Makaleler

THE MEMORIES OF ARMENIAN OLYMPIANS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Ottoman Armenians distinguished themselves in sports during the early 20th century with successful sportsmen representing the empire at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics
24 Şubat 2017 Cuma

RUMELIAN TURKS: OTTOMAN MIGRANTS FROM BALKANS TO ANATOLIA

After the Ottoman Empire lost its territory in Rumelia, now referred to as the Balkans, Turks living there migrated to Anatolia over times. However, Turkish existence in Rumelia dates back, even before the arrival of the Ottomans
17 Şubat 2017 Cuma

IN THE PURSUIT OF ROYAL OTTOMAN FAMILY'S TANGLED INHERITANCE

The grandchildren of Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II's claim on the properties owned by the late sultan have been the subject of an ongoing debate. In the early 20th century, the sultan's personal treasury was seized, and since then the royal members have sought the return of their ancestor's personal properties, which has been denied
10 Şubat 2017 Cuma

MUHAMMED ALI PASHA'S CAIRO AND EGYPT UNDER OTTOMAN RULE

Until the early 16th century, Egypt was ruled by the Mamluk Sultanate and it became an Ottoman province in 1517. Under Ottoman rule, Muhammad Ali Pasha was the most influential name in Egypt, and his family ruled the region for more than a century
3 Şubat 2017 Cuma

JOURNEY OF TOBACCO FROM THE CARIBBEAN TO OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Tobacco, an important crop in Turkish agriculture, was introduced to the Ottoman Empire by European merchants in the late 16th century. Tobacco consumption became widespread in a short period of time, but there were several attempts to ban smoking for various reasons
27 Ocak 2017 Cuma

CYPRUS DISPUTE: AN ISLAND AT A CROSSROADS

Reunification talks on Cyprus, a divided island in the Mediterranean Sea, are back on the table with Turkey, the U.K. and Greece. Through the ages, this small island has remained at a critical junction with long-term Turkish influence
20 Ocak 2017 Cuma

Graves of Ottoman princes, sons of Sultan Abdulhamid II in ruins in France’s Bobigny cemetery

The historic graveyards containing the remains of the sons of the 34th Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II are on the verge of being lost for ever.
18 Ocak 2017 Çarşamba

A FAREWELL TO LAST HEIR OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE PRINCE OSMAN BAYEZID

Osman Bayezid Osmanoğlu, the 44th head of the Ottoman family, died at the age of 92 last Friday in New York. A humble and intellectual person, he was born in exile but used to visit Istanbul in his later life
13 Ocak 2017 Cuma

New heir to the former Ottoman throne witnesses horrors of Syrian civil war in Damascus

The new heir to the throne of the scattered Ottoman dynasty, which once ruled the strongest empire in the world, has witnessed the horrors of the Syrian civil war since 2011 in his native Damascus.
10 Ocak 2017 Salı

OTTOMAN-ERA CLOCK TOWERS TELLING TIME FROM BALKANS TO MIDDLE EAST

Dozens of clock towers adorned Ottoman cities around the empire for centuries. They have remained a symbol of Ottoman modernization. Many of them were built during the late Ottoman period
6 Ocak 2017 Cuma

ALEPPO: AN ANCIENT CITY RUINED IN MODERN-ERA DESTRUCTION

Damage to Syria's cultural heritage has been widely reported since the outbreak of the war. With UNESCO World Heritage sites, Aleppo has lost its great architectural beauty, some of which had been built by court architect Mimar Sinan during the Ottoman period
23 Aralık 2016 Cuma

THE HISTORY OF ROWING ALONG THE BOSPORUS IN OTTOMAN ISTANBUL

In the Ottoman Empire, rowing races on the Bosporus, mainly on the Golden Horn, were very popular with a history going back to the 16th century. The Moda Bay in Istanbul later became a hot spot for rowing where professional teams fiercely competed. The teams also appeared in international games
16 Aralık 2016 Cuma

TEA: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A TURKISH OBSESSION

Without any doubt, tea is a way of life for Turkish people. In the late 19th century, tea used to be a luxury commodity. It was in early 1900 that tea cultivation began in northeastern Anatolia and it quickly spread around the region, becoming a cultural beverage that is consumed any time of the day
10 Aralık 2016 Cumartesi

THE EVOLUTION OF OTTOMAN-ERA SECRET SERVICES

The root of the modern-day intelligence service in Turkey dates back to the Ottoman era, most notably to the 19th century. During the reign of different emperors, the structure of the intelligence service was changed. Countless spies disguised as illusionists, beggars or dervishes were among the intelligence network of Sultan Abdülhamid II
2 Aralık 2016 Cuma

HISTORIC FOUNTAINS AND WATER CULTURE IN OTTOMAN ISTANBUL

While touring Istanbul's historic sights, encountering old fountains designed in the period's architectural style is inevitable. Fountains in Ottoman Istanbul were where the public could freely get water and perform ablution before prayers
25 Kasım 2016 Cuma

