i s s u e 31 o f the anatolian voice

i n th is issue

anatolian
th e ur banecojustice
tr agedy
¶
a long affai r
 issue 31

Table of
Contents
volume 10
16
Anatolian Ecojustice

13
Kültür Ocağı

22 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 3
 f or up-t o-dat e i n f orm at ion v i s i t ta c a m . org

2009–2010
schedule of events

May June July August

17 Sunday 19 Mayıs 21 Sunday Father’s Day No Events 15 Saturday Wine tour
picnic 29 Saturday Victory Day
(Zafer Bayramı)

September October November December

12 Saturday Friends of Tur-
key Night
20 Sunday Ramazan
Bayramı celebration
12 Monday Turkish classes 17 Tuesday Tales from Expat tba Holiday Program
for adults begin Harem public reading
18 Sunday Turkish classes 28 Saturday Kurban
for children begin Bayramı celebration
31 Saturday Republic Day
Ball

January 2010 February March April

Happy new year! tba Fundraising program tba Döner night 11 Sunday General Assembly
tba Movie night tba Valentine’s Day party tba Academic summit 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!

4 events
f or more pho t o g r a ph s v i s i t ta c a m . org
Community News
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!
Kayhan Bek Ada Shull
National Sovereignty and Chil-
dren’s Day & General Assembly
W ritten by erol ahmed
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.
open book
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!
Minâ Laçin Burak Arıcıoğlu
Commemoration of Atatürk,
Youth and Sports Day
W ritten by erol ahmed
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!
open book 5
 Wine Tasting Tour Ramazan Bayramı
open book

W ritten by erol ahmed & jason windes W ritten by erol ahmed

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!
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 ritten by erol ahmed & jason windes

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 ritten by erol ahmed

During chilly winter, members of tacam gathered

on January 24, 2009, to watch the stand-up movie
cmylmz starring none other than Cem Yılmaz.

6 open book
 Zafer Bayramı

open book
W ritten by erol ahmed

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!

Father’s Day Picnic

W ritten by erol ahmed

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.
 Leadership Workshop
open book

W ritten by erol ahmed

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.

Döner Night
W ritten by erol ahmed

We welcomed spring on March 21, 2009, at the Glad-

win Center. The evening was not complete without
our wonderful music, cooks and dance!

Valentine’s Day Party

W ritten by erol ahmed

Featuring our wonderful musicians Mine Özalp

and Murat Ulaşır, we gathered on February 14, 2009,
at the spacious Gladwin Center in Ann Arbor.

8 open book
¶ tacam Awarded Grant for Grassroots Activities
W ritten by jason windes
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-
open book
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.
open book 9
open book

¶ Friends of Turkey Night
W ritten by nurten ural
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.
open book
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.”
open book 11
advertisement
 Kültür Ocagı
˘

er i
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iyo on
i n — Lim Arzu
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radyo’da e c C
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1  M öksel rar — eniml yle
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4  M ertab E
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1 Aşk E l İf Ş a fak

2 Abdülmecit Hıfzı Topuz

3 Koloni Jean-C hristophe G rang é

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5 Frankenstein M ary S helley

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Sizi Seviyorum
& Kanımdaki Bârut

kültür ocağı 13
 Gaye & Serkan’dan Seçenekler
A ¸s k
Elif Şafak
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
26.99 tulumba.com’da olarak iş bulur; görevi a.z. Zahara adlı
14.99 tl D&R’de tanınmamış bir yazarın tasavvuf felse-
fesini konu alan tarihi romanını değer-
lendirmektir. Ancak hayatının kritik
M e kt u b u m u B u l d u n m u ?
Göksel
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-
11.99 tl D&R’de lendirmesine rağmen 2000’li yıllar için
sıradışı ve yenilikçi bir albümle müzik
severlerin karşısına çıkmaya hazırlanı-
yor. Besteci kimliğiyle pek çok hit şar-
D ev r i m A ra b a l a r ı
Tolga Örnek
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-
22.99 tulumba.com’da meksizin derhal işe başlanır. Çalışma
17.99 tl D&R’de mekanı olarak Devlet Demiryolları’nın
Eskişehir’deki Cer Atölyesi seçilir. Za-
man müthiş dardır. Ekibin Cumhuriyet
14 kültür ocağı
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.
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.
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.”
 a k e y f ig u re of re v i v i ng o t t om a n a rt,
dr . s ü h e y l ü n v e r dre w cou n t l e s s m o t i f s
l i k e t h e on e b e l ow d on e i n 1 9 5 1

the

A rticles
31 • 10

15
 +
anatolian
ecojustice

W r i t t e n by ja s o n w i n d e s

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.
previous page  Aerial view of Ankara from 2005. Image courtesy
kari through esa.
≠
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.
feature articles 17
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 Ibid., 75.
18 feature articles
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.
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.
feature articles 19
 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.
20 feature articles
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.

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;
the  A rticles
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 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.
feature articles 21
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

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.

feature articles 25
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.

feature articles 27
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.

feature articles 29
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.

feature articles 31
 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.

