Turkey

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:50 by turkey

Turkey, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, is synonymous of both Asia Minor and Anatolia which are the melting pot of western civilization. Here were born or extended numerous great civilizations which have left their marks through ancient sites full of archaeological wonders, through prestigious cities, or through great names and events of history of which I will only quote a few examples:Troy, the mythological city of Homer the legendary poet that seven ancient Greek cities, including Smyrna (Izmir), claimed to have been his birthplace; Herodotus, the Father of History, lived in Halicarnassus famous for the Mausoleum which was destroyed by the Frankish knights and which was, with the Temple of Artemision, one of the Seven Wonders of the World; Phocea which gave its name to the city of Marseille in France; the Phrygians who are the origin of Marianne's red cap which is the symbol of liberty and the French Republic; Sardis, where wealthy King Croesus' gold-bearing Pactolos stream flows; Pergamum, where parchment was invented; Zile, where Julius Caesar said these famous succint words " Veni, Vidi, Vici"; cherries, named after Cerasus (Giresun) a city on the Black Sea Coast, were intoduced to Europe by the Roman general and gourmet Lucullus; Antioch, where the Jewish disciples of Jesus were called "christians" here for the first time; Tarsus, the birthplace of St Paul who wrote the famous Epistles to the Galatians and to the Ephesians; St Nicholas, bishop of Myra, who is the origin of Santa Claus; for a same city, three names that make one dream: Byzantium, which became Constantinople the capital of the first Christian Empire under Emperor Constantine the Great and where Emperor Justinian erected imposing Haghia Sophia, and İstanbul, the city of the mosques, palaces and fabulous treasures, sultans and mysterious harems; Atatürk who made Turkey a modern and the first secular Moslem country, where women were granted the right to vote in 1930 and to run as a candidate in 1934, a long time before some European countries...

Turkey has an imposing nature and sites such as the unique landscapes of Cappadocia or Pamukkale.

Turkey means the sun, the sea and its beautiful beaches, leisure and sports that are other sources of joy and pleasure.

Turkey is also the warm hospitality of the people, a delicious cuisine and so many other things that will make you live privilegiate moments.

I invite you to come and turn the pages of the great history and civilizations, archaeology, nature and discovery book formed by Turkey.

Turkey awaits you and wide opens its doors behind which you will discover the many facets of a country which is still ill-known and which should be judged at its real value. Each one of you will find the perfect way or the ideal place for a cultural holiday or simply for relaxation and change of scenery.

Do not hesitate any longer. Do come, you are most welcome!

ADANA

Adana(the ancient Antioch in Cilicia or Antioch on the Sarus) is the capital of Adana Province in Turkey. The city administrates two districts, Seyhan and Yüreğir, with a total population of 2,530,257 and an area of 1,945 km². It is the fifth most populous cityTurkey (after Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Bursa).

Location
One of the largest and most dynamic cities in Turkey and situated thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) inland, Adana is the gateway to the Cilician plain, now known as the Çukurova plain, the large stretch of flat and fertile land which lies to the south-east of the Taurus Mountains. This is possibly the most productive area in this part of the world. From Adana, crossing the Çukurova going west, the road from Tarsus enters the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. The temperature decreases with every foot of ascent; the road reaches an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m). It goes through the famous Cilician or Çukurova Gates, the rocky pass through which armies have coursed since the dawn of history, and continues to the Anatolian plain.

History
The history of Adana is intrinsically linked to the history of Tarsus; they seem often to be the same city, moving as the neighbouring Seyhan River changed its position, and the name changed too over the course of centuries. Adana was of little importance in ancient history, while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Also, Ayas (today Yumurtalık), and Kozan (formerly Sis) have been population and administrative centers, especially during the time of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.
The history of Adana goes back more than 3000 years; finds in the region reveal human occupation of the area during the Paleolithic Age.
Tepebag Tumulus, where archaeologists found a stone wall and a city center, was built in the Neolithic Age; it is considered to be the oldest city of the Cilicia region.
An Adana is mentioned by name in a Sumerian epic, the Epic of Gilgamesh, but the geography of this work is too imprecise to identify its location.
According to the Hittite inscription of Kava, found in Hattusa (Boğazkale), KizzuwatnaUru Adaniyya, and the inhabitants were called Danuna.
Beginning with the collapse of the Hittite Empire, c. 1191-1189 BC, invasions from the west caused a number of small kingdoms to take control of the plain, as follows: KueAssyrians, 9th century BC; Cilician Kingdom, Persians, 6th century BC; Alexander the Great in 333 BC; Seleucids; and the pirates of Cilicia and Roman statesman Pompey the Great.
During the era of Pompey, the city was used as a prison for the pirates of Cilicia. For several centuries thereafter, it was a waystation on a Roman military road leading to the East. After the split of the Roman Empire, the area became part of the Byzantine Empire, and was probably developed during the time of Julian. With the building of large bridges, roads, government buildings, and irrigation and plantation, Adana and Cilicia became the most developed and important trade centers of the region.

