very intensive area of manufacture. Being somewhat protected from external influences along with the delayed impact of industrialization on leather manufacturing this line of production continued to prosper in Safranbolu up to the middle of the 20th century. Although the guilds were abolished by law in 1910 it was quite some time before their influence within the traditions died out.

    Later the export of partly treated leather to Europe became profitable and many a rich merchant emerged from amongst those in this trade. According to the booklet published by the Safranbolu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 415 workers were employed in a hundred tanneries. 430 people worked as shoe-makers, slipper-makers and in leather tailoring. Semi-manufactured leather of various kinds, graded from very fine to coarse leather worth 84.600 Ottoman liras were exported while 17.900 Ottoman liras worth of glazed and patent leather was imported from Europe. Hides of cows, bulls, goats and sheep worth 56.000 Ottoman liras were purchased from the area. There were 16 merchants dealing in leather goods in general and 5 merchants dealing specifically in footwear.

    During the same years the Safranbolu Tanners Company was about to complete a leather factory which unfortunately functioned for only a very short period. The change of fashion in footwear and the mass production of less costly rubber shoes for the villagers decreased the importance of shoe making. The semi-manufactured leather products products could not compete with the products of the factories established in various places in Anatolia. Finally, the establishment of the nearby Iron and Steel Factory nearly brought an end leather manufacturing.

    The Tannery: It is situated within a valley along a stream, the Tabakhane which means tannery. It has its own mosque and coffee-house . The chemical content of the water springing from beneath the mosque is suitable for tanning. The hides left in natural or man-made pits alongside the valley mature within a certain period of time. Tanning is a time consuming and wearying job. Those working in this field were organised within the guild system.

    The best raw hides gathered from the area were transformed into leather of the finest quality after being treated. Traditional methods were employed in leather treatement. Today there are two workshops using the traditional methods which operate from time to time along with two others utilizing machinery. The leather treated in the tanneries was purchased by the shoemakers, saddlers and manufacturers of leather goods.

  • Safranbolu Houses

    The Location of Safranbolu and Its Neighbouring Provinces, Sub-provincesand Villages
    Safranbolu is a sub-provincial centre in the north-western Black Sea region, located at the cross-section of the 41°16′ northern latitude and 32°41′ eastern longitude. According to the present administrative system the neighbouring provinces are: Zonguldak, Kastamonu, Cankiri, Bolu; and the sub-provinces are: Karabuk, Eflani, Ulus, Bartin, Arac, Eskipazar, Bulak, Tokatli, Gayiza (Incekaya), Danakoy, Ciftlik, Kirpe (Duzce), Yazi, Konari, Yuruk, Akveren, Ogulveren, Davutobasi, cercen, Hacilarobasi, Bostanbuku, Karit, Baskoy, Kilavuzlar and Kapullu are some of the villages in the same region. Among these Bulak, Tokatli, Gayiza, Danakoy, Yazi, Konari, Yuruk, Karit, Bostanbuku and Kilavuzlar are of special significance to Safranbolu (Safranbolu Map). Yuruk village has long been an important centre close to Safranbolu, with its large houses and the labour it supplies to Istanbul, primarily in bakery.

    Sources of Building Materials

    Stone
    The stone used in building construction is obtained from the limestone rocks in the area. This hard, blue stone is utilized also for the manufacture of good quality lime. Another local material, “kufunk”, a porous, lightweight stone is used as infill in the wood-frame construction and also for building chimneys; being easily sawed into shape.

    Adobe
    Although every type of soil could be used in making adobe, those made out of the soil brought specifically from Koprucek were preferred.

    Tiles
    Roof tiles were hand-shaped in the villages of cercen, Bostanbuku and camlica, and burnt in kilns.

    Wood .
    Looking at the houses in Safranbolu we can see that very good quality wood has been generously used. Even today, more than half of the surrounding area is covered with forests. We can definitely say that this ratio was much higher in the old days. Today, 38 percent of the trees within the Karabuk Forestry Management Area are firs, 30 percent beeches, 20 percent pines and 9 percent oaks.

    Wood used in construction is mainly fir and pine; walnut and poplar have also been used sparingly. Orders for the required wood for buildings were made to mountain villages such as Gayiza, Tokatlikoy, Danakoy, Karaevli, Susundur, Aricak and Baskoy. They shaped the lumber which they had already felled with axes, and then fastening them to sides of mules brought it down mountain trails. Oxen pulled down the thicker trees. Wood was cut either with hand saws or at saw-mills. In the first half of the 20th century there were three saw-mills in Danakoy.

    Mortars Lime: Good quality lime is produced from the blue limestones in the area which are burned in the forest land near Gayiza.

    Mud mortar: It is produced from every type of soil in the same way as adobe clay is prepared.

    Historical Buildings of Significance
    No records have yet been encountered regarding any buildings from the Byzantine times in Safranbolu. Probably, the Hagios Stephanos church (Ulucami) in Kirankoy was built by Theodora. The Eski Cami mosque may have been transformed from a Byzantine church. The remains of buildings belonging to the Turks start from the Candarogullari period. These have undergone various repairs and transformations through time. Only the most significant buildings are listed below.

    Religious Buildings
    There are around 30 mosques. The oldest one is the Suleyman Pasa Camii (Eski Cami) mosque from the Candarogullari period (14th century). The other most important ones are Koprulu Mehmet Pasa mosque (1662), Izzet Mehmet Pasa mosque (1779).

    Educational Buildings
    The Suleyman Pasa Madrasa (14th century) of which only the foundations exist today, is the only educational building worth noting.

    Social Buildings
    Cinci Hoca Hani (Cinci Hodja Caravanserai 17th century), Eski Hamam (Old Baths 14th century), Yeni Hamam (New Baths, 17th century). In addition to these buildings, approximately 180 fountains and 15 bridges can be listed. Looking at these structures, we can assume that Safranbolu began to gain signifiance in the 14th century. It attracted the attention of some prominent statesmen starting from the 17th century through the 18th century; and since then, with the increase in its own economic power, continued to add many more buildings, mostly small mosques and fountains, to the existing stock.