Anatolian Voice Issue 31

I S S U E 31 O F THE

ANATOLIAN VOICE

i n th is issue anatolian th e ur banecojustice tr agedy Âś a long affai r

issue 31

TABL E OF CONTENTS

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volume 10

Anatolian Ecojustice

13 Kültür Ocağı

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9

A Long Affair

Outreach Grant President’s Letter 3 Schedule of Events 4 Open Book 5 Community 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 2

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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.

leylâ ahmed 2009 – 2010 Term

anatolian voice

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f or up-t o-dat e i n f orm at ion v i s i t ta c a m . org

schedule of events

2009–2010 May

June

July

August

17 Sunday 19 Mayıs

21 Sunday Father’s Day picnic

No Events

15 Saturday Wine tour 29 Saturday Victory Day (Zafer Bayramı)

September

October

November

December

12 Saturday Friends of Turkey Night 20 Sunday Ramazan Bayramı celebration

12 Monday Turkish classes for adults begin 18 Sunday Turkish classes for children begin 31 Saturday Republic Day Ball

17 Tuesday Tales from Expat Harem public reading 28 Saturday Kurban Bayramı celebration

tba Holiday Program

January 2010

February

March

April

Happy new year! tba Movie night

tba Fundraising program tba Valentine’s Day party

tba Döner night tba Academic summit

11 Sunday General Assembly 24 Saturday Children’s holiday

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!

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events

f or more pho t o g r a ph s v i s i t ta c a m . org

Community News Aslı Sönmezocak-Yashin and Deniz Başer were honored with awards from the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit on June 19, 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kayhan Bek

Minâ Laçin

Ada Shull

Burak Arıcıoğlu

National Sovereignty and Children’s Day & General Assembly

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day

W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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

In an effort to honor Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk, and to celebrate “Youth Day,” tacam community members 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!

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

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Wine Tasting Tour

Ramazan Bayramı

W R I T T EN BY EROL A HMED & JA SON W INDES

W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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 Harbor vineyards, where we sampled wines from three vineyards. We then ate dinner and enjoyed the famous Silver Beach on Lake Michigan. Tasting wine and mingling with fellow members and guests was a delight that hopefully we can enjoy again!

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.

Canton Diversity Day W R I T T EN BY EROL A HMED & JA SON W INDES

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, educational 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 IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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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open book

W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

Wonderful activities and food? Naturally. tacam celebrated the victory of Turkish troops in securing 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!

Father’s Day Picnic W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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 attended, 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 after their stay here in Michigan.

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Zafer Bayramı

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Leadership Workshop W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

Our free event on leadership best practices was held on March 28, 2009, at the University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies. 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 Biotechnology Business Consultants; Onur Ülgen, president of pmc; and Mümtâz Usmen, interim Dean for the College of Engineering at Wayne State University.

Döner Night W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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

Valentine’s Day Party W R IT TEN BY EROL A HMED

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

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tacam Awarded Grant for Grassroots Activities

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W R I T T EN BY JA SON W INDES

tacam has recently been awarded a $15,000 grant through ataa, with funds provided by the Turkish Coalition of America. The grant is earmarked toward establishing an aggressive and meaningful 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 establish a coordinator position to direct and execute 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 selected Jason Windes, as the candidate grassroots coordinator, 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 September that tacam was one of the three winning component associations, the tacam board formally 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 Mickey 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 organization, which will be composed of a corps of volun-

teers in addition to an advisory committee. This advisory committee will be composed of volunteers who chair the various grassroots sub-committees and other individuals, who have committed to the program. This committee will be the core group of supporters to shape the direction of grassroots activities — in addition to being essential individuals implementing activities and staging events.

In the coming weeks the Grassroots Committee 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 active in the coming months, and tacam begins to achieve the mandated goals according to the ataa grant, members should expect to see more community outreach to state and national politicians; events focused on empowering local Turks and Turkish-Americans in political activism; engagement with local media outlets; and educational initiatives directed towards different communities in Michigan.

If you are interested in learning about ways in which you can contribute to this new and exciting 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 volunteer sign-up page.

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Friends of Turkey Night WRITTEN BY NURTEN UR AL

On September 12, 2009, the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Turkey, Detroit, Nurten Ural, and with the leadership of President Leylâ Ahmed, tacam, had a successful event at the residence 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 Consul 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 music, kept us dancing and singing throughout. The music brought much richness to our evening. A big thank you goes to Herman Hintiryan, who sponsored 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 immigrant in the us has brought its own culture and beliefs. The blending and melding of all these cultures has made us strong and able to learn from each other’s aspects of culture, human life and experiences.

“We would like to foster the awareness of diversity. It is important to learn about different cultures to create peace in the world. ‘Peace at home — peace in the world’ are words of our first President 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.”

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16 Haziran 1961. Devlet Başkanı Cemal Gürsel tümüyle yerli üretim bir otomobil 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 küçük bir tereddüt ya da endişe sergilenmeksizin derhal işe başlanır. Çalışma mekanı olarak Devlet Demiryolları’nın Eskişehir’deki Cer Atölyesi seçilir. Zaman müthiş dardır. Ekibin Cumhuriyet

Bayramı na kadar yalnızca 130 günü vardır. Türkiye’nin ilk yerli otomobili olacak eserin adı da konmuştur: “Devrim.” Devrim Arabaları azmin ve birbirine inanan Türk insanının neleri başarabileceğini gösteren, bu topraklarda yaşanmış bir başarı öyküsüdür. Zaman zaman tebessüm edeceğiniz, zaman zaman gözyaşlarınıza hakim olamayacağınız, izlediğinizde sizde derin duygusal izler bırakacak insanların filmi “Devrim Arabaları.”