Middle Ages
In the mid 7th century, the city was captured by the Arab Abbasids. According to an Arab historian of that era, the name of the city was derived from Ezene, the prophet Yazene's grandson.
The Byzantines recaptured Adana in 964. After the victory of Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert, the Seljuk Turks overran much of the Byzantine Empire. They had reached and captured Adana sometime before 1071 and continued to hold the place until Tancred, a leader of the First Crusade, captured the city in 1097.

Modern Era
From the end of the Renaissance to the modern era (1517–1918), the Ottoman Empire ruled the area.
In the 1830s, in order to secure Egypt's independence for the Ottoman Empire, the army of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the viceroy of Egypt, invaded Syria on two occasions, and reached the Adana plain. The subsequent peace treaty secured Egypt's independence, but (at the insistence of Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia) required the evacuation of all Egyptian forces from Syria, and its return to Ottoman sovereignty. In the aftermath, Adana was established as a province in its own right.
In 1909 Adana was the location of the Adana massacre.[7] Turkish scholars and some others refer to the event as the Adana rebellion, based on a thesis of its underlying causes.[8]
After World War I, the Ottoman government surrendered control of the city to French troops, and an Armenian troop equipped by French was sent to occupy the city. During the Turkish War of Independence, Adana was strategically important. Mustafa KemalKuvayi Milliye was born.

Adana today
Adana has become an international metropolis, stretching and swallowing its neighbors. Adana is the marketing and distribution center for the Çukurova agricultural region, where cotton, wheat, corn, soy bean, barley, grapes and citrus fruits are produced in great quantities. The main industries of the city are textile manufacturing, leather tanning, and wool processing. The houses in Adana have flat tops, and the roofs serve as bedrooms for the inhabitants during the hot summers.
The city of Adana today is administered by three district council authorities: Seyhan, Yüreğir, and Karaisalı. Seyhan is the more developed part of the city on the west bank of Seyhan river, Yüreğir is located on the east bank. Karaisalı is best-known for growing myrtleberries (myrtus communis).

The city is also famous for its cuisine, including; the Adana kebab; şalgam, a salty fermented juice made from turnips; Şırdan a kind of home-made sausage stuffed with rice, and eaten with cumin; paça, boiled sheep's feet; bicibici (pronounced as bee-jee-bee-jee) made from diced semolina, rose water and sugar and served with crushed ice, consumed especially in summer time. Furthermore, the city has a number of famous desserts, such as Halka Tatlı a round shaped dessert and Taş Kadayıf a bow shaped dessert. Several types of fruit, including the apricot, are native to this area.

NATO's Incirlik Air Base is located in town of İncirlik, 12 km (7 mi) east of Adana. Shopping in Adana is enhanced the 'American bazaar' a street market selling new and second-hand goods that have seeped out of the Incirlik Air-base.

Sightseeing

o Stone Bridge, built in part during the 6th-century reign of the Byzantine emperorJustinian I, the oldest extant bridge in the world which is still in use.

o Yilanlı Kale The ruins of a castle dating from 782.

o The old bazaar, Kazancılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of Cauldron-Makers), founded around Büyük Saat, where Çarşı Hamamı (Bath of the Bazaar), a Turkish bath built in 1519 can be found.

o Bebekli Kilise (Church of Babies) is an old Catholic church located in the city center. There are many historic houses in the street where the church is located.

o Seyhan Dam

o Ramazanoğlu Tomb

o Varda (German) Bridge : Varda Bridge is in Karaisali which is a province of Adana. The railway bridge is near to Hacikiri village. it was made in 1903 by Germans. So people also call it German Bridge. if you want to see a beautiful view, you should visit the bridge.

