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xtruss · 1 year ago

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World: Archaeologists in Turkey have Identified Massive Structures Below a Roman-Era Castle

— September 1, 2023 | By Peter Kenyon, Gokce Saracoglu | NPR.Org

Ruins of housing believed to have been used by soldiers stationed at the garrison. Alice Martins for NPR

Diyarbakir Province, Turkey 🇹🇷 — As part of what was once ancient Mesopotamia, Turkey has long been fertile ground for archaeologists. It's home to significant sites that even predate Mesopotamia — UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Gobekli Tepe, a Neolithic settlement believed to be more than 10,000 years old with what may be the world's oldest place of worship, and Catalhoyuk, a proto-city dating back some 9,000 years.

Now, more recent sites in the country's southeast are yielding finds that archaeologists say may change modern understanding of this part of the world's past, moving the footprint of pre-Roman activity in the area farther east than was previously believed.

Zerzevan Castle, the site of a Roman Empire military garrison, is providing what UNESCO calls "important information about the Roman soldiers, civilians' daily lives and the battles."

And then there's the Mithras Temple. The Mithras religion — also known as the "Mithras cult" — is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, and the temple, discovered in 2017, is possibly the best-preserved such temple in the world, says UNESCO.

Yet to be excavated are huge, multistory structures that archaeologists have identified thanks to ground-penetrating radar scans. These remain below ground and are revealing layer upon layer of artifacts, some dating back well into pre-Roman history.

A local family visiting Zerzevan Castle archaeological site. Alice Martins for NPR

Archaeologist Aytac Coskun, seen at ruins of an ancient church, says excavations in the area may continue for another three decades. Alice Martins for NPR

Sitting near an ancient church built on a hill high above the temple, Archaeologist Aytac Coskun says the first time he saw the place, he knew he had to excavate.

"I first came to Diyarbakir in 2005," says Coskun, "and when I saw this hill, I saw some pieces of artifacts, and I knew no excavation had been done before. So as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be a dig because there must be something significant underneath."

Underground Residential Areas May Have Sheltered 10,000 People in Wartime

A tour of the site reveals some what he and his team have excavated in recent years — a sprawling rock altar, an underground church, a water canal stretching for at least several miles.

A member of the Zerzevan Castle excavation and restoration team looks into a microscope while studying a coin found at the archaeological site. Alice Martins for NPR

A Bronze Baptismal Bucket found at the Zerzevan Castle site, currently on display at the Archaeology Museum of Diyarbakir. Alice Martins for NPR

Coskun and his team have unearthed objects including a beautifully preserved and ornately decorated Roman-era bronze baptismal bucket and an Assyrian-era stamp, a kind of official seal carved into rock, that could date back some 3,000 years.

"The digging we're doing inside the castle walls is 57,000 square meters [68,171 square yards]," he says. "It's a huge area. And outside of it...is (something) like 10 million square meters [3.86 square miles]."

Coskun believes some 1,500 people, both military and civilian, lived here during times of peace. In wartime, he says, it's likely that some 10,000 people from the surrounding area came here to seek shelter.

An Inscription seen at the entrance of the Mithras Temple which remains undeciphered. Alice Martins for NPR

Ruins of the Church seen from the south tower. Alice Martins for NPR

That, he says, may help explain the expansive underground living areas. So far, he says they've excavated six residential complexes inside the castle walls, and there are 99 more still below the surface.

That's just one reason Coskun says this site has the potential to change modern understanding of this part of the world and its archaeological and architectural history.

"It's totally open to new discoveries, that's for sure," he says. "We don't know what else we'll find. We've only dug around 10% of the area on the surface within the castle walls. And beyond the castle walls," he adds, "you see more living areas, the canal, a necropolis where the leading families buried their dead, and ceremonial areas. So, there will be more to come."

Excavations, he says, could continue for another 30 years.

The entrance to the Mithras temple seen from inside. Alice Martins for NPR

#Archaeology #Turkey 🇹🇷#Massive | Structures #Roman-Era | Castle 🏰#Peter Kenyon | Gokce Saracoglu #NPR #Diyarbakir Province #UNESCO World Heritage #Gobekli Tepe #Zerzevan Castle | Roman Empire | Military Garrison #Mithras Cult #Archaeologists #Pre-Roman history #Archaeologist | Aytac Coskun #Diyarbakir #Underground | Residential Area #Bronze Baptismal Bucket

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wordexpress · 2 years ago

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Over 7,800 Killed In Turkey, Syria Earthquake: "Children Freezing From Cold"

Turkey-Syria Earthquake: The latest toll showed 5,434 people killed in Turkey and at least 1,872 in Syria, for a combined total of 7,306 fatalities.

Sanliurfa, Turkey: Rescuers in Turkey and Syria battled bitter cold Tuesday in a race against time to find survivors under buildings flattened by an earthquake that killed more than 7,800 people.

Tremors that inflicted more suffering on a border area, already plagued by conflict, left people on the streets burning debris to try to stay warm as international aid began to arrive.

But some extraordinary survival tales have emerged, including a newborn baby pulled alive from rubble in Syria, still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother who died in Monday's quake.

"We heard a voice while we were digging," Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, told AFP. "We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital."

The infant is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of whom were killed in the rebel-held town of Jindayris.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Monday as people slept, flattening thousands of structures, trapping an unknown number of people and potentially impacting millions.

Whole rows of buildings collapsed, leaving some of the heaviest devastation near the quake's epicentre between the Turkish cities of Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras.

The destruction led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring Tuesday a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces.

- 'Children are freezing' -

Dozens of nations including the United States, China and the Gulf States have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air.

Yet people in some of the hardest-hit areas said they felt they had been left to fend for themselves.

"I can't get my brother back from the ruins. I can't get my nephew back. Look around here. There is no state official here, for God's sake," said Ali Sagiroglu in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras.

"For two days we haven't seen the state around here... Children are freezing from the cold," he added.

A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads -- some of them damaged by the quake -- almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that stretch for kilometres in some regions.

The cold rain and snow are a risk both for people forced from their homes -- who took refuge in mosques, schools or even bus shelters -- and survivors buried under debris.

"It is now a race against time," said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"We have activated the WHO network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable," he added.

- 23 million could be affected -

The latest toll showed 5,434 people killed in Turkey and at least 1,872 in Syria, for a combined total of 7,306 fatalities.

There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with WHO officials estimating up to 20,000 may have died.

WHO warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone.

The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad's government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts.

Washington and the European Commission said on Monday that humanitarian programmes supported by them were responding to the destruction in Syria.

The UN's cultural agency UNESCO also said it was ready to provide assistance after two sites listed on its World Heritage list in Syria and Turkey sustained damage.

In addition to the damage to Aleppo's old city and the fortress in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, UNESCO said at least three other World Heritage sites could be affected.

Much of the quake-hit area of northern Syria has already been decimated by years of war and aerial bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces that destroyed homes, hospitals and clinics.

Residents in the quake-devastated town of Jandairis in northern Syria used their bare hands and pickaxes to search for survivors.

- 'Hear their voices' -

"My whole family is under there -- my sons, my daughter, my son-in-law... There's no one else to get them out," said Ali Battal, his face streaked with blood and head swathed in a wool shawl against the bitter cold.

"I hear their voices. I know they're alive but there's no one to rescue them," added the man in his 60s.

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility.

Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo -- Syria's pre-war commercial hub -- often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure.

Following the earthquake, prisoners mutinied at a jail holding mostly Islamic State group members in northwestern Syria, with at least 20 escaping, a source at the facility told AFP.

Turkey is in one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

The country's last 7.8-magnitude tremor was in 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan province.

The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died. Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes.