32 feature articles
feature articles 33
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.

feature articles 35
36 feature articles
 the  A rticles
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.

feature articles 37
 The Turkish Kitchen

re van i
s y rup-s oaked se molina de sse rt
Ingredients (7 servings)

dry Semolina ½ cup

mixture Flour ⅔ cup
Baking powder 1 tbsp.
Granulated sugar ½ cup
wet Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp.
mixture Vanilla extract 1 tsp.
Eggs 4
syrup Granulated sugar 1 cup + 2 tbsp
Water 500 mL 2 cups
Lemon juice 2 tsp.

Set off to the side an 8 × 8 × 2 inch oven-safe dish, slightly cool, cut the revani into nine equal square
such as Pyrex or a cake tray. Preheat your oven to pieces. Then pour the warm syrup on top while the
375 degrees Fahrenheit. cake is still warm. Use a tablespoon-sized spoon to
In a small pot, mix together all the syrup ingre- do this and make sure to do it slowly so the cake
dients. Bring to a boil for a minute or so. Then set absorbs the syrup equally.
aside off the stove to slightly cool. After the mix- Let cool and serve the revani with thick cream
ture is warm, but not cold, blend this syrup until all and pistachios. Keep this dessert in the fridge.
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

Afiyet olsun!
W ritten by leyl â ahmed

38 anatolian voice
Editor’s Letter  last word +

We have been spending a great deal on the history 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
and current events of the city of İstanbul. In Issue i s s u e 3 1 volu m e 10
29 of the Anatolian Voice, Garo Laçin wrote on the
e di t or - i n - ch i e f
unmistakably unique treasures of Byzantine col-
Erol Zafer Ahmed
umns in his article “İstanbul’da Roma-Bizans Dev-
rine Ait Bilinmeyen Eşsiz Eserler.” This was part con t ri b u t or s
of a larger three-part project on Byzantine history Gaye Özdemir, Serkan Özdemir, Jason Windes, Beste Windes,
Erol Ahmed, Leylâ Ahmed, Nurten Ural
that begin with an article on Byzantine gates (Issue
23) and continued through Issues 27–29. These ar- p ub l i s h e d b y
The Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan
ticles have filled a large gap in the understanding of po Box 3445, Farmington Hills, mi, 48333-3445
the city and its extremely long history. p  248.438.8580  f  248.626.8279
Likewise, I have been writing on the cultural e  av@tacam.org
www.anatolianvoice.org
productions that people produced about the city. Please inquire about purchasing back issues at $7 each
Whether they be photographs of the “City of Felic-
a d v e rt i s i n g w i t h u s
ity” (Issue 28) or etchings produced decades earlier Contact tacam for advertising details or visit online at
(this issue, p. 22), people have been memorializing www.tacam.org/sponsorship/
the city of İstanbul for centuries.
We have also focused on the people who inhabit- TAC A M Governing B oard
2 0 0 9 – 2 0 10
ed the city of Constantinople. Jason Windes provid-
e x e c u t i v e b oa rd of di re c t ors
ed a glimpse into the wavering nationalities of the p re s i de n t Leylâ Ahmed
Ottoman imperial court in his piece on Demetrius v ice - p re s i de n t Beste Windes
Ypsilantis (Issue 29), the Ottoman-offical-turned- s e cre ta ry Hurol Ulupınar
t re a s u re r Murat Ulaşır
Greek-patriot. We have spent time on the artists
pa s t - p re s i de n t Didem Şeyhoğlu-Hepaktan
like Levnî (Issue 22), who revolutionized miniature
painting; Ottoman women (Issue 25) in their day- b oa rd of di re c t or s 2 0 0 9 – 2010
Ferid Ahmed
to-day lives; and Byzantine gladiators (Issue 28) Cenk Hepaktan
racing towards near death around the famous Hip- Gökhan Özalp
Jason Windes
podrome.
Emine Zeren
How will people today, then, memorialize this
city? What monuments will they choose and which b oa rd of t r u s t e e s
Feridun Bek 2011
people will they wish to remember? Will palace in- Serkan Özdemir 2011
trigue be replaced by akp urban politics and monu- Güner Sarıoğlu 2011
Ali Kayaalp 2010
ments to religion be replaced by monuments to Mine Özalp 2010
commerce? Aslı Yashin 2010

We shall be moving out of İstanbul for a time in au di t com m i t t e e

the coming issues and beginning with “Anatolian Birsel Küsefoğlu 2011
Yesim Kayaalp 2010
Ecojustice” (p. 16). New times and places, but we Hâlide Koçak 2010
will still pursue the same intriguing stories. Cihangir Taşdemir 2010

erol zafer ahmed All statements or comments in the newsletter are those of the
contributors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the
2005 – 2010 Editor-in-Chief Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan

anatolian voice 39
 Issue 31 — Volume 10
Turkish American
Cultural Association
of Michigan

Anatolian Ecojustice  — 
A Long Affair

The Anatolian Voice on t h e co v e r

Miss Julia Pardoe visited
Constantinople in the 1830s
is a Publication of the and recorded her impres-
sions for a British market.
Turkish American Cultural Depicted here is the fountain
of Sultan Ahmet iii, which
is nearby Hagia Sophia.
Association of Michigan Etched by w. h. Bartlett.