Mosques -- Adana Ulu Mosque , New Mosque , Butter mosque , Old Mosque , Sabancı Mosque , Alemdar Masjid , Şeyh Zülfi Masjid , Kizildag Ramazanoglu mosque

Museums -- Adana Museum , Adana Etnography Museum , Adana Archeological Museum , Adana Atatürk Museum , Misis Mosaic Museum

Hammams -- Irmak Hammams , Mestenzade Hammams , New Hammams

Education -- Çukurova University

Railway -- Adana Railway Station on the Baghdad Railway.

Airport -- Adana Sakirpasa Airport

Festivals -- Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival

ASPIRATIONS FOR ETHNIC REGIONAL HISTORY

We arrange some local excurtsons with Turkish,Kurdish and Arabian people who live together around Adana region to gain common cultures in the past.

These are not only excursions but at the same time to get knowledge from the archeologists who are with us during them.This is our association's social activity for 'Aspirations'.

District of Adana Saimbeyli; was given a name from these travelers; Hadchin, Hadjine, Hadschin and Hacin since 1800.

However, W.M. Ramsay write that name of district in the period of Rome and Byzantine was Badimon.

In the light of data that was gotten by studies archeological, history of the district extend as far as Rome Period.

In this study, in the district so many monumental work of art, lodgment of Rome , Byzantine and Armenian were identified and rich culture of the district was distinguished to the literature. In this context, STK , with his members and volunteers will march to Kale Church and Abbey.

The mayor & archaeologist telling about the Castle and Abbey

_________________________________________________________________________________________

VISITING DERVİŞLİ VILLAGE

( 23rd October,2010 )

Retired teacher Meryem Yılmaz who is the member of S-T-K always wanted to visit her village to meet her students where she was born and educated them in 1959. Her aspiration came through on 23th October within our project.

Members Hatice Yıldırım ,Dilek Arıkan and Gevaş Özkan and twelve people from Adana , five people from the village joined to the trip which Meryem Yılmaz organised under the presidency of general secretary Savaş Özkan.

We unfortunately observed that some of the students in the village were educated in the same class once are in very harsh conditions now because of the living conditions they are face to face have rubbed them off.

All these people who met fifty years later lived tragic moments.This meeting was worth to see.

Till lunch time students had a talk and fulfilled their longings with their teacher.They had lunch at twelve.After lunch we started to walk in the village along the fruit gardens to the point where the river meets.It was a walking of nearly 2000 metres .People as guests from Adana and the village and children playing in the streets joined to the walking.

By the way,we met an intersting tree of which name is’’ citron’’that is also the only one around the village.It looked like unripe grapefruit .

After this activity we were invited to a villager’s house for snack.

At he end ‘’sıkma’’a special local pasta frying on a kind of barbecue that is made of flour,egss,water and cheese was served with’’ ayran’’(special drink from village yogurt) and tea towards evening. Sıkma was made by two Arabian and Turkish women.

At 5 p.m everybody said goodbye to each other unwillingly but promising to meet again soon.It was a nice and unforgetable memory for all of us.

I think we owe this meeting to’ Aspirations’.

Once Meryem Yilmaz doing practice of Agriculture class with her students in Dervişli village

_________________________________________________________________________________________

CELEBRATION

( 24th November,2010 )

In Turkey 24th November is celebrated as Teachers’ Day which is traditional.So as S-T-K we wanted to make a surprise to the 14 retired teachers of old people’s home and decided to take them to the recently renewed historical Ramazanoğlu Moslem Theological School.We had a nice party including food and beverages.All of us enjoyed this meeting a lot because it was exciting and they left happly at the end of the day .

Savaş Özkan,İnci Varkara,Binnur Tümen and Aygül Çetin participated from S-T-K.

To those people some knowledge was given about S-T-K and what Aspirations project is.

Some knowledge was given about S-T-K and Aspirations project.

Retired teachers of old people’s home were given some flowers.

During the servicing of some food and beverage.

The principal of old people’s home, Nurdan Avcı, also joined the celebration.

The moslem theological school of Ramazanoğlu was visited.

In the end some memory pictures were taken and said goodbye .

____________________________________________________________________________

ŞANLIURFA TRIP

AN OLD SOLITARY WOMAN

Dursun Haseki was born in 1947,Adana and has no family so has to live with some attendants.However she can’t travel by herself because of her health problems.

In 1970s she worked as midwife in some villages of Şanlıurfa, which is known as the city of prophets.