#Earthquake #Turkey

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hardynwa · 2 years ago

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Earthquake kills nearly 1,800 in Turkey, Syria

The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria Monday, killing nearly 1,800 people in their sleep, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland. The 7.8-magnitude early morning quake, followed hours later by a slightly smaller one, wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts. Rescuers used heavy equipment and their bare hands to peel back rubble in search of survivors, who they could in some cases hear begging for help under the rubble. “Since I live in an earthquake zone, I am used to being shaken,” said Melisa Salman, a reporter in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras. “But that was the first time we have ever experienced anything like that,” the 23-year-old told AFP. “We thought it was the apocalypse.” The head of Syria’s National Earthquake Centre, Raed Ahmed, called it “the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre”. At least 783 people died in rebel and government-controlled parts of Syria, state media and medical sources said. Another 1,014 people died in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose handling of one of the biggest disasters of his two decades in power could prove consequential to his re-election chances in polls due in May. The initial quake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, including a 7.5-magnitude tremor that jolted the region in the middle of search and rescue work on Monday afternoon. Shocked survivors in Turkey rushed out into the snow-covered streets in their pyjamas, watching rescuers dig through the debris of damaged homes with their hands. “Seven members of my family are under the debris,” Muhittin Orakci, a stunned survivor in Turkey’s mostly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, told AFP. “My sister and her three children are there. And also her husband, her father-in-law and her mother-in-law.” The rescue was being hampered by a winter blizzard that covered major roads in ice and snow. Officials said the quake made three major airports in the area inoperable, further complicating deliveries of vital aid. The first quake struck at 04:17 am (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 18 kilometres (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is home to around two million people, the US Geological Survey said. Denmark’s geological institute said tremors from the main quake reached the east coast of Greenland about eight minutes after the tremor struck Turkey. Osama Abdel Hamid, a quake survivor in Syria, said his family was sleeping when the shaking began. “I woke up my wife and my children and we ran towards the door,” he said. “We opened it and suddenly all the building collapsed.” A spokesman for Syria’s civil defence said teams were scrambling to rescue trapped people. “Many buildings in different cities and villages in northwestern Syria collapsed… Even now, many families are under the rubble,” said Ismail Alabdallah. Washington, the European Union, and Russia all immediately sent condolences and offers of help. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to provide “the necessary assistance” to Turkey, whose combat drones are helping Kyiv fight the Russian invasion. Images on Turkish television showed rescuers digging through rubble across city centres and residential neighbourhoods of almost all the big cities running along the border with Syria. Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake’s epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins under the gathering snow. A famous mosque dating back to the 13th century partially collapsed in the province of Maltaya, where a 14-story building with 28 apartments housed 92 people also collapsed. In other cities, social media posts showed a 2,200-year-old hilltop castle built by Roman armies in Gaziantep lying in ruins, its walls partially turned to rubble. “We hear voices here — and over there, too,” one rescuer was overheard as saying on NTV television in front of a flattened building in the city of Diyarbakir. “There may be 200 people under the rubble.” The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility. AFP correspondents in northern Syria said terrified residents ran out of their homes after the ground shook. Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo — Syria’s pre-war commercial hub — often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure, which has suffered from lack of war-time oversight. Naci Gorur, an earthquake expert with Turkey’s Academy of Sciences, urged local officials to immediately check the region’s dams for cracks to avert potentially catastrophic flooding. Officials cut off natural gas and power supplies across the region as a precaution, also closing schools for two weeks. “The size of the aftershocks, which may continue for days although mostly decreasing in energy, brings a risk of collapse of structures already weakened by the earlier events,” David Rothery, an earthquake expert at the Open University in Britain. “This makes search and rescue efforts dangerous.” Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died –including about 1,000 in Istanbul. Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes. The last 7.8-magnitude tremor shook Turkey in 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan province. Read the full article

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canaryrecords · 3 years ago

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A collection of early 20s Armenian-American indie recordings by the same name was issued by Canary 5 years ago, but having so swollen, we have broken it into 2 parts. This redux (20 songs) focuses on the MG Parsekian label; the other (now renamed A Diamond Ring) is now 23 tracks. New, more vivid transfers and restorations have been produced of all of the material as well as 1,500 words of notes with major contributions by Harry Kezelian . A significant snapshot of the moment in the development of Armenian and Greek musics in the U.S.

Margadich “George” Parsekian (b. present-day Diyarbakir, May 1883) arrived in the U.S. about the age of 14. By 1905, he was settled in northern New Jersey and working as a salesman. Among his streams of income was importing disc recordings from Turkey for the immigrant community. In 1912, he apparently approached Columbia Records in New York City with the prospect of recording a handful of immigrant musicians from present-day eastern and southern Turkey, resulting in three sessions in September and October of that year that yielded a total of 10 discs issued as part of Columbia’s “E” (ethnic) series. These were the first commercial recordings made in the U.S. in the Turkish language. (See the Canary release And Two Partridges for 14 of those 20 sides.) Both Columbia and Victor issued several dozen more discs in Turkish during World War I before essentially ending recording of Turkish and Armenian (and Arabic) language domestic recording in 1919, although they kept some of the discs in print for more than a decade and occasionally produced recordings in Turkish, particularly by Greeks, notably by Achilleas Poulos.

In the early 20s, Parsekian capitalized on the expiration of patents related to the technology of disc recording, launching his own recording label and disc-manufacturing facility in what was then West Hoboken (now Union City), New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan. Parsekian’s label issued about 40 discs between about 1923 and 1926, the first 30 of which were recorded acoustically (that is to say, mechanically, without the use of electricity or microphones). It stands to reason that Parsekian’s factory was also responsible for manufacturing recordings by other independent Armenian-owned labels that sprung up at the time, including Sohag and its Oriental subsidiary, and and the "vanity" labels of Hovep Shamlian and Harry Hasekian. (See the Canary album A Diamond Ring: Armenian-American Independent Releases ca. 1922-26) Coincident with the introduction of electrical recording, Parsekian handed off his masters and artwork to the Vartestian Brothers who ran a jewelry and watch repair shop on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. They used much of the Parsekian catalog (as well as Mugerdich Douzjian’s Yildiz vanity label) to launch their own Pharos label, which lasted two or three more years, issuing several dozen more titles. (See the Canary album Very Sweet: Armenian-American Recordings from the Pharos Label ca. 1926-29.)

Parsekian’s flagship artist was Karekin Proodian (b. present-day Diyarbakir, ca. 1884) who recorded about half of the label’s catalog. Proodian immigrated to the U.S. in 1903 settling in the West Hoboken, New Jersey neighborhood populated by a community of others from his native region called Dikranagerd in Armenian, including Parsekian. A photoengraver by trade, he became a citizen in 1910 before returning to his hometown where he married 19 year old Haiganoush (“Annie”) Akmakjian. In 1912, the couple returned to the U.S. with their child Vahan (Frank). Two more children arrived, Siranoush (Sara) and Setrag (who later became a clarinet and saxophone player, appearing on several LPs. He published a memoir called Brothers Abroad. We are actively seeking a copy.)

Between February and December 1916, Proodian performed as a vocalist and kanunist on 18 sides for Columbia and Victor Records, all of which were in Turkish except for the revolutionary ballad “Ipreve Ardziv,” which was in Armenian. (6 of them appear on the Canary album And Two Partridges II and 4 more are on the album If I Were a Nightingale.) In the 1920s Proodian adopted the thinking of a movement among Armenians to present Anatolian music in the Armenian language advocated by the Dikranagerd-born northern New Jersey songwriter Hovsep Shamlian. When Proodian recorded again for M.G. Parsekian’s label, 18 of the 22 sides he cut were in Armenian, only 4 in Turkish.

Parsekian, Proodian, and Shamlian formed a kind of Dikranangersti musical ecosystem in West Hoboken. All three having come from the same region, each contributed his own skills. Parsekian had the record business; Proodian had the voice; Shamlian had the songs. (The rather elaborate labels on some of the discs including photos of the artists may, we can speculate, tie back to Proodian's work in the printing business.) The first two songs Proodian recorded for Parsekian’s label were not only Shamlian’s songs (including his “greatest hit,” “Hasagt Partsr”) but were also accompanied by Dikranangersti accompanists. 16 of Proodian’s 18 recordings for Parsekian in Armenian were Shamlian compositions, albeit accompanied by objectively superior musicians, Harry (Haroutiun) Hasekian of Marash on violin and Edward (Yetvart) Bashian who emigrated Constantinople on oud. Harry and Edward also released instrumental discs as a duo on the Parsekian label as well as on Hasekian’s own label, which, again, were likely produced by Parsekian. (Only the traditional folk song “Ouy Janem” and the revolutionary ballad “Keriyin Yerke” weren’t Shamlian creations.)

