Arrow to Turk, sword to Samurai

Defense, sports and poetry coming together and then disappearing in the period of the Turkish modernization? I am talking about the archery tradition in Turkey that developed very different than in the West. It was first used by Turks as an offensive weapon given the nomadic life on horseback in their homeland of Central Asia. With the advance of firearms, however, its offensive function faded away in the 17^th century. Nevertheless, the Turks were the first in history that practiced recreational and sportive archery (flight shooting). For that purpose, they established okmeidans (literally meaning “square of arrow”) in Edirne and Bursa, the capitals of the Ottoman Empire in 15^th century.

Urban "development" is endangering the remaining archery stones.

Fine example of an archery stone in Okmeydanı, Istanbul.

Notice the arrows on the top of the archery stone
built for the success of Mahmut II, Istanbul.

A postcard from 19th century showing the same stone of Mahmut II.
(Special thanks to TT.)

Turks' methods of archery were so advanced that in target shooting they could shoot as far as 165-250 meters while in distance shooting they reached 600 meters. If one bares in mind that today in the Olympics the distance shotting range is 70-90 meters, one can understand their sophistication. Indeed, archery was practiced on the basis of a guild system that required a license to shoot in certain ranges. For instance, in order to be able to shoot in Okmeydanı, a license had to be obtained first which would be issued only if someone could  already reach 594 m.

Another stone soon to fall victim to urban "development" in Istanbul.

Shooting was practiced in sects where Sufism, mystic principles in Islam, reigned. There were also other rituals. A record was commemorated with an archery stone erected in the name of the archer in the presence of witnesses. Further, the stone would include a poem reciting the weather conditions and other praise. Just like surfers wait for certain kinds of wind, archers also did. Golden Horn as a natural harbor allowed a micro climate to form around it, its hilltop district Okmeydani therefore become the location of choice for archers. The stones around the district thus erected contain pieces of poetry on them. While they can be seen as pieces of art they also document the history of sports visible also in previous Ottoman spheres of influence such as Cairo, Skopje, Belgrade, Sofia and Haleppo. For more: click here.

This archery stone built by Selim III is located in Aynalıkavak
and is overlooking the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

A poem by Sultan Selim III (using nickname Ilhami).

Examples of Turkish bows in Military Museum in Istanbul.

All these practices are documented in the reports of ambassadors as well as miniatures that depict archery skills such as Partian shot (done by turning back while riding a horse). In fact, Sultans themselves were archers: especially Mehmet the Conqueror and Mahmut II as evinced by many stones erected in his name. However, sultans also had to respect the guild tradition. In the 19^th century, archery began to slowly fade out but its seal of death was the closing of all sects with the Republic.

The miniature depicting the famous Partian shot
done by turning back while riding a horse.

Today, no one is qualified enough to obtain a license let alone reach past glories of shooting over 800 meters. Okmeydanı, a square full of records, is under the threat of urban development. From the 300 or so stones today there are only 26 left. While the old sect building is being renovated and a museum dedicated to archery will be established in it, the remaining stones in the neighborhood will be removed to the museum to save them from further destruction. Meanwhile, the Military Museum in Istanbul and the Topkapı Palace Weapons collection seem to have a good collection  of arrows while the courtyard of the mosque in Teşvikiye houses stones of Selim III and Mahmut II in protected environments. The tradition lives only with street names in Istanbul such as "Kemankeş" (archer) or in the language with sayings such as: “dikili bir taşım yok” (I do not even have a stone erected on my name); “kemankeşe bir söz yeter” (one word is enough for the archer), “ok yaydan çıktı” (the arrow is out of the bow). Samurais wouldn’t approve of that.

Special thanks to Fest Turizm. For more on archery, click here.

The raid of Sublime Porte and my moment of truth

The governor's building in Istanbul, the former Sublime Porte.

The Sublime Porte, the offices that formed part of the administration in the Ottoman Empire serve today as the office of the Governor of Istanbul. Located in the heart of the Old City, the building is closed to visits by the public but thanks to a tour that allowed access to a few privileged, I was able to see few rooms that have been opened for us. While we were admiring the newly renovated building, I realized I stood in a historically important room that was raided in 1913.

Reception room of the Sublime Porte in Istanbul.

The office desk of Prime Minister Cevat Pasha (1881-95).

The banquets at the governor's office in Istanbul are held here.

The victims of the raid were various pashas and ministers who were in a meeting when killed at gunpoint. The pretext for the raid was their failure in the Balkan War which lead to the loss of important Balkan territory of the Empire. Raiders, on the other hand, were members of the Committee of Union and Progress. According to some, they were power hungry self-appointed military men who started terrible traditions in Turkey such as military coups (the raid can be called one) among other things. According to others, they were patriots who would do anything to save their country. The fact that Atatürk (as the founder of modern Turkey) as well as the heroes of the War of Independence were former members of the Committee contributes to this perception.

The offices of the governor in Istanbul as recently renovated.