MUMMIES OF ANATOLIA STILL A MATTER OF INTEREST

Having been used by numerous civilizations to preserve the body after death, the technique of mummification was also practiced in Anatolia. Although different from the one in ancient Egypt, embalming was also performed on rulers in certain Anatolian civilizations
11 Kasım 2016 Cuma

AGE OF FIRE: THE DISASTER THAT MENACE OTTOMAN CITIES

Of all the disasters that hit Ottoman cities, fire was the most destructive. City-dwellers were experienced in preventing fires as well as saving valuable property
4 Kasım 2016 Cuma

HEJAZ RAILWAY: A HISTORIC LINE TO ISLAM'S HOLIEST CITIES

Built upon the order of Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdulhamid II, the Hejaz Railway provided a modern means to transport pilgrims to Mecca and Medina by replacing old camel caravans as well as served to strengthen relations in the Islamic world
28 Ekim 2016 Cuma

BIRDHOUSES: MINIATURE MANSIONS OF ISTANBUL

A very compassionate offering to feathered friends, the history of bird houses adorning mosques, inns and bridges around Turkey go back a long way. An important expression of love for animals, these birdhouses are an element of Ottoman-era architecture with their intricate designs and tiny architecture
21 Ekim 2016 Cuma

SPORTS CULTURE IN OTTOMAN SOCIETY

Early in the 14th century, sports competitions in the Ottoman Empire mostly involved war games. In later centuries, football clubs were established and matches became common. In the final decades, paddling, gymnastics and fencing gained popularity at the imperial palace and schools
14 Ekim 2016 Cuma

TURQUERIE: EVOLUTION OF TURKISH THEME IN EUROPEAN ART, STYLE

In 18th-century Europe, especially with the arrival of Ottoman embassies to the royal courts, Turkish fashion, also named 'Turquerie,' emerged sumptuously influencing fine arts, architecture and music
7 Ekim 2016 Cuma

THE BALYAN FAMILY: ARMENIAN MASTERS BEHIND OTTOMAN ARCHITECTURE

The Balyan family was one of the most well-known Armenian families during the Ottoman era. Coming from Central Anatolia, family members served as imperial architects for years and are remembered as the masterminds behind many palaces, mosques and barracks like the Dolmabahçe Mosque and the Beylerbeyi Palace
30 Eylül 2016 Cuma

WORLD'S FIRST HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Islam is a religion that prioritizes and gives great importance to science and education. The world's first higher education institutions were established by Muslims in the Islamic world, setting examples for future universities in Europe
23 Eylül 2016 Cuma

THE KULELI INCIDENT: AN OTTOMAN COUP ATTEMPT

Although it is a lesser-known story in the Ottoman history and relatively unexamined one, the Kuleli Incident was recognized as a coup attempt to topple Sultan Abdülmecid by a secret committee including soldiers and religious men
16 Eylül 2016 Cuma

THE SOCIAL DIVIDE BEHIND THE SYRIAN WAR

The Alawites, also called Nusayri is a Shiite offshoot, makes up around 10 percent of Syria's population. The Assad family ruling Syria for years comes from the Alawite background. The ongoing war that has turned Syria into a firestorm also has a religious side accompanied by sectarian cleansing
9 Eylül 2016 Cuma

SYRIA: FROM THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATİION TO CHAOS OF WAR

In ancient times, Syria was a land of trade, culture and flourishing civilizations. Throughout the centuries, the area was under the rule of different powers from Romans to Seljuks, being home to numerous world heritage sites. This sacred land is now witnessing this century's worst conflict
2 Eylül 2016 Cuma

FEB 28: A 'POST-MODERN' COUP OF RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OPRESSION

The military's ultimatum on Feb. 28, 1997 brought another period of oppression in Turkey, this time for the conservative majority. Called as the 'post-modern coup,' the military ousted the Welfare Party-led government and many people faced impediments in education, working and social life
26 Ağustos 2016 Cuma

1971 MILITARY MEMORANDUM: A POLITICAL DOWNTURN

In the late 1960s, Turkey was experiencing hard times economically that brought unrest around the country. On March 12, 1971, a military memorandum was issued to ‘restore order,' but it is widely referred to as the military's second intervention in the Republican era eleven years after the 1960 coup
19 Ağustos 2016 Cuma

THE 1980 COUP: FEARFUL PERIOD AMID POLITICAL CRACKDOWN

The coup orchestrated by the right-wing junta under Gen. Kenan Evren hit Turkey on Sept. 12, 1980, causing unrest accompanied by a flow of arrests, torture, extrajudicial killing and political and social crackdown
12 Ağustos 2016 Cuma

THE 1960 COUP: FIRST ATTACK ON TURKISH DEMOCRACY

The 1960 coup was the first coup in Turkey's history, at a time when tensions between the government and the opposition were high and the ruling Democrat Party led by Prime Minister Menderes was losing power. On May 27, the military toppled the government and the prime minister and president were tried for treason. Menderes was executed
8 Ağustos 2016 Pazartesi