Bosphorus Blues

Merhaba Arkadaşımlar,

I can hardly believe it has only been a month, it has felt as though I have been here for a year. I scheduled a fairly busy routine for myself, between studying, planning for the future and working at KOLT, but I find the time to mingle with Istanbul’s students too.

Every other weekend, I go to Taksim and Galata in the Beyoğlu district. It’s a great place to meet people from around the world and improve my Turkish. There are plenty of bilingual students at Koç University, but it’s a lot to demand from others to ask if they can help your Turkish for several hours. So, I go to this really cool language exchange event in Taksim called Speak Easy. It’s full of people trying to learn other languages. Most of the people being Turkish, people are mostly trying to learn English or German, but they are more than happy to return the favor and decipher my Turkish.

Taksim and Galata are also really cool places for other reasons. Every time I come here, I always hear great music. You don’t even need to pay for it either, street performers come out in the late afternoon and evening and express themselves for everyone to hear. I hear jazz and traditional Turkish music being played the most. There are plenty of bars that offer free music too. Ağaç Ev, or Tree House, is my favorite. Turkish rock or blues bands play there on most nights. If you’re in the mood for roof-top reggae, I recommend the Rahat.

If you have liras to spare, I encourage you to check out the clubs featuring live music in Taksim and Galata (research before stepping inside). Most of these require a fee, but they are often worth the money. I prefer two clubs near Galata, which is in walking distance from Taksim. Club Babylon plays a wide range of music, and you can get a decent student rate at 25 TL. Nardis Cafe’s entrance fee is more expensive, at 40 TL, but the jazz there is always incredible. I drink water on these nights.

Another reason why I enjoy Galata is its history. Tourists do not come here to learn about its past like Fatih, with its Aqueducts and Roman walls or Sultanahmet, where Ayasofya / Hagia Sofia is at, but it is one of the oldest parts of Istanbul. I do not know when the settlement known as Galata today was founded, but its history extends as far back as the Roman empire. By the later years of the Byzantine Empire, it was Genovese trading settlement. Merchants from all over the world met here with with the Greek traders. The continued presence of these merchants is the reason for it’s European character.* As mentioned in an earlier post, there are no grand mosques here unlike historical Istanbul across the Altın Boynuz, it retained much of its European character due to the continued presence of traders from Europe. Perhaps until Republican-era Turkey, this quarter of the city was more Christian than Muslim.

It is a little harder to find, but you can see the history of Galata. The exception being, that one enormous tower, called Galata tower. Not far to the north, closer to Taksim, Ottoman-era embassies are still used as consulates by European governments. The Pera Museum, a former hotel, features a lot of western art depicting Istanbul. The work there is an interesting visual representation of western perceptions of the city and empire. I'll post the photos from there when I can.

Anyway, I should get ready to leave for Eskişehir and Antayla. I have a week off for Kurban Bayram. I’ll let you know how it goes!

*Mehmed II, the conquering Sultan, told its fleeing residents that no harm would come to them if they remained. This this allowed for preexisting trade relationships to resume after the city’s conquest.

Echoes of Gezi

Hello everybody,

Now I have been in İstanbul for a week, but really, my stay here has felt like a month. Orientation, applying for grants and internships has kept me busy. Yet, in between all that, I've found time to reconnect with old friends, many of whom are surprised that I followed up on my promise to return. The view of the Bosphorus, the peaches and tea are as good as I remembered them. Thrift Shop is blaring out from every fifth store. After a basic tour of old İstanbul - Sultanahmet - I'm taking today off to rest and read.

And eat.

Among the places I went to last week was Taksim Square, or the place many of you remember as being at the center of the protests that took place in June. He is a recap of what happened:

As early as April 22 - Earth Day - environmentalists began to protest against a decision reached by a distant municipal council (run by the AK party) to demolish the park in order to make room for a massive shopping and cultural complex. Gezi Park, being one of the few green areas remaining in the heart of İstanbul became a focal point of environmental protest. When the bulldozers came at the end of May, the protestors were there staging a sit-in, setting up camp in Gezi.