After Parsekian’s label was sold to Pharos company around 1926, many of Proodian’s recordings were kept in print by them for several years. Although he did not record again, he stayed active in music singing in Greek and Armenian nightclubs, coffeehouses, and restaurants on Manhattan while still working for Scientific Engraving Inc.” (later Scientific Engineering) at 406 W. 31st on Manhattan. In 1942, he copyrighted a song called “This Is Our Heaven” with lyrics translated by Joseph Stamboolian for use in a movie, although we have not yet traced the film. He died in Fort Lee, New Jersey in 1977.

Maksoud Karabed Sariyan (b. Bursa, Turkey April 17, 1897) arrived in the U.S. on Oct. 22, 1920. He recorded only six sides with clarinetist Hovsep Takakjian (b. Palu, Turkey ca. 1895), four of them for Parsekian and two of them pseudononymously as Karakash (“Black Eyebrows”) along with violinist Vartan Margosian for Margosian's label. By 1928, he had settled in Detroit where he married a Bulgarian-born woman and worked as a professional musician. He died on Jan. 10, 1946. Takakjian moved shortly after making their recordings for Parsekian to Fresno, California for his health, having contracted tuberculosis by loaning his instrument to another musician. Takakjian performed and recorded prolifically with Oscar Kevorkian for several decades. (See the Canary album The Undertaker’s Picnic: Armenian Kef Music in Fresno ca. 1940s-50s.) He died in Fresno in 1976.

The first non-Armenian to have recorded for Parsekian’s label was the Romaniote Jew Mazeltov Matsa (b. Janina, present-day Greece, 1897) who performed first under the name Amilia Hanoum and later as Amalia Bakas. A definitive biographical study was published by David Soffa on the 2002 Arhoolie label CD Amalia!: Old Greek Songs in the New Land, 1923-50 and summarized on the Canary album No News From Tomorrow: Greek and Turkish Speaking Women in New York ca. 1942-50. She was, in the mid-20s a young garment worker and mother of two in the Jewish Lower East Side moonlighting as a singer of Turkish and Greek folks songs in restaurants and coffeehouses. She cut her first five discs for Armenian-owned independent labels (three for Parsekian; two for Sohag) before an acrimonious divorce, a brief stint running her own little nightclub around the corner from Marika Papagika’s place on 8th Avenue, and then nearly 30 years on the road as a nightclub performer. She recorded for the Victor label in the late 20s (likely introduced to them by Marika Papagika with whom she became very close, George Katsaros with whom she regularly toured in the 30s, or perhaps Marko Melkon who also first recorded for Parsekian in the early 20s and then operated on the same circle of performers in the 1940s-50s.)

Likewise, Parsekian was likely the first to release discs by the Greek singer and oudist Achilleas Poulos (b. July 1893 present-day Balikesir, Turkey) a close friend of Marko Melkon (see the Canary albums of Melkon, I Go Around Drinking Raki: ca. 1942-51 and HiFi Adventures in Asia Minor) who had already cut his first disc for Parsekian accompanied by Harry and Edward. Poulos was in a fury of recording activity in the mid-20s, cutting a total of about 125 performances for Parsekian, Pharos, Columbia and Victor as well as the short-lived Oriental label (related to Sohag) between 1925 and 1927. His best-selling 12” disc for Columbia of “Nedem Geldim Americaya (Why I Came to America),” a folk song he��d rewritten about his personal experience as an immigrant, differs from his performance for Parsekian notably in that it benefits from the violin playing of Nishan Sedefjian. Sedefjian, who performs on nearly all of Poulos' Victor and Columbia material was a diamond setter at the Vartesian Brothers shop. Poulos was the lead performer on the last dozen Parsekian releases and on several of the first Pharos discs. Pharos even issued two discs of Poulos' niece Soultana when she visited from Balikesir. (See the Canary album Why I Came to America: More Folk Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora ca. 1917-47.) It seems likely that he was the bridge between the two labels. After ’27 Poulos simply ceased recording and moved to Connecticut, where he worked at a coffee roaster and died in 1970. Like Parsekian, his influence on the scene of Turkish, Armenian, and Greek speaking immigrants in New York outlasted his activity for more than a generation.

#78rpm #78 rpm #ottoman #armenian #greek #turkish #romaniote #immigrant

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trustescort · 3 years ago

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Things to Do in Diyarbakir

Diyarbakir, the third largest city in Southeastern Turkey is also known as "surreal" or "enlightened". Situated on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, it is located on the Asian side of the country. It was founded by a scholar and engineer from the Islamic Empire of the 15th century. The most famous landmark in Diyarbakir is undoubtedly the Blue Mosque. The old part of the city known as Zorcanbey, which was destroyed during the World War I, now serves as a museum.

The best way to reach the city is using public transport. Buses run regularly to Diyarbakir from different parts of Turkey. It is relatively easy to reach through the daily buses as it only requires a little effort on your part. You can also rent a car if you wish to avoid paying hefty car rental bills. The most popular methods of reaching Diyarbakir are via the Besikcer and Burgazada public transports, but they may be expensive at times.

If you are traveling with children, it is advisable to hire a car for the journey. A large number of car hire companies are available throughout the city, especially during peak seasons (Mondays through Fridays). A simple online search will yield hundreds of results, which can help you find a suitable company offering reliable vehicle services at affordable prices. When picking up the children, ensure that you have signed a contract with the driver. In addition, check with your host family whether all the children are already insured before leaving them at home Diyarbakır Elden Escort.

Tourists have a variety of options when it comes to accommodation in Diyarbakir. Many tourists favor the old-fashioned Turkish style houses while there are some who opt for modern luxury villas and high-rise hotels. Most of these villas are located on the main streets of the town and are surrounded by splendid foliage and greenery. Some of them have features like swimming pools, green roofs, tennis courts and other such facilities.

There are several travel agents and tour operators who offer guided tours of Diyarbakir. These include driving and walking tours where the tourist can witness the history and culture of the region. The driving tours usually cover the historic districts of Antlaya, Beyoglu, Mecidiyekoy, and Burgazada. On the other hand, the walking tours are ideal for those who wish to see the monuments and other natural wonders of the region. Some of these include Marmaris Way, Kinaliye Mosque, Hristos Church, and Cemek Palace.

People looking for a way to save on their budget can try getting a job in one of the Diyarbakir's small businesses. There are several small scale industries operating in the region, particularly those related to textiles. These textile workshops offer a wide variety of clothes at cheap rates. Tourists can also try taking a day trip to the Marmaris district and witness the thriving local economy.

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creepingsharia · 5 years ago

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“I Never Thought We’d Face This Much Hatred”: Muslim Persecution of Christians, November 2019

by Raymond Ibrahim

Slaughter of Christians

Syria: On November 11, Islamic gunmen opened fire on a vehicle known to be carrying Christian leaders. Two Armenian priests, a father and son, were killed; a deacon was seriously wounded. ISIS claimed the murders of Father Abrahim Petoyan and Father Hovsep Petoyan. The Armenians were going to inspect repairs on an Armenian Catholic church that had been earlier damaged in Deir ez-Zor. “We continue to feel the presence of ISIS,” responded the Armenian Catholic Archbishop Boutros Marayati of Aleppo, adding that Deir ex-Zor “is a very important town for us, because it is there that many of our martyrs were killed as they fled the Turkish genocide of 1915. Today there are no Armenian Catholics left there. Undoubtedly, the Turks don’t want us to return, because our presence would be a reminder of the Armenian genocide.”

Turkey: On November 19, in the streets of the city of Diyarbakir, Korean evangelist Jinwook Kim, 41, was stabbed and later died from his injuries. A 16-year-old Muslim was later arrested. According to the report,

Kim had arrived in Diyarbakir with his family earlier this year and was pastoring a small community of Christians. The assailant stabbed Kim three times: twice in the heart, once in the back. Officials, however, claim that the incident occurred in an effort to steal Kim’s phone. Local believers urge the authorities to investigate the incident as an assassination, rather than an attempt at extortion. Kim was married and had one child, although his second is expected to be born in the coming days…. He had lived in Turkey for five years.