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T HE

A RT IC L E S 31 • 10

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anatolian ecojustice

W R I T T E N BY JA S O N W I N D E S

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The land that is now defined as the Republic of Turkey 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 seventeenth 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

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

1

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

Trevor Bryce, Life and Society in the Hittite World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 8.

previous page Aerial view of Ankara from 2005. Image courtesy kari through esa. feature articles

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

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

18

Ibid., 75.

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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 5 6

Ibid., 143–144 Ibid., 145.

Ibid., 73.

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,

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

7

9

Ibid., 260.

8

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

Ibid., 125.

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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.

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

12 Ibid., 18.

T HE A RT IC L E S

glossary of terms source ecojusticeeducation.com

anthropocentrism A 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. commons The 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. enclosure The 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;

expansion of markets; privatization of what were previously public services and maintenance of the commons is the latest expression of enclosure. intergenerational knowledge Its 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 metaphors The languaging processes carry forward past ways of thinking that are based on assumptions unique to the culture; these deeply held and generally 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 interpretative frameworks that survive over many generations 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, patriarchy, 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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A a long affair

¶ Orientalist intrigue, lush backdrops and voyeuristic views envelop the landscapes of İstanbul. One Englishwoman’s travels are but one part in a never ending love of the Golden City.

W R ITTEN BY EROL Z A FER A HMED

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¶ A good city is never finished. İstanbul, or the world of Constantinople, provided countless travelers and members of the city an unending 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, historian, novelist and poet. Her interests ranged from Renaissance history of the Medicis to the intricacies 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 British 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. * * * * * *

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scene from above the new palace of beshik-tash Construction on Dolmabahรงe 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 Sophia 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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mosque of sultana v창lide (from the port) The Yeni V창lide 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 S체leymaniye Mosque. Enchanted by the shoreline of the Bosphorus, Pardoe describes a waterway as congested as the streets of the city.

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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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the floating bridge Leonard da Vinci drew plans in 1502 for a bridge to connect the old city of Constantinople 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.

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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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yeni djami, or mosque of the sultana v창lide It is hard to imagine that such a large scale structure overshadowed 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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T HE   A RT IC L E S

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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The Turkish Kitchen re vani

s y rup-s oaked se molina de sse rt

Ingredients (7 servings)

dry mixture

wet mixture

syrup

Semolina

½ cup

Flour Baking powder Granulated sugar Extra virgin olive oil Vanilla extract

⅔ cup 1 tbsp. ½ cup 1 tbsp.

1 tsp.

Eggs

4

Granulated sugar Water Lemon juice

1 cup + 2 tbsp 500 mL 2 cups 2 tsp.

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 ingredients. Bring to a boil for a minute or so. Then set aside off the stove to slightly cool. After the mixture is warm, but not cold, blend this syrup until all the sugar melts either using a whisk or in an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with a spoon. Combine both the dry ingredients 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 cooking 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.

Afiyet olsun!

WRITTEN BY LEYL Â AHMED

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anatolian voice

Editor’s Letter last word 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 columns in his article “���������������������������� İstanbul’da Roma-Bizans Devrine 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 articles 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 Felicity” (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 inhabited the city of Constantinople. Jason Windes provided a glimpse into the wavering nationalities of the Ottoman imperial court in his piece on Demetrius Ypsilantis (Issue 29), the Ottoman-offical-turnedGreek-patriot. We have spent time on the artists like Levnî (Issue 22), who revolutionized miniature painting; Ottoman women (Issue 25) in their dayto-day lives; and Byzantine gladiators (Issue 28) racing towards near death around the famous Hippodrome.

How will people today, then, memorialize this city? What monuments will they choose and which people will they wish to remember? Will palace intrigue be replaced by akp urban politics and monuments 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.

+ anat oli an voice m ich ig a n t ü rk - a m e r İ k a n k ü lt ü r de rn e ğ İ i s s u e 3 1 volu m e 10

e di t or - i n - ch i e f Erol Zafer Ahmed con t ri b u t or s Gaye Özdemir, Serkan Özdemir, Jason Windes, Beste Windes, Erol Ahmed, Leylâ Ahmed, Nurten Ural p ub l i s h e d b y The Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan po Box 3445, Farmington Hills, mi, 48333-3445 p 248.438.8580 f 248.626.8279 e av@tacam.org www.anatolianvoice.org Please inquire about purchasing back issues at $7 each a d v e rt i s i n g w i t h u s Contact tacam for advertising details or visit online at www.tacam.org/sponsorship/

TAC A M GOV E R NING B OA R D 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 10

e x e c u t i v e b oa rd of di re c t ors p re s i de n t Leylâ Ahmed v ice - p re s i de n t Beste Windes s e cre ta ry Hurol Ulupınar t re a s u re r Murat Ulaşır pa s t - p re s i de n t Didem Şeyhoğlu-Hepaktan b oa rd of di re c t or s 2 0 0 9 – 2010 Ferid Ahmed Cenk Hepaktan Gökhan Özalp Jason Windes Emine Zeren b oa rd of t r u s t e e s Feridun Bek 2011 Serkan Özdemir 2011 Güner Sarıoğlu 2011 Ali Kayaalp 2010 Mine Özalp 2010 Aslı Yashin 2010 au di t com m i t t e e Birsel Küsefoğlu 2011 Yesim Kayaalp 2010 Hâlide Koçak 2010 Cihangir Taşdemir 2010

¶

erol zafer ahmed 2005 – 2010 Editor-in-Chief

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

anatolian voice

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Issue 31 — Volume 10

Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan

Anatolian Ecojustice — A Long Affair

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

on t h e co v e r Miss Julia Pardoe visited Constantinople in the 1830s and recorded her impressions for a British market.

Depicted here is the fountain of Sultan Ahmet iii, which is nearby Hagia Sophia.

Etched by w. h. Bartlett.