Although political opposition and environmental organizations gathered support for the protests, the people most responsible for the enormous scale of the protests were, ironically, the police who came to clear the park of protestors. Their use of tear gas and torches to clear the park was seen on social media sites throughout the Turkey - and the rest of world. By the beginning of June, a protest which started with no more than 60 people, swelled to hundreds of thousands in all of Turkey's major cities.

Through June and into July the size of the protests remained large. According to a local shop owner, it was not until Ramazan (Islamic month of fasting) and the increasing intensity of summer heat that the protests began to diminish. Yet, there are still anti-government demonstrations throughout Turkey. Although many of protests are not primarily focused on Gezi Park, the clashes between demonstrations and local police escalate much more readily than last year. The political scene in Turkey, even at its most calm, has notably intensified. The average size of protests are noticeably larger and the police are more quick to formation and violence. Even in September, every time I come to Taksim square, I quickly examine the situation from the underground metro before taking another step.

Although it is easy enough to identify the perpetrators of this summer's violence, the reason for the enormous scale of the Gezi Park protests, as well as the police and government response, is complex. Doing so requires a very long discussion on the use of violence in Turkish history and an examination of Turkey's social demography. Simply put, my view is that political repression and violence in general are much greater in Turkey than elsewhere, and a large contingent of the public increasingly identifies with victims of violence of diverse backgrounds (Kurds, journalists, secular students). Further exacerbating this is the historical repression pious Muslims (even just simply that) have faced at the hands of authoritarian, secular governments, which is likely one reason the center-right AK party overreacts to peaceful demonstrations.

Whatever the cause, the effects are palpable. Even at secluded Koç University, I can hear students plan protests in the cafeteria. Only yesterday, the manslaughter of a student by police in the distant Hatay province triggered large protests in İstanbul, causing some in my orientation group to avoid their apartments in Taksim. If the tense political climate is not somehow resolved peacefully, violence will ensue. I pray for justice and reconciliation to come soon, but I am pessimistic.

In spite of all that, I cannot emphasize enough how glad I am to be back in Turkey and look forward to understanding and speaking with the Turkish people.

Atatürk Kültür Merkezi (Atatürk Cultural Center). A protest landmark.

This is how many police there are when there are NO protests. All of those buses are filled with them.

Political cartoon of Danny Trejo at Gezi. He's a tough dude...

Tavla a.k.a. Backgammon. Very popular in Turkey.

What I find myself often typing upon.

Preparation

Merhaba tekrar,



It’s only two weeks until I leave for Turkey. Meanwhile, getting ready to travel abroad this year and last have been two completely different experiences. For one, the things I want to do in Turkey this time around are different from what I wanted to do last time.

Cafe Orchid. Strongly recommend. 1746 W Addison St, Chicago, IL

I’m not going claim that I am not a yabanci  - a foreigner - but Istanbul now seems to me more of a home than last time. Unlike most exchange students, I have already been to Koc, so I have a pretty good idea of what my living situation will be like. I can imagine myself crashing there as I can imagine living in a dorm at DePauw. I became accustomed to passing through Sultanahmet square, and while I will be visiting many of these landmarks again, I will probably not be spending as much time looking for new sites in Istanbul. Also, knowing people in Istanbul makes it seem less distant (Though, none of this will make my flight ticket cost less).

But, there is so much I haven’t done! Learning Turkish is always an ongoing personal project. I’m really excited to test what I have learned from my summer Turkish lessons (through Turkish American Cultural Alliance); I feel very comfortable with basic conversational Turkish. Plus, there are so many places I haven’t even been to (even in Istanbul). I’m hoping to travel to Anatolia more this semester - visiting some friends in Ankara, going to Konya and seeing the magnificent caves and rock formations of Kapadokya (a.k.a. Cappadocia).

Meanwhile I’ll be looking for a job. This is my last undergraduate semester, and those students loans are not going to pay themselves. I really have little idea of where I might work at. A paid internship at a think tank would be nice, but I’m also considering teaching English as a second language between now and graduate school. Not sure who would hire me and where I would like to work. Hopefully, I’ll get a Fulbright grant to teach English in Turkey. I also plan to apply for a critical language scholarship through the State Department. We’ll see how this all goes. Who knows? Maybe I will find work in Istanbul.

Anyway, I am excited for the adventure Turkey promises and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you guys.