“This wasn’t just a robbery; they came to kill him,” insists another local Christian, who received a death threat the day after this incident:

We always get threats. A brother prophesied a few days ago that they (the government) are going to kick out these foreigners, and probably kill a few Turkish brothers. They are going to cause chaos. They know that I am trying to spread the Gospel, so they may target me too. This may be a sign.

Ethiopia: “Two Ethiopian pastors have been beheaded in Sebeta, near the capital Addis Ababa, in an outburst of violence against Christians” that erupted after a leading Muslim incited his supporters against the government over some supposed infraction against him. The report adds that “the situation on the ground has become quite challenging for Christians and many churches have been burnt this year. There is also an unverified report that a group of Christians has been forced out of the majority-Muslim town of Ginir, located 303 miles south-east of the capital.”

Nigeria: Muslim Fulani herdsmen continued their murderous raids on Christian communities. Two incidents were especially notable and identical. First, in the early hours of November 14, machete-wielding Muslim raiders hacked to death four Christians as they soundly slept in their bedrooms in Agban village, near Kagoro. All of the slain were farmers and members of the local church. Ten days later, on November 24, Muslim herdsmen attacked Agom, a Christian village in southern Kaduna state’s Sanga Country, around 4:30 a.m. There they hacked with machetes an 87-year-old Christian to death and shot another Christian in the head, killing him instantly. Both of the slain, regular churchgoers, had also been sleeping in their homes.

Cameroon: On November 6 in Moskota, Islamic militants connected with Boko Haram attacked a church where they killed David Mokoni, a retired pastor, as well as a hearing-impaired Christian boy; another pastor was shot in the leg. Afterwards the militants looted the church, taking even the pastors’ ceremonial robes. “Boko Haram has been stepping up its attacks on Christian villages in Far North Cameroon in an attempt to establish an Islamic caliphate from north-eastern Nigeria all the way to northern Cameroon,” the report says. This most recent attack follows a “brutal spate of attacks since late October, by gangs of up to 200 militants, [which] has left eight dead”: “The first of the attacks came on 30 October with the looting of six mainly-Christian villages in Mayo Sava district…. On 31 October, five people were hacked to death when militants armed with axes, knives and wooden clubs stormed the village of Kotserehé. A sixth wounded man later died from his injuries.” Rebecca, a witness, described the slaughter of a boy in Kotserehé: “He was a 15-year-old adolescent. He was so deeply asleep in his bed that he didn’t hear any of the noise around him. They thrust the blade of the axe so deeply into his skull, to the point we had to use a hammer to get it out of his head.” Many Christians have been displaced by these ongoing attacks and live in “extreme misery,” added another local: “This is beyond persecution. It is a dramatic situation, plunging thousands of families into a deplorable humanitarian crisis.”

Pakistan: Muslim bakers murdered a teenage Christian coworker and police are covering it up, alleged Sarwar Masih, the father of Akash Masih, the slain 18-year-old: “My son was an expert at baking and making shawarma and burgers” and his “expertise was liked by the customers.” As a result, “he faced discrimination and religious jealousy at his workplace. He often complained about the unfavorable situation at the bakery, but he continued working to help his family.” One day the bakery called the father and said his son was sick and sent to a hospital. Sarwar rushed there only to learn that his son had already died. When he contacted police, the bakery threatened him and police were unresponsive, claiming that his son had “committed suicide,” even though signs of torture were visible on his neck and back. “These are delaying tactics to defuse the evidences against the culprits,” Sarwar last reported: “Christians face hatred and discrimination even after their death.”

Separately, on November 16, an armed Muslim mob attacked and drove out the Christian families of a small village in Lahore. One Christian teenage girl, Sonia Sarwar, was killed and six others were seriously injured in the riot. “The attack was aimed at displacing around ten Christian families from this area,” Nazir Masih, whose legs were wounded in the attack, explained: “Arshad Kambho, an influential Muslim, wants to grab the property of the Christians.” Since 2015, Kambho had been trying to steal the Christians’ land; he took them twice to courts and twice the courts ruled in favor of the Christians. “Since then, Kambho has been creating disputes with the Christians to damage them and drag them into an allegation,” said another local.

Attacks on Christian Churches

Syria: On November 11—the same day that two Armenian priests were killed in a hail of bullets (see above)—three car bombings occurred in the city of Qamishli, which holds a significant Christian population. One of the bombs detonated near a Chaldean church and killed at least six civilians, as well as damaging the church building; another detonated near an Assyrian Christian owned market, and a third detonated near a Catholic school. All were claimed by ISIS.

Egypt: On Friday, November 1, a fire broke out in a Coptic church in Shubra. According to the report, “The fire had started at around 8:30am close to the church theatre hall, in a building adjacent to the church itself. Anba Makary, Bishop of South Shubra, was then officiating Mass on the ground floor for persons with disabilities. They were all safely evacuated.” In the preceding two weeks, two other churches were torched in October. Police concluded that the fires in all three cases were due to electrical malfunctions. Christians argued otherwise, indicating that arson was responsible.

Separately, the civil council of the village of Neda ordered the church of St. George to remove its bell tower, in keeping with Islamic law. The church, fearing that this is just the first warning of a downward spiral to closure, made a direct appeal to President Sisi. According to the November 17 report,

[T]he actual construction of the church has been a slow process. It was originally established in 1911, but it didn’t receive building permits until 2006. Because the village Christians are poor, construction has been slow. They are afraid that the village extremists will stop them from continuing construction without the intervention of the President. Churches are a contentious subject in Egypt, which is an officially Islamic country. The construction of churches is tightly regulated by the state…

Pakistan: A Muslim mob demolished a wall and the front door of a Catholic church in the Punjab on the pretext that it was not formally registered. However, according to church member Naseer Masih, “Muslims do not want the church in the village because they have bad feelings towards Christians.” The report explains:

“On 4 November 50 policemen arrived in front of the [church] gate and asked Catholics if they had ever had problems praying in church. Christians have responded that they had never had difficulties. Meanwhile, a crowd of 60 people gathered to bring a tractor and hammers. With the tractor they knocked down the door, then the Muslims completed the destruction with hammers.”

Police just stood by and watched. “[W]e had no warning from the police before the accident,” said Naseer. “The Muslims carried out the destruction and the policemen did nothing against them. This means that they are on their side…. We have prepared all the documents,” he added, concerning the legality of the modest and now ruined church that was built in 2007.

Turkey: According to a November 21 report, “Turkey’s Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, has recently approved changing the historic Chora Greek Orthodox Church located in Istanbul, currently a museum, into a mosque”:

Commentators say that sets the legal precedent for transforming Hagia Sophia, the very symbol of Byzantine and Orthodox Christianity, which is also currently an official museum, back into a mosque…. The interior of the [Chora] church, which was originally built as part of a monastery complex outside the walls of Constantinople, is covered with some of the oldest and finest surviving Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.

Chora Church’s uniquely old and surprisingly intact artwork was first made in 1315—over a century before the Turkish invasion and conquest of Constantinople in 1453—and includes images such as of Joseph and Mary (above). All these historically precious frescoes are set to be destroyed in the church’s transformation into a mosque.

France: On Sunday, November 3, a statue of St. Bernadette in the chapel of the St. Florent hermitage in Oberhaslach was found beheaded. Because two churches are reportedly violated every day in France, this bit of vandalism attracted little attention. According to PI-News, 1,063 attacks on Christian churches or symbols (crucifixes, icons, statues) were registered in France in just 2018. A separate January 2017 study revealed that “Islamist extremist attacks on Christians” in France—which holds one of Europe’s largest Muslim populations—rose by 38 percent, going from 273 attacks in 2015 to 376 in 2016; the majority occurred during Christmas season and “many of the attacks took place in churches and other places of worship.” Unsurprisingly, the parish where the beheaded statue was found suffered an arson attack the year before.

