Makaleler

POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN THE OTTOMAN SOCIETY

In the past when political opposition and the press were nonexistent, Ottoman scholars were the ones who warns the administration of issues when they arose, while poets and artists created a culture of criticism by employing their sharp tongues and wit
26 Mayıs 2017 Cuma

MAY 19: START OF THE ANKARA MOVEMENT

'Nutuk' (The Great Speech), which is regarded as one of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's and defense for defining moments reforms, begins with the line, 'I landed in Samsun on May 19, 1919,' what is considered the beginning of the Ankara movement in the official schematic of revolution history
19 Mayıs 2017 Cuma

BEING A TRADESMAN NOT AN EASY JOB IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Tradesmen held an important position in Ottoman society. Together with merchants, they formed a central group that led and prevented changes in political and social life
12 Mayıs 2017 Cuma

SPRING IS FINALLY HERE: HIDIRELLEZ

Hıdırellez was once the most lively and fun days of the year, providing children with memories that lasted a lifetime
5 Mayıs 2017 Cuma

SABBATAISM AND DOENMEHS IN OTTOMAN SOCIETY

A significant number of Jews, most of whom had escaped Spanish persecution in 1492, lived in the Ottoman lands. They spoke a mixed language of Hebrew and Spanish, called Ladino and mostly lived in Thessaloniki, Izmir and Istanbul
28 Nisan 2017 Cuma

OTTOMAN HUMANITARIAN AID TO THE IRISH GRIPPED BY FAMINE

It may be surprising to see the star and crescent on the emblem of Irish football club Drogheda, but this emblem has a story dating back to the Irish famine of 1847
21 Nisan 2017 Cuma

GREAT COLONIAL EMPIRE ESTABLISHED BY A SMALL COUNTRY

The great colonial empire established by the Netherlands and the policy it practiced in the lands, which measure 40 times larger than its own, overshadowed its humanist history. The rising trend of fascism in the country is being followed with astonishment and concern
14 Nisan 2017 Cuma

CALLIGRAPHY AS INCORPOREAL PROTECTOR OF OTTOMAN HOUSES

Calligraphy, the art of writing, was more than just art that decorated the walls during the Ottoman times. The teachings and the names written in calligraphy were believed to protect the house
7 Nisan 2017 Cuma

MODERN INSURANCE SYSTEM HAS ITS ROOTS IN MEDIEVAL ANATOLIA

A few centuries ago, protecting roads in Anatolia was honorable work for its people, which led to the establishment of a primitive accident insurance system
24 Mart 2017 Cuma

PRINTING PRESS AS A TURKISH INVENTION

Although it is commonly believed that the printing press is Johann Gutenberg's invention, Buddhists and Muslims had been using the magic of the printing press for centuries. The Ottoman's late transition to the printing press, on the other hand, is directly related to the magnificent work of calligraphists and aesthetic pleasure
17 Mart 2017 Cuma

THE PALESTINE ISSUE THAT COST SULTAN ABDULHAMID II THE OTTOMAN THRONE

In the late 1800s, the Zionist movement called for a Jewish state to be established in Palestine. Sultan Abdülhamid II took a series of precautions to reverse the plan. However, when the sultan was dethroned and the Young Turks took charge, the movement was able to spread in the region
10 Mart 2017 Cuma

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ISLAMIC CALIPHATE IN HISTORY

The caliphate was one of the oldest Islamic institutions in the history. The Ottoman caliphate was the last Sunni caliphate of the late medieval and early modern era that lasted 13 centuries and was abolished in 1924
3 Mart 2017 Cuma

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