Also, I'm looking forward to raiding this record store! Small, but it has a great selection. Yeni Çarşı Cad. 60/A, Cihangir/İstanbul - Avrupa, Türkiye

Not even deportation can keep me away.

Tekrar merhaba!

I am returning to Turkey on September 5 (a date I marked on my calendar since a long time ago)! I will be studying at Koc University again, and this time, complete the semester.

You read that correctly. I left about a month after the last post I made (if you scroll down, you will see that the last blog was September 12). The one sentence explanation is as follows: I had visa troubles, and after unsuccessfully negotiating with American embassy and Turkey’s immigration bureau, I was forced to return.

This didn’t happen only in one day, it was a month-long ordeal - and that was the hardest part. Depending on the day and the circumstances it brought, I might feel confident that I would get to stay or that I was certain to leave. It was mentally exhausting. For a long time, I did not want to blog about all of this because (1) I didn’t want this to possibly be the last post about an otherwise great experience, (2) I still feel slightly embarrassed about being one of the few people who had visa troubles and (3) I didn’t want to dwell on it.

However, that is in the past and I’m looking forward to returning to Turkey soon. I’ve been preparing for it over these summer months by refreshing my Turkish, which I did not work on over my crazy spring semester. I was surprised by how much I forgot, but I’m quickly finding that everything I learned is not too far from memory. The work assigned by my tutor is much easier to complete than it would have been last year. My experiences in Turkey have never been far from my thoughts either. Both of my theses were on political topics in Turkey and the protests began about the time when school ended.

The Gezi protests were particularly difficult to watch. I made friends with the protestors and government supporters while I was there. While I knew that Turkey has experienced political violence in the past, I had been hoping that something had changed in the political scene. Instead, identities are in as much conflict as ever in Turkey. Thinking about it kept me up a few nights.

The scale of the protests surprised me, but I saw people protesting in Beyoglu, particularly Taksim Square, on a pretty regular basis, most about jailed or dead journalists. I stayed at a hostel not even a quarter of a mile away. I’m not expecting there to be as much social unrest when I return, but I am increasingly curious as to what I will see when I return. Will the trees in Gezi park be gone, or will there be more protests? I am not expecting a new government, but these questions linger as I wait.

I’ll keep this post short, but I’ll get back to you all before I leave.

Görüsürüz

Welcome to Koç!

Hi all,

It has been just over a week since I moved into my room at Koç University and student orientation is still underway, but reader, it already has been an experience exceeding expectations. I might not be able to take you to Koç University, but for those of you that might be looking to study here in the future, I'll give you a virtual tour of the place, starting with my dorm.

I rented a single for the semester. Naturally, there is not a lot of space, but there are plenty of places to store stuff here. The doubles are very spacious, and the quads (compared to my freshman dorm) are quite large as well. I needed a single to focus on upcoming thesis work, but I recommend for anybody looking to really connect with the other Turkish students here as quickly as possible to take a double. Past exchange students have told me it really helps out. But, if you really desire a single, there are many other ways to interact with students.

For example, take student clubs. Although this is a small school, student club life appears to be much more vibrant than anything I have seen in the states. The clubs are very diverse as well. I've seen everything from American football, dungeons and dragons and dance clubs. I signed up for a cinema club that will be showing Turkish films on most weekdays. I have also heard of there being political clubs, which I definitely plan on attending. The students here are very involved in campus life; my exchange mentor is also the vice president of the international students association, the president of KU global aid. She has had very little sleep this week.



With the exception of technical support, whom I am told typically does a much better job (plus, it's easy to hate on tech staff), the staff as a whole seems to have been doing a great job at acclimating students to Koç life and İstanbul. Now, I can only say that they are apparently "doing a great job" because I have been here since June, so I am already very familiar with İstanbul. However, I can say with certainty that my mentor has been very helpful in showing me around Sarıyer, an İstanbul suburb, and being accessible.

When we are not being taken out of town to party or tour, we are at the student center finishing paperwork, finding supplies, making payments or relaxing with food and new friends. Coming from a very small liberal arts university, my perspective might be a little different from the average student, but the sheer number of conveniences to be found here are each reasons I am glad I chose to live on campus. To be found here are the two food courts, the University bookstore, several hairdressers, a copy center, a bank, and a tunnel network leading to many of the academic buildings on campus (will be useful when winter arrives).