General Hate for and Abuse of Christians

Norway: A group of Muslims beat, robbed, and threatened to kill a Christian evangelist if he did not convert to Islam. According to the report, Roar Fløttum was “preaching the gospel and praying for the sick” on November 27, following a prayer meeting in the church he attends in Trondheim, when he encountered a group of Muslim men. During their conversation, the Muslims indicated that they had physical pains and injuries. Fløttum offered to pray for them, they accepted, and he complied. They said they felt better and urged him to go with them and pray for another of their friends who was also suffering from a foot injury. Fløttum went. “They were very nice and I couldn’t believe they would deceive me,” he later explained. They took him to a backyard, pushed him down a cellar staircase, and began to beat and kick him in the face. They kept him hostage there for about an hour, robbed him of his credit cards and about a thousand kroner (equivalent to about $108 USD). “While they kept me there, they threatened me and said they would kill me if I did not convert to Islam,” recalled the Norwegian. “They wanted me to say some words in Arabic [likely the shahada, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah,” which, when recited before Muslim witnesses, makes the reciter a Muslim]. I was scared and actually thought they were going to kill me because they said they had a knife and didn’t want witnesses.”

Egypt: A knife-wielding Muslim man stabbed a Christian family—consisting of a mother and her two sons—and left one of the sons in critical condition. The incident occurred on the evening of Sunday, November 17, in Minya. When the Muslim man saw the family sitting outside their home, as is customary in Egypt, he began yelling at them to go back inside. When the older son refused to comply, the man, identified variously as “Ali,” or “Muhammad” went to his nearby home and returned with a knife. He lunged at the family, stabbing the mother in the head, slicing the younger brother’s face, and stabbing the older brother several times in the gut (images here). A separate report adds that, “Last year, Mohammed attacked another Christian man with a cleaver…. He is known to hate Christians.” “We can’t get back to the village,” one of the sons last reported. “Right now, we try to avoid fights and disputes with them. The extremists’ family live in a house which is not far away from us. We will not let them induce us to fight them or anything like that. If we did something like that, we will lose our rights to punish the extremist. We want law enforcement.”

Uganda: On November 10, Muslim relatives of a Christian father of four young children poisoned and almost killed him for leaving Islam. Ronald Rajab Nayekuliza, 48, had converted earlier and proceeded to build a church and raise pig livestock. His brothers, already angered by his conversion, responded by building a mosque near the church, while local Muslims regularly hurled stones at the church during Sunday worship. Next, his older brother, Anus Wako, began sending threatening messages: “You rearing pigs is against the faith of our father. We are from a Muslim family, and our father did not allow the keeping of pigs. While our father was still alive, you were a Muslim; that is why he gave you land to live in, not for the construction of the church. Our family has become a laughingstock to our Muslim neighbors.” Then, on the morning of November 8, Ronald found six of his piglets slaughtered: “I knew it must be my brothers; that really confirmed my earlier fears. My brothers had threatened me with witchcraft as well as receiving curses from Allah. This has made me live in great fear of my life and that of my family.” Two days later he attended a memorial for his father, where his brothers and other local Muslims were gathered. Before leaving, Ronald told his pregnant wife that “he was feeling a kind of nausea,” she said. “Immediately he started to vomit, then followed by diarrhea, with fever and complaining of abdominal pain.” They rushed him to a hospital, where he lost consciousness. After doctors confirmed that he had been poisoned with a pesticide, police were sent to the brothers’ home: “When the four brothers saw the police vehicle, two of them fled,” a Christian local said. “The police arrested two brothers, Anus Wako and Kalipan Waswa, who were released on bond after four days.” Ronald spent more than a week recovering in the hospital. “My husband is better but still very weak, with blurry vision and feeling numbness in his body,” his wife last reported.

Pakistan: On November 10, Muslim arsonists reportedly torched a Christian home in Al-Noor town. Witnesses saw two motor cyclists who had attended a nearby Islamic rally hurl a packet near where the house first caught fire. “The fire was extremely hot and it melted the stuff inside,” Manzoor Masih, the father of the family explained:

It looks like they used some chemical which turned all the stuff into ashes within no time. The fire damaged beds, mattresses, furniture, trunks, cloths, crookery, fans, computers, the UPS, and the entire electric system…. For the last six months, different groups keep [sic] pressuring my family to leave this neighborhood and go to a Christian settlement. However, we never gave into their threats…. I never thought we would face this much hatred for not selling our house. It’s really heartbreaking and disappointing for a Christian living in this country…

Turkey: A recreational facility in the town of Dargeçit which is being referred to as the “Nation’s Garden” is, it was revealed in November, being built atop the graves of Christian and Armenian Christians—both of whom were victims of the 1915 genocide by Ottoman Turkey. “Is it now the turn of our deceased?” responded Evgil Türker, chairperson of the Federation of the Syriac Associations: “This mustn’t happen; we strongly condemn it… Of course, this event reminded us of the past. There had been similar cases in the past…. [T]his is looting. This is proof that the deceased of others [meaning non-Muslims] are not respected…. [T]his mentality has to be stopped.”

Egypt: In order to silence him, a Christian activist and social media blogger who exposes the plight of his coreligionists was arrested and falsely charged with “terrorism.” In response, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued a statement in which it “strongly condemns” Egypt’s treatment of Ramy Kamel:

Mr. Kamel is an activist and prominent member of the Maspero Youth Union, advocating for full civil rights for Egypt’s Coptic Christian community and documenting abuses against its members. On November 23, National Security Agency officers stormed his home; confiscated his mobile phone, laptop, and other belongings related to his advocacy work; and took him into custody. One day later, the Supreme State Security Prosecution announced a series of spurious charges against Mr. Kamel, including membership in a terrorist organization, spreading false information, and disturbing the public order.

USCIRF Vice Chair Nadine Maenza elaborated:

USCIRF calls on the Egyptian government to immediately release Mr. Kamel from detention and dismiss the preposterous charges against him. His arrest casts doubt on the sincerity of Egypt’s promises of working toward greater religious freedom; Egypt cannot pledge improved rights and freedoms for Copts and other non-Muslim communities, while at the same time bringing false charges against its own citizens who are advocating for those same reforms.

The USCIRF statement concludes with relevant background information:

Egypt’s Coptic Christians represent the single largest non-Muslim community in the Middle East, likely comprising 10-15 percent of the country’s population of over 100 million. Despite their integral role in Egyptian society and history, they have long faced discrimination and periodic violence for their faith. In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF found that although the Egyptian government has made some modest progress toward legalizing informal churches around the country and improving public discourse about Coptic rights, it has taken few steps toward systematically improving religious freedom conditions for vulnerable Christian populations, particularly in rural areas.

Pakistan: The only Christian journalist registered with the Lahore Press Club finally resigned after years of harassment and discrimination from her Muslim coworkers. Gonila Gill, 38, covered the persecution of minorities since 2002. In 2014 she married a Muslim journalist, while remaining Christian. The harassment began in earnest soon thereafter. Her coworkers “told me that I would never get pregnant until I converted,” while her husband was accused of being an “infidel.” She finally quit, “owing to the mental torture her colleagues put her through from not converting to Islam” notes a November 19 report. “Speaking to the media, Gill said people are vile, but no matter what she will not lose faith in her religion.”

Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Sword and Scimitar, Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

About this Series

The persecution of Christians in the Islamic world has become endemic. Accordingly, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed in 2011 to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that occur or are reported each month. It serves two purposes:

1) To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, persecution of Christians.

2) To show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Islamic Sharia.

#Legal #Islam #Muslim #Sharia #Jihad #News #Politics #Religion #Media #Travel #Persecution

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weditchthemap · 5 years ago

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Visiting Diyarbakir – The Capital City of Northern Kurdistan

En Route to Diyarbakir

The bus from Mardin was relatively uneventful—2 hours and a security checkpoint later we were nearing the city of Diyarbakir, or Amed as is known to the Kurds. The armed policemen went around taking everyone’s IDs while the other police officers waited outside near their armored cars. When the policeman got to us he simply gave us a once-over and kept on collecting IDs. Apparently we did not fit the ‘target demographic’ and our IDs were not required. After scanning each ID our van was free to continue onwards into the city.

The first thing I noticed were the multiple layers of security fences lining the main road into the city. Tall fences with barbed wire on top gave a very clear message—the only way into or out of the city was along the main roads. Lookout towers peppered the landscape as we entered the city proper while concrete barricades and a multitude of armored vehicles greeted us.