The perception gap between the two versions of the Committee notwithstanding, the raid in the Sublime Porte had important political consequences for Turkey. After the raid until the end of the First World War, the Committee (and not the Sultan) controlled the Ottoman government. Some of the decisions it took in militaristic style led to many disasters that remain controversial today such as the Armenian Genocide as well as the decision to join the First World War which led to the ruin of the Empire. In the end, two main figures of the raid (Enver and Talat Pashas) had to flee the country and the latter was assasinated by an Armenian. Their remains were brought to Turkey in 1948 and 1996 respectively.

One of the walls at the Monument of Liberty in Caglayan, Istanbul
dedicated to the Ottoman constitution of 1877.

The grave of Enver Pasa by the Monument of Liberty in Istanbul.

The Monument of Liberty in Istanbul at Caglayan.

The grave of Talat Pasha at Monument of Liberty in Istanbul.

At the time of the visit, all this passed through my mind without a second thought. However, my moment of truth came a month later when I saw where the two men were buried. It was in Caglayan neighborhood of Istanbul by the Monument of Liberty erected to commemorate the dead that fought off what was claimed to be a religious uprising. Interestingly, the two men had other dignitaries as neighbors whose remains were also brought from far away places. First to mention is Midhat Pasha, the drafter of the Ottoman constitution of 1877 whose remains were transferred in 1951 from Saudi Arabia where he died in exile. Second is Mahmut Şevket Pasha (and his two bodyguards) who was put by the Committee in charge of government after the raid. Just like Enver and Talat Pashas, he too was later assassinated. There were also other Committee members.

Another Committe dignitary hailing from the Balkans,
Ohrid (today's FYROM) at the Monument of Liberty.

Mahmut Shevket Pasha's grave who was appointed
by the Committe after the raid.

The newly built court house of Istanbul right behind the
Monument of Liberty in Istanbul.

While this probably explains to which view of the Committee the government of Turkey subscribes, the gigantic new neighbor of the Monument is even more telling: The Palace of Justice of Istanbul. Hailed as the biggest courthouse in Europe by the government, it overlooks the park and the Monument. It almost seems like the justice system is entrusted to the watch of the Committee whose members used to pledge alliance to it with a rifle and Quran. Whether this has any connection with justice let alone liberty is ofcourse another question. 

Ottoman Archives as a tourist destination

Visitors to Istanbul beware! You are into visiting the Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque, St. Sophia and the Hypodrome. All that is fine but you are probably walking by a building everyday without even noticing its importance. Located in the heart of the Old City, in an unassuming building behind the cistern, lies a great treasure that only few know about. This is the Ottoman archives building that hosts over 150 million documents.

Renovation section at Ottoman Archives in Istanbul
is busy reparing damaged documents.

The building is not open to the public for visits but available for scholars who can master the old Ottoman Turkish written with Arabic alphabet. This language, a mix of Persian, Arabic and Turkish was used in the official correspondence of the Ottoman Empire. Gaining access through a special project of an architectural magazine, I decided to use this post to show some of the documents in the building as I was amazed myself by the work being done.

A Sultan Mahmud II issued document at
Ottoman archives in Istanbul.

The document on the left hand corner
has the handwriting of Sultan Mahmud II: "carry it out".

Some documents awaiting classification in the
Ottoman Archives in Istanbul.

Our very knowledgeable guide explains us how to tell what the document is at Ottoman Archives in Istanbul.

When we entered the building, we first went to the renovation section. This is where they are renovating documents that have been damaged by flood, fire and worms. We then went to the classification section. Here documents are being classified as either a document of merit or document of numbers. As the expert explained, documents had initials, symbols and signs indicating what they were. As he put it: “nothing is for no reason, everything is in the system”, showing a long running state tradition. For instance, the top of every document was reserved for God. However, if the document was a circulating one, it might fall to floor. Therefore, god’s name was written inconspicuously. However, in a document that was to remain with the owner such as a license, god’s name was written openly. The reason for the archives to have these documents was that the license was valid through the rein of the Sultan. When a new Sultan came to power, the old was taken into the archive.

This is a document of numbers,
relating to bookkeeping at Ottoman Archives.

This is a license, written with gold because it
pertains to cleaning in holy territories.

And this is from Sultan Selim III, notice the
Islamic art tezhib (decoration) next to signature.

Those making wishes to the authority figures wrote on the bottom of the document. The higher up one went, the higher the hierarchy on the paper became. The language used on the documents was also different according to the person signing it. If it is the Sultan, he says: “carry it out”. If it’s the sadrazam (his representative), it says “it has been ordered”. The signature of the sultan is called “tugra” and says: always victorious while symbolizing the Ottoman territory and the world.  

It is this unassuming building in the Old City
that hosts these pieces of treasure from the Ottoman
Archives  in Istanbul.

Access to some of the archives are also through this
marvellous gate in Sultanahmet in Istanbul.

It is sad that all these documents and information are inaccessible to the public. At the same time, even if they were, the documents would still be incomprehensible given Turkey's adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1928.  Yes, we Turks today are unable to read these documents. All the more reason for introduction of guided tours of Ottoman Archives, perhaps?