The library is straight across from the student center, though, I think showing you can wait until I start to live there.

The athletic facilities are pretty nice here, too. Naturally, the main building is very spacious. The equipment here is very new here and nothing here is broken. I am a little disappointed in the lack of free-weights (there are plenty of dumbbells), but the quality of the equipment more than compensates. I have also seen a rock-climbing wall here and a dance room here, too. Trainers are also available on weekdays. Outside of the athletic facility is an outdoor ice rink, but, at the moment, it is a sauna inside of a tent.

I'm actually looking forward to classes starting here. I will be having my first class on the Turkish constitutional system this Monday morning.* Talking to other students other here, I feel even more lucky to have gotten into all of my courses. As at DePauw, the smaller amount of classes available  can make it especially difficult to get the schedule you want. That said, I have been told that you are much more likely to get into a class you have been "wait-listed" on if you are a foreigner. It might also help that my faculty at Koc is International Relations. Another cause of this frenzy might be the sheer number of students trying to study Business Administration, which is probably Koc's best department.

Having gotten into four classes, I am wondering how busy I will be. The average number of courses taken at Koc seems to be five, or in any case, most of the students I have asked are taking five. Several students take even more than that in a semester. I get the feeling that courses here might not be as intense here as at DePaw, but I am not going to bother picking up another course anyway, as my Theses essentially constitute as a fifth course. Choosing the number of classes to take also depends on your strategy. An exchange student from Singapore is taking six engineering courses in order to graduate on time, but is not too worried about being too busy because they are all pass/fail.

Regardless of how intense these courses are, I will be enjoying the landscape of the area, enjoying the beautiful views and great weather. Even when winter comes and I am restricted to indoors (İstanbul has four seasons), I can still look forward to having great food, quality facilities and good company.

*Delayed posting to take photos I forgot about.

One thing I am loving about this campus are the open spaces. Beautifully designed campus.

An exterior view of most of the on-campus dormitories

My Room. The mini-fridge is provided, though, you might not find much use of it if you plan to store alcohol in there. Drinking is usually prohibited on campus, and I hear they enforce it pretty well.

Standard double. Pretty spacious, yeah?

Balcony lounge in my dorm.

Weight room. Can hardly complain!

I had to pay a bit for the room, but laundry services are covered.

Roof-top restaurant in Taksim. Taken from a roof-top bar.

Monument erected around 479 BCE in honor of a Greek at Plataea over the Persians.
Relocated to present location from Delphi in 324, one can see that much is buried underneath İstanbul.

Visited the mosaic museum, which contains some of the best preserved Byzantine mosaics in the world. Some of the images
provide the only references historians and archeologists have for palace life during Roman and Byzantine İstanbul.

These mosaics, despite their incompleteness, have been wonderfully restored.

No Excuses

Pretty soon, I will resume my studies. I’ve already moved into my dorm at Koc University (pictures coming soon). Although I did not visit as many places as I originally had planned, the last month has been no less of an adventure. Problems with one hostel and an extremely stubborn package kept me in Istanbul, but I also found myself savoring the experience of being in the city even more. Living the life of an urban nomad has made me even more attuned to the attitudes of the people ever more than before. It helps to learn a little more of the language every day, but it seems to me that constant interaction with the people and immersing oneself in their climate is the most important in making connections with a people. 

Sharing their spaces has seemed to have made me more open to conversation and approachable. Although my AIFS experience was great, I found relatively few opportunities to directly connect with the locals; even those that spoke english. Half of the students in my politics class were Turks, while the other half were predominately American. Apart from that, I saw few opportunities to really interact with them until later. I think it was a combination of: (1) me being shy, (2) not knowing the language, and (3) being busy trying to learn the language. I suppose they are all connected in one way or another; there were times I felt as though I would be too intrusive if I were to try to start up a conversation in English. Until late into the program, the Turks with whom I had personal conversations with also knew German. 