About Police Officers

While most police officers were men I did see a handful of female officers—none of them wearing headscarves. Police officers, like many other professions, have obligatory term assignments in less desirable areas. This is due to the socialistic nature of Turkey’s government. I actually find this practice quite positive. Imagine how quickly our racially and ethnically divided neighborhoods would benefit from an influx of outside support. On the flip side envision an inner-city nurse working at a fancy suburban hospital. Talk about broadening one’s horizons.

We also learned that police officers are never allowed to work in their home towns. Because of this Diyarbakir, a city of Kurds, has no Kurdish police officers. Obviously this increases the tension between the Turks and Kurds. Furthermore an extensive background check its conducted to become a police officers and oftentimes the Turkish government finds reasons—sometimes unsubstantiated—to prevent Kurds from being police officers at all.

Meeting Our Couchsurfing Host

We were dropped off at a small bus station and we struggled to find a bus into the city. I had been using my google translator app on my phone with little success. I changed the language form Turkish to Kurmanji (which is the Kurdish dialect here in Turkish Kurdistan). This proved to be much more successful. We met our host at a modern café that he owned. We were greeted by another couchsurfer who had arrived just one hour prior. The couch surfer was a 30 year old man from Poland named Robert. He had previously biked through Georgia and Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan before coming to Northern Kurdistan in Diyarbakir.

Our host was a delightful man named Suat. He told us a lovely story about his first experience hosting where he had hosted a Swedish woman named Mona. This was 12 years ago and was not through couch surfing. Although only planning on hosting Mona. for a couple days Mona ended up living with Suat and his wife for 6 months while she researched Kurdish culture for her thesis. They formed an incredibly close friendship and Suat ended up naming his Café and later his first child after Mona. Mona flew back to Diyarbakir for 2 days for her Birth. Later Suat and his family went to Sweden for Mona’s wedding.

Suat is also a full time teacher in a village. He described his frustration with the village children in how they were troublemakers and didn’t pay attention. Their parents are uneducated and mostly laborers so their children do not see the benefit of education.

Suat told us that he and his wife were different types of Muslim (Sunni vs Shia) and that both of their parents forbade them from getting married. They were married anyways

We discussed Kurdish history and the current state of affairs. This involved detailed comparison of Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), Southern Kurdistan (Iraq), and Western Kurdistan (Syria). Suat explained the PKK to us and I found the information quite interesting. Compared to our host in Van, Suat’s feelings about the matter were different. I wonder if it’s because Suat still lives in the heart of Northern Kurdistan?

A Brief History of Diyarbakir

Diyarbakir, known in ancient times as Amida, has been the cradle of 26 different civilizations over the last 5000 years. Its proximity to a basalt plateau gives the city a rather dark appearance thanks to the dark grey stones found throughout the city. Located in Mesopotamia, the land between the Euphrates Valleys and the Tigris river Diyarbakir’s past involves the Mitanni, the Urartu, Assyria, Persian, Greek, Seleucids, Romans, Arabs, Safavid dynasty, and ultimately conquered by the Ottomans in 1515. They have never known long-lasting peace because in subsequent centuries they were invaded by the armies of Anatolia, Persia, and Syria all of which overcame the city’s walls.

Since the 1980s the city has been the center of the Kurdish resistance movement. Throughout the 1990s many refugees from the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government move to the city. Just a few short years ago in 2016 there was an altercation between the PKK and the Turkish government leaving a large section of Old City demolished. We witnessed some new construction in the area but could only see inside by climbing onto the city walls and looking down into the city.

Safety

Please read our posting on the Safety of Travel in Turkey. Diyarbakir is highest on the list of places to avoid in Turkey. I couldn’t disagree with this more. The city is safe and the people are friendlier than what I thought was humanly possible. There are only two dangers I can see someone encountering in this city—falling off the old city wall and getting sick from the Cig Kofte—I’ll discuss these later

When I mentioned to people that my country strongly advises against travel to Diyarbakir they seemed greatly confused. They said it was just politics and that now it’s very safe. While strolling in Old City we met an Iranian Kurdish family. We talked on the street for 15 minutes. When I explained to her the United States’ stance on travel to this area she gave me an explanation without hesitation. She said it was likely because of Turkey’s government—they were trying to paint the Kurds as terrorists. I found her explanation easy to believe after learning more about the Kurds and Diyarbakir’s history. The family was impressed that Robert, our Polish travel companion, knew more about Iranian Kurdistan than they did. After these last few days Sylvie and I wish to visit Iran in the future.

Interesting Facts of Diyarbakir

Pigeons - Pigeons are so highly sought after that Sylvie and I could not quite wrap our heads around it. The reason is actually due to some esoteric history. Pigeons were brought into the city and bred because their feces is helpful for growing watermelon. Watermelon is incredibly popular here. Now that cotton has replaced much of the watermelon crop the love for pigeons is just a carryover from the past. Many older people still love pigeons—so much, in fact, that there are a handful of pigeon clubs around town where the notorious bird is auctioned off for as much as hundreds of dollars. We even heard stories of men selling their homes to buy pigeons. Here you can see a video of a pigeon race here.

Sunflower Seeds – Cheap and plentiful they can be found in buckets for sale around town. Men will down an entire bag while sipping tea and talking to other men. The seeds are eaten with such haste that it is dizzying just watching. While the mouth is busy removing the seeds from the shell the men’s hands are readying for another seed. This endless seed-eating frenzy is associated with the poorer Kurds and a “rich person would never be caught eating a sunflower seed”. Our host went as far as saying he would not even permit someone to eat “those things” in his café.

Dogs – Despite the numerous stray cats in the city we didn’t see too many (if any) dogs. Our host explained to us that there is a story found in Islam where a warrior was about to slay a dog but at the last moment decided not to. While certain muslins interpret this story as the warrior demonstrating mercy many Kurds believe it teaches that the warrior didn’t want to touch the dog because it was unclean/dirty. For this reason you will find many Kurd avoiding dogs completely.

Kurdish Wedding

Our couchsurfing host invited us to his collogues wedding our first night in town. The wedding was half an hour out of the city and we arrived around 9pm. There must have been between 600 and 700 guests at the party. I wore jeans a black polo, and flip flops. Sylvie and Robert were even more casual. No one seemed to care. As is typical in wedding here people eat dinner beforehand and only snacks and drinks are served at the actual wedding. Tables were overflowing with nuts, fruit, and cookies. Men came around offering us glasses of orange Fanta and cola. No alcohol at Muslim weddings made for a wholesome experience. Suat had mentioned that they “went all out” since fruit was expensive.

Guests danced off and on throughout the night to traditional Kurdish music. People joined hands and danced in one collective circle. I found an occasional man and women holding hands but this was by far the exception. For the most part women danced with women and men danced with men. There seemed to be 2 or 3 discrete dances but most of them involved bouncing ones shoulders up and down.

Every once in a while a fluttering of American one dollar bills would rain from the sky. Traditionally this was real money but since 5 liras (the lowest denomination of paper money) was too expensive fake money was substituted. You donate a small amount of money and receive a stack of fake dollar bills. You can then throw this fake money into the sky in the center of the dance floor to demonstrate your wealth and generosity.

It was customary for each guest to visit the Groom and Bridge and present their gift. Gold coins are the status quo but paper money is also permitted—money is typically reserved for those who cannot afford gold coins. The gold coins, which come as pendants, are standardized and come in a variety of sizes. My guess is that the coins come in multiples of grams. Some coins were as small as a dime while others were larger than a quarter. The guest present the gift and sews the coin onto the newly married couple’s clothing. This is also done for the money. By the end of the night the bride and groom were covered in gold coins, Turkish lira, and even a few $50 US bills. The bride and groom sell the gold coins the next morning and pocket the money. A funny tradition to say the very least.

The cake was cut towards the end of the night. I asked Suat the significance of using a sword to cut the cake, and he just shrugged his head and said “big cake”?