However, as I found out, there are a plenty of locals that would love to practice their English in friendly conversation. In the final three weeks of my program, I started having more conversations with Turks who spoke very little or fluent English. A friend of mine, M, immersed himself into the culture beyond what I thought was possible in the short time we stayed here. I ran into him talking with locals one evening, and he invited me to join in. From what I gathered in the frequent study sessions we had, M knew less Turkish than I did, but he was engaging them with the few words he knew! They knew hardly anymore English than either of us knew Turkish, yet M hung out with them on a regular basis and even had fun while he and they spoke “Turkenglish”. If it had not yet occurred me that I was not trying enough to connect, there was one point that evening when we were silent, and I indicated a bird nest to M in English. One of the two men sitting by us asked me (through gestures, some third-party translation and a little English), “Why are you speaking in English?” 


Since then, I’ve made it a point not only to learn the language, but to be engaging regardless of how much you know about the language. I’m sure the same applies to experiencing the culture. In that specific situation, I worried too much about being misunderstood, that I actually might have insulted somebody. 
 
I was lucky to have had him call me out and for my month living in hostels. Over the course of the month, I had many interesting conversations, but there were three in particular that were incredible. Each of these guys’ personalities and beliefs were dramatically different from each other. Because single letters are a little impersonal, I will arbitrarily refer them as Tom, Dick and Harry. 

Tom is a student around my age. I met him in Ankara, and actually chatted with him several times because he lived close to the hostel I was staying at there. One night, we discovered our mutual interest in politics... and if you’ve been following this blog, you already know it got real. Although we struggled with words, we were actually able to compare opinions, and have a discussion. He identified himself as nearly communist, and is convinced that the international economic and political order actively works against the interests of the “have-nots”; in particular, those in the Middle East. He was also very wary of religious extremism in the region. Our other conversations were more casual, but just as enjoyable all the same. 

 Dick was also around my age, but already immersed in a promising career. I met him in Istanbul, while picking up a package at shipping. Because the service I used failed to notify the local facility that I was picking up the package, I had to wait for over an hour until the package came. Fortunately, when I introduced myself to Dick and told him I came from America, he grabbed my hand and told me, “I’m from Harlem,” with a winning grin. Dick, who probably was just on his way out, was nice enough to talk sports, women and partying with me until the package arrived over tea and cigarettes. Dick was really into sports. We talked about my recent struggle as a Chicago Bulls fan and his love for Galatasaray, a very successful Turkish football team. I didn’t tell him that I studied politics, but he briefly shared his patriotism and disdain for the PKK, the Kurdish terrorist organization, with me. Nevertheless, the mood lightened quickly after that and, soon enough, the package returned. As I was doing paperwork, he took off, but not before shaking my hand, telling me smiling and laughing that he would not forget our conversation. 

I also met Harry, a young family man, in Ankara. One of the handful of English guides working at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, he speaks in English very well. Until we neared the Assembly room, we walked in near silence when I was not asking questions. Just after we entered, Harry seemed to be especially impressed that I was able to identify several of the Turkic civilizations symbolized by the sixteen crystal chandeliers hanging over the assembly floor. After that, he was asking me questions as well. We took a liking to each other, and he offered me some tea after the tour. Although I had planned to leave Ankara just after I toured the Assembly complex, I scarcely hesitated to accept the invitation. 

Harry told me about his usual clients, predominately U.S. congressmen, and general goings around the capital. The conversation was actually quite casual until we happened upon international politics. I mentioned the Gaza flotilla incident, which took place on May 31, 2010. As it turned out, he lost a close friend that day. 

 For those of you unfamiliar with the story, although Turkey and Israel were on relatively good terms until the incident, a Turkish aid ship, bound for a Palestinian enclave called Gaza, refused to turn around. Israeli soldiers stopped the ship before it landed, and proceeded to massacre eight Turks and one Turkish-American, all of whom were unarmed. Harry’s friend was shot in the head at point-blank range. 

I think the emotions stirred in our discussion led to a discussion about our religious beliefs. I told him about my Lutheran upbringing, and he shared his convictions as a muslim. As it turned out, Harry is very devout and was very pleased to share his faith with me. I was very glad that he was too; in spite of me being very familiar with Islam, I actually feel as though I still hardly know it. I asked him to recommend a good English translation of the Koran for me to read, and he took it upon himself to search for a quality one online. After giving me a piece of paper with the name of the translator, he offered me dinner. If it were not for the fact that I needed to be at a Hotel in Istanbul by midnight, I would have definitely accepted his invitation. Before we parted ways, we exchanged contact information, and he told me to call him up the next time in Ankara. Most certainly, Harry. 

 So, what was the point of me elaborating on three conversations with three men who, ethnicity notwithstanding, could hardly be any more different from each other? Well reader, these differences are united by a distinct emotion that I only have experienced after each of those encounters. Especially in Dick’s case, I did not know them all that well, and, in perspective, I still don’t. But, in spite of time and language barriers, they all confided in me. They did not share their secrets, but it requires a level of trust to be able to personally discuss religion and politics. I suppose, as foreigner, they felt a level of safety of my distance from their culture. It also might have helped that I am a traveler that they would likely not see again if they had accidentally offended me. In any case, they would not have had the fear of talking to a local “enemy”, be it in matters of religion, sexuality, politics, or sport (football can get REALLY intense over here). This is to say, they did not speak carelessly, rather, they felt free to speak what they think is true. It might seem as though I might be diving into abstractions instead of experience, but reader, their eyes told me what they were saying was truth. 

I would not have had these brief, but intimate, encounters, had I been as reticent to engage with the local population as I was in July. I had thought my lack speaking Turkish precluded me from even simple conversation. 

Persian poet Rumi once wrote, “...one who is parted from one who speaks his mother tongue, even if he has a hundred songs he will always still be dumb.” What he says may be true, but even as one who is almost dumb, I know from experience that I can still enjoy the company of the locals that speak no English. In engaging people of other cultures, what seems to count the most is one’s initiative to interact in their space. All of these conversations took place in places intimately familiar to them: an office, a break room and a living room. 

Four days ago, I visited a small exhibit on the life and adventures of Josephine Powell. Born an American, she spent most of her life in away from her native country among the nomads of the Muslim world (many of them in Turkey). Other than her Volkswagen minibus and her photography equipment, she had no modern possessions. Near the end of her life, she took an apartment in Istanbul, where she lived still scarce of modern possessions, until she died in five years ago. Her is a woman who documented the nomadic life to the smallest of details through photography and writing, while living as a nomad on the Anatolian plateau. She knew them as well as anybody, and they accepted her almost as one of them. Yet, even in her decades of travel in Turkey, she never learned the language. 

We cannot assume that language barriers prevent us from being able to interact with other human beings. What is most important is occupying their space, and looking at them in the eye. Well... excuse me for using a cliché there, but it's true!

"Man Sandwiches"

A picture of my favorite mosque's interior.

Secluded Armenian Church in Istanbul.

The Hittites of Ankara

After staying at the Chambers of the Boheme near Taksım (a hostel I highly recommend) for almost a week, I woke up early Saturday and suddenly decided that I wanted to go to Ankara. It only took several hours to check out and find a bus going to Ankara. The bus ride took about 7 hours, but the Metro bus is very comfortable and every chair has a multimedia screen. I arrived at Ankara at 11:00 p.m. and was settled at my hostel by midnight. 


As a native of Ankara told me in Istanbul, Ankara is not a particularly beautiful city to look at, but it is a very clean place. For the most part, the streets are much wider here, and with the exception of the old part of the city, it is mostly planned. Yet, I found myself enjoying the city. Although I was new to the city, because there were fewer tourists and generally less congestion than Istanbul, my stay in Ankara was relaxing. 

That said, Ankara might be a little boring if you are not a local or interested in history and politics. There are many nice cafes for students here, but there are not a lot of sights to see. Nevertheless, I kept myself busy with either reading or visiting the landmarks of political and historical significance. In the four days I was in Ankara, I visited Ankara castle, Atatürk’s mausoleum (Anıtkabir) and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (the national legislature). 

The castle was pretty neat, and I got a great view of the city from there. I had a ton of fun using a newly purchased tripod. After I began to feel a little too cold, I began my decent, stopping by the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations along the way. The museum is pretty much a smaller version of the archeology museum in Istanbul, and there was even less to see than usual because over half the museum is being renovated. Nevertheless, the most interesting exhibits of the Hittites and earlier paleolithic civilizations remained open to the public. 