Observations of Diyarbakir

The vast majority of women did not wear head scarves. Kurdish women traditionally do not wear them until they are married unlike Turkish (and Arabic) women. Dissimilar to Van there were many women in the streets. Our host even said that there a few places around town where you can find single women drinking beers at night. Urfa, the city we are visiting next, has a large Arabic population and is one of the country’s most religious cities—you will not find women alone in the city, without head scarves, or anywhere to drink/buy beer. (check out our next blog about Urfa)

Whereas Mardin may have been the most beautiful and enchanting city I’ve seen Diyarbakir has been the most genuine city we’ve visited so far. Although Istanbul was busy and filled with tourists the authenticity of Diyarbakir was palpable. Old City had more shops aimed at tourists than the New City but nothing felt forced. Prices were not inflated and locals shopped alongside tourists. Most tourists seemed to be coming from nearby Kurdish regions. We read most tourists don’t venture out of Old City but we had split our time evenly. Old City had Mosques and history whereas New City had a café culture we have not seen elsewhere in Turkey.

Wikivoyage says it best: “Diyarbakir’s old city is like a village in the middle of the city with village mentality. Goose running around, women having cay in front of their houses and kids shouting to foreigners the few English words they know. However walking around in the city center is unique and totally different from other Turkish cities. You’ll see people as they life their everyday Kurdish life. If you are lucky, you may even get invited for a tea by a friendly shop owner”

While walking in Old City many vendors stopped us to ask where we were from. Everyone was so happy to hear that we were from America. One even told us how “Turkey and America are good friends”. While walking near the southern wall I spotted several kebab vendors sitting and enjoying a midday snack. They were eating slices of watermelon, chunks of cheese, and Kurdish bread. When they saw us looking at their food they commanded us to join them. They gave up their seats and forced us to eat, even bringing more bread and cheese. They had to get back to work but after 10 minutes they even gave us a sample of their chicken kebab and another sandwich item. We sat for a while and upon leaving I asked how much we owed and the men held their hands to their chest and said it was a gift. They asked for a photo and we hugged and kissed each other’s cheeks as we departed.

For dinner one night Sylvie and I split a portion of Cig Kofte, a Turkish dish originally made with raw meat. However the government has outlawed the use of raw meat for health and safety reasons. This Cig Kofte was by far the best we’ve eaten and we’ve had at least a couple dozen times. The next morning we came back to the same place and Sylvie and Robert bought a Turkish breakfast sandwich. We watched the men prepare the Cig Kofte for the day and they showed us how they used raw lamb. I was finally happy to have tried Cig Kofte with raw meat. Our host couldn’t believe it as using raw meat is strictly forbidden.

Must-Sees/Dos in Old City:

Include the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir (Ulu Mosque) – 800 years old

Aramaic Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana Kilisesi)

Dicle Bridge (ten eye bridge) - Built south of the city in 1065

Kervanseray – Old caravanserai now used as a place for cafes, bookstores, and shop

Hasan Pasha Hani – A 500 year old in that offers best place to get breakfast in Diyarbakir. Come hungry as you can expect your entire table to be overflowing with a variety of Kurdish dishes (found inside Kervanseray)

Eat Cigercisi, preferably at Dag Paki Cigercisi, this liver kebab is unique to Diyarbakir

Eat Kadayif and Kunefe – Two types of desserts famous in the area

Leaving Diyarbakir

After trying their kadayif we caught a bus to the bus station thanks to a handful of helpful locals trying with great effort to see that we were on our way safely. The bus driver let us off without charging us! As we walked into the bus station no less than 5 men ran up to us screaming names of large cities in Turkey. We said “Urfa” and one gent took us by the arm and brought us to a counter inside the bus terminal. We bought tickets to Urfa for a bus that left in 4 minutes. Sylvie, like always, ran to the bathroom and we were on our way to Urfa within minutes. Within 10 minutes we were already stopped at yet another security checkpoint. This time the police officer was wearing a complete set dessert camouflage. Goodbye Diyarbakir, I’ll surely miss you!

#Northern Kurdistan #Turkey #Anatolia #Diyarbakir #Kurdistan #PKK #Kurdish #Kurds #Is Diyarbakir safe #backpacking in Diyarbakir #Traveling in Diyarbakir #budget travel in Diyarbakir #Old City Diyarbakir #New city Diyarbakir #Mona Cafe in Diyarbakir #Walking on the wall in Diyarbakir #local food in Diyarbakir #capital of kurdistan

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armeniangenocidehistory · 7 years ago

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Children play in the courtyard of the old Ihlasiye Madresesi, or religious school, in Bitlis, Turkey. Bitlis's population was half Armenian before 1915, when the Russians advanced on Bitlis and the Ottoman Turks emptied the town of Armenians--most of whom were massacred.

Before 1915, more than half of Ağaçlı’s inhabitants were Armenian. Villagers harvest mulberry leaves to feed their silkworms. The silk is then used to make traditional scarves. Recently, the Kurdish inhabitants of this former Armenian village revived an Armenian scarf-weaving tradition that cultivates silkworms in the same trees used nearly 100 years ago. The trees are all that remain of the Armenians’ time here.

A group of boys catch fish in the Tigris River, just beyond the ancient city gates. According to historical sources from the Patriarchate in Constantinople, approximately 106,000 Armenians once inhabited the district of Diyarbakir and 15,000 in the city itself before the 1915 genocide. Eyewitness accounts describe attacks and massacres that took place as Armenians were deported on rafts down the Tigris River.

Memory of Trees: “What is the legacy of silence?”, Kathryn Cook

#bitlis #Ağaçlı #diyarbakır #tigris #photography #kathryn cook

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armeniaitn · 4 years ago

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Abdullah the Lizard

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/culture/abdullah-the-lizard-24132-24-06-2020/

Abdullah the Lizard

This is a story told by Hrant Dink. Undoubtedly a true story. It can partially explain the deep trauma of the Armenians who survived the 1915 Genocide but had nowhere to go and stayed in Turkey. It can partially explain the trauma of the hidden Armenians continuing to live in Turkey. And it can partially explain Hrant’s state of mind in the last few months of his life before he was shot dead – the constant persecutions, prosecutions and threats against him, his wife and his children.

The year was 1918 in a village at the foot of Suphan Mountain (north shore of Lake Van, Sipan Ler in Armenian). An Armenian youngster had barely escaped the events of 1915 and had found refuge in this village belonging to the tribal leader Ismail. He had mixed in with the other villagers, trying to eke out a living. He lived in a dark corner of a stable, in a crack between two rocks, just like a lizard that darts into the crack at the first sight and sound of danger. He would come out to help with the harvest or other errands, earn a piece of bread with his honest labour, then rush back into his refuge in the stable. His name was Abdullah among the villagers, meaning ‘sent by Allah (God),’ but in reality, more like forgotten by God. He kept on living, unnoticed, uneventful – until one day when teenager Memo, tribal chief Ismail’s third son saw him urinating. Memo sprang up and started screaming while running to the village: ‘Run, run, come and see Abdullah’s dick, it has a cover on it!’ Abdullah’s run back into the crack of the rocks in the stable was just like a lizard. Soon the entire village people had gathered in front of the stable, young and old. Stones started raining into the stable: ‘Come out, you infidel giavour, we know who you are, what you are, come out!’ The shouts and insults grew louder, footsteps started coming closer, and the stable door was opened. Chief Ismail tried to protect Abdullah and stopped the mob at the entrance. He talked into the darkness of the crack: ‘Abdullah, where are you, come give me your hand, I will save you.’ Ismail’s hand touched Abdullah’s hand or what he thought was Abdullah’s hand, but suddenly he was startled and jumped back. What he touched was a bloody piece of skin. He turned towards the mob and said: ‘Leave him alone, he is one of us.’ Ever since that day, nobody bothered the newly ‘circumcised’ Abdullah.

Perhaps you have hunted lizards as a kid. Just when you think you have grabbed it, it escapes, leaving only his tail in your hands. In the villages and cities of Turkey, there were thousands of orphans and hidden Armenians who felt like lizard Abdullah on a daily basis. But they learned how to survive despite the trauma, because they learned how to be resilient. One hundred years after the Armenian Genocide, their grandchildren are now learning how to claim what is rightfully theirs – their identity, language, culture, and above all, truth and justice.