If you have no or little knowledge of Hittite civilization, they were among the first people to inhabit Anatolia (the Asian area of present-day Turkey). For a long time, the Hittites were unified under a king and rivalled ancient Egypt for control over Palestine. Notably, the oldest peace treaty known to exist was signed by both powers. I go to the trouble of introducing the Hittites to you, reader, is because they are linked to political memory in Turkey; a topic I find endlessly fascinating. Although the Hittites are not Turkish, the establishment of an ancient civilization in Anatolia suggests that the whole of Anatolia forms a natural homeland for the people who inhabit it. Also, notice that the museum is titled “Anatolian Civilizations”, rather than “Civilizations in Anatolia”. 
 
These conjectures might seem rather contrived, if not only trivial. However, my observations at Atatürk’s mausoleum not only confirm them, but also give them relevance. Anıtkabir, which, besides containing Atatürk’s body, also has a museum beneath about the Turkish Revolution and the War of Independence. I encountered familiar felines as I approached the tomb through the “Lion’s gate”. They appeared almost identical to the lion statues at both the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. The statues of Turkish men and women were also molded in a distinctly Hittite fashion as well. Their appearances were certainly not inspired by Islamic art, as Muslims then (and often still) viewed the depiction of the human form in art as a form of idolatry. Most strikingly, two reliefs at the base of the mausoleum itself resemble those that I saw at the museums. 

Compare

I think that the monument is stylized in a rather Hittite manner for two reasons: (1) a tomb in the Islamic style would not be appropriate to a man who advocated militant secularization and (2) it dedicates the monument to Anatolia, the homeland of the Turkish people. 

To explain my second point: After gazing at Atatürk’s coffin, I walked through the museum about independence and revolution underneath. The panoramas, depicting Turkish heroism in incredible detail, evoked emotions even from within me. Although battles were also fought against the French and Armenians, the museum focused exclusively upon the major war against the Greeks. The concept of the Anatolian was strong here too. In fact, although the monument and museum were dedicated to the memory of Atatürk, it was as much of a narrative of the Turkish defense of their Anatolian homeland against invaders. Thus, the concept of a unified Anatolian homeland is central to an important phase for defining Turkish identity. 

The dedication of people to the land is not exclusive to the people of Turkey. At present, most countries are either nation-states or hold pretense to being one. Yet, there are many minorities in Turkey whose ancestors have lived on the land for as long as any Turk’s. Yet, for the government and many people, to be born in Anatolia makes one Turkish and thus, with the exception of certain Christian minorities, the government often denies the existence of minorities that refuse to be called Turks. 

I think that this is largely due to the large presence of Kurdish people who form a majority in the southeast of the country. Their existence and their denial of “Turkishness” make many people to feel uneasy, because it is widely believed that the integrity of Anatolia, the Turkish homeland, is threatened by their presence. Indeed, the issues of Kurdish identity, separatism and terrorism are most serious for the state because they question the viability of the Turkish Anatolian homeland.

However, being in Turkey has made me realize that a lot of these questions and issues about identity are more passively expressed, much less violently. For instance, a girl I had lunch with at Boğaziçi University eventually told me that she is of Armenian heritage. Granted, I am no local, but I would not have guessed she was anything but Turkish, as she spoke it fluently with her Turkish friend sitting with us. Curiously, she lightly remarked a couple of time that she was practically Turkish. A Korean American would say the very same thing about being American. Yet, could not either case be examples of a reflex to assimilate, as to conform to society at large? Perhaps not, and if it were the case, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Though, there is a question that might help to discriminate between possibilities: Do the effects of such actions work to repress the right to culture?

As a privileged hippie in my Turkish politics class once uttered, “Can’t they all just be proud to be born in Turkey?” Well, reader, it may be difficult to understand because we have not had the experience of being born in Turkey. In addition, it would seem as though Turkishness and Anatolian birth are so inextricably linked in public memory, that there is little support for a more inclusive identity. This issue is so complex, I will not yet diagnose any particular solution, but I desire to investigate possible ways to reconcile the memory with present-day identities and grievances.  

Hittite Relief

Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Quote behind soldier,"NE MUTLE TURKÜM DİYENE !"- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
"How happy is one who says they are a Turk!"

Flower bed outside the mausoleum.