Raffi Bedrosyan

Raffi Bedrosyan is a civil engineer, writer and a concert pianist, living in Toronto. Proceeds from his concerts and CDs have been donated to the construction of school, highways, and water and gas distribution projects in Armenia and Karabakh—projects in which he has also participated as a voluntary engineer. Bedrosyan was involved in organizing the Surp Giragos Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd Church reconstruction project. His many articles in English, Armenian and Turkish media deal with Turkish-Armenian issues, Islamized hidden Armenians and the history of thousands of Armenian churches left behind in Turkey after 1915. He gave the first Armenian piano concert in the Surp Giragos Church since 1915, most recently at the 2015 Genocide Centenary Commemoration. He is the founder of Project Rebirth, which helps Islamized Armenians return to their original Armenian roots, language and culture. He has appeared as a keynote speaker at numerous international conferences related to human rights, genocide studies and Armenian issues.

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#Armenia #Armenians #Karabakh #Culture

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marvellsofturkey · 5 years ago

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The Citadel and the Walls of Diyarbakir, guarding the city for thousands of years, as if it was guarding a holy relic by surrounding the city magnificently, and 8,000 years old Hevsel Gardens both have been accepted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) to World Cultural Heritage List. With its length of 6 kilometers, Walls of Diyarbakir, is the second largest city walls in the world after the Great Wall of China. It is situated 100 m. above the valley of River Tigris. Diyarbakir still carries a medieval atmosphere with its walls encircling the city with its almost intact and impressive, 10-12 meters high and 3-5 meters thick, high walls. Although there were Roman and probably earlier wallshere, the present walls, date back to early Byzantine times. It welcomes the visitors with relievos and figures on it by telling about the civilizations that lived neighbor on the walls throughout history. There are four main gates along the wall into the old city called as Dag Kapi, Urfa Kapi, Mardin Kapi and Yeni Kapi, each of which deserves a visit along with their inscriptions and reliefs. It also includes 82 watch-towers, which were built in antiquity, approximate 3,000 years ago, restored and extended by the Roman emperor Constantius II in 349. Hope to see you soon in Turkey 😊 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 📷 @bakihayme ✌👌👍❤ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ #marvellsofturkey #love #instagood #photooftheday #fashion #beautiful #happy #cute #tbt #like4like #followme #picoftheday #follow #me #selfie #summer #art #instadaily #friends #repost #nature #attractions #fun #visit #izmir #antalya #istanbul #travel #igers #turkey (at Suriçi, Diyarbakır) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Yg4FBlMGC/?igshid=1rkkayjct2bif

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istanbulwinter · 5 years ago

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The Military Expedition to Nahcivan

On 28 August 1553, the Sultan started from Istanbul for a new military expedition to Iran. This was his twelfth mili-taiyexpedition. He was quite an aged man, 59 years old. The Sultan arrived in Erzurum via Konya and Diyarbakir and from there he advanced in Kars direction. Sending an insulting letter to the Shah as his father Sultan Selim, had Previously done, challenged him to a fight.

But none of these treats yielded a result, the Iranian army once again did not appear on the scene. The Turkish army proceeded in the directions of Karabag and Nahcivan areas. Although the Sultan’s army reached as far as Nahcivan, Shah Tahmasp and his army where always freeing away. Under these conditions, the army was set free to enter and completely destroy the city. The Sultan believed that doing that much damage was good enough and decided to return.

Sultan’s plans

When the army reached Erzurum on its way back, the Sultan received an appeal from the Shah for an armistice. It was accepted on condition that peace was realized and the enmity between the two countries was terminated. The Sultan’s plans were to spend the winter of 1554-1555 in Amasya and to continue the operations against Iran in the spring.

Shah’s envoy arrived in Amasya with new proposals, precious gifts and a letter to the Sultan. A Peace treaty, was made when Shah gave a word of assurance for friendship (1555). According to these treaty Azerbaijan and its capital Tebriz, the eastern part of Anatolia and the Arabian Iraq were being annexed to the Ottoman State.

Peace of Amasya

This first treaty concluded with Iran was in effect until the year 1576. Through the peace of Amasya, the fights of the Ottomans and Iran which stretched over half a century came to an end. During the military expeditions of the Magnificent, no Iranian army had the courage to get involved in a decisive battle with the Ottoman armies.

Therefore, the military expeditions were no more than invasions. The Iranians however, after the withdrawal of the Ottoman army continued their attacks to the Eastern Anatolia. The Ottoman State during this war,secured contact with the Turkish States in the Central Asia forming an alliance with them and extending assistance.

Source: https://istanbul.tourguideensar.com/military-expedition-nahcivan/

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usefullistanbul · 5 years ago

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The Military Expedition to Nahcivan

Sultan’s plans

Peace of Amasya

Source: https://istanbul.tourguideensar.com/military-expedition-nahcivan/

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wordexpress · 2 years ago

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1,200 Dead After Powerful Quake In Turkey, Syria, "State Of Catastrophe"

Turkey's AFAD emergencies service centre put the first quake's magnitude at 7.4, adding that it was followed by more than 40 aftershocks.

Istanbul: The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria early Monday, killing over 1,200 people in their sleep, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Iraq.

The 7.8-magnitude quake wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a restless region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts.

The head of Syria's National Earthquake Centre, Raed Ahmed, told pro-government radio that this was "the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre".

At least 326 people died in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to the latest count.

At least 912 people also died in Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Shocked survivors in Turkey rushed out into the snow-covered streets in their pyjamas, watching rescuers dig through the debris of damaged homes with their hands.

"Seven members of my family are under the debris," Muhittin Orakci, a stunned survivor in Turkey's mostly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, told AFP.

"My sister and her three children are there. And also her husband, her father-in-law and her mother-in-law."

The rescue was being hampered by a winter blizzard that covered major roads in ice and snow. Officials said the quake made three major airports in the area inoperable, further complicating deliveries of vital aid.

- Election test for Erdogan -

The quake struck at 04:17 am (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 17.9 kilometres (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is home to around two million people, the US Geological Survey said.

Turkey's AFAD emergencies service centre put the quake's magnitude at 7.7, updating an initial estimate of 7.4.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will be under intense pressure to oversee an effective response to the disaster heading to a tightly-contested May 14 election, conveyed his sympathies and urged national unity.

"We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage," the Turkish leader tweeted.

Washington, the European Union, and Russian all immediately sent condolences and offers of help.

Turkey also received a message of support from its historic rival Greece, whose relations with Ankara have suffered from a spate of border and cultural disputes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to provide "the necessary assistance" to Turkey, whose combat drones are helping Kyiv fight the Russian invasion.

And Iran, which together with Russia is trying to help Ankara restore its relations with Damascus following its efforts to help oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sent separate messages of condolence to both sides.

- 'People under rubble' -

Images on Turkish television showed rescuers digging through rubble across city centres and residential neighbourhoods of almost all the big cities running along the border with Syria.

Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake's epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins under the gathering snow.

Kahramanmaras Governor Omer Faruk Coskun said it was too early to estimate the death count because so many buildings were destroyed.

"It is not possible to give the number of dead and injured at the moment because so many buildings have been destroyed," Coskun said. "The damage is serious."

A famous mosque dating back to the 13th century partially collapsed in the province of Maltaya, where a 14-story building with 28 apartments housed 92 people also collapsed.

In other cities, social media posts showed a 2,200-year-old hilltop castle built by Roman armies in Gaziantep lying in ruins, its walls partially turned to rubble.

"We hear voices here -- and over there, too," one rescuer was overheard as saying on NTV television in front of a flattened building in the city of Diyarbakir.

"There may be 200 people under the rubble."

- Power outages -

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility.

AFP correspondents in northern Syria said terrified residents ran out of their homes after the ground shook.

Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo, Syria's pre-war commercial hub, often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure, which has suffered from lack of war-time oversight.

Naci Gorur, an earthquake expert with Turkey's Academy of Sciences, urged local officials to immediately check the region's dams for cracks to avert potentially catastrophic flooding.

Officials cut off natural gas and power supplies across the region as a precaution, also closing shools for two weeks.

"The size of the aftershocks, which may continue for days although mostly decreasing in energy, brings a risk of collapse of structures already weakened by the earlier events," David Rothery, an earthquake expert at the Open University in Britain.

"This makes search and rescue efforts dangerous."

Turkey is in one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died --including about 1,000 in Istanbul.

Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes.

The last 7.8-magnitude tremor shook Turkey in 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan provinc

#earthquake #Turkey

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