She has also made contact with those people who made friends for years.She demanded us to visit Şanlıurfa and see her friends after years.

Mukaddes Kasap,Aygül Çetin and Ummahani Çelik who are the members of our association took her to Şanlıurfa to came through her aspiration betweeen the dates of 3rd-5th December 2010.

She met her old friends and also visited historical places of Şanlıurfa and a few villages.

As S-T-K we also felt happy that we helped her hopes and lonliness.

The holly fish lake of Probhet Abraham in Şanlıurfa

The house she lived once

Her old Kurdish friends

DELIGHTING FRUIT PICKING OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

We arranged a local trip to a farm in Abdioğlu Village in Misis with 30 participants of Nursing Home Residents on 12th January ,2011.

They told us they would like to go to an orchard and smell the nice garden and taste the freshly picked fruits they hadn’t done for ages.So we asked for an owner of a farm we know that we had an activity plan and he accepted us kindly.
They picked and tasted them.Besides the rest of the fruit elderly people picked were packed and given them to be delivered to other residents at home.
They were also served tea and handmade village pastery during the visit.
At the end of the day they returned home happily with the pleasure of taking fresh air and fruit.
The manager of Nursing Home Residents Nurdan Avcı and general secretary Savaş Özkan joined the trip.

NEWSLETTER NEWS

(15.01.2011)

ELDERS HIT THE BULL'S EYE

(01.02.2011)

S-T-K has another organisation regional which is a day-trip to Mersin.This time fourty nursing home residents joined the activity.

General Secretary Savaş Özkan,Project Coordinator Binnur Tümen and Adana Nursing Home Management and expert staff paricipated it.The trip started at Adana train station at 10:30,lunch followed it at Mersin Teacher's Lodge.

Next we went on to a village that is called Mezitli where we had a walk to an antique city called Soloi ( Pompeipolis) that was established as a harbour city in Kilikian period.The street you see in the picture is called ''city with columns''.There were two hundred columns in time but now forty-one of them have remained after the big earthquake.Its present name is Viranşehir which means ''desolate city'' because it couldn't have been rebuilt .

After that we visited an archery club where we experienced bowing that most of us did for the first time in our lives.We took on the coach after this exciting activity and went to a seaside tea-house to taste perfect Turkish tea for resting.

On way back home they sang happily altogether and entertain us.They were very happy during and after the trip.Because nearly half of them didn't go out of Adana for a long time,one of them saw the sea for the first time in his life.Also this is their first visit by train as Nursing Home.

Finally we got on the train at four p.m and arrived in Adana at five.

NEWSLETTER NEWS

*** *** ***

ASPIRATIONS PROJECT ACTIVITIES OF S-T-K ORGANIZATION AFTER THE POLAND MEETING – 1

DATE : April 25th, 2011

SUBJECT : A seminar on the influence of the common problems of traditional societies on the urban life

1- Seminar Preparation Works : April 23rd-24th, 2011

Abdulkadir YESILKUS (Head of S-T-K organization)

Savas OZKAN (General Secretary of S-T-K organization)

Burcu TANSAK (Project Coordinator of Istanbul Police Department)

Burcin ATIK (Project Secretary of Istanbul Police Department)

Project Support Team of Istanbul Police Department

2- Project Presentation : April 25th, 2011

Burcu TANSAK (Project Coordinator of Istanbul Police Department)

Burcin ATIK (Project Secretary of Istanbul Police Department)

STATEMENT

Within the Aspirations Project, a meeting was held in Poznan State of Poland at April 7th-8th, 2011. A seminar on the “Influence of the common problems of traditional societies on the urban life” which was one of the activities that had planned to be completed before the Romania meeting was presented by the S-T-K organization at April 25th, 2011.

Abdulkadir YESILKUS (Head of S-T-K organization) and Savas OZKAN (General Secretary of S-T-K organization) also attented to the preparation works during the dates April 23rd-24th, 2011.

Education notes of the seminar which 70 people attended was prepared by Asst. Prof. Dr. Banu YAMAN (Academic and Project Advisor of S-T-K Organization).

The Seminar was presented by Burcu TANSAK

(Project Coordinator of Istanbul Police Department)

*********************

TRAVEL OF ASPIRATION FROM VILLAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL FAIR PLACE

After Italy meeting we visited Dervişli village again in the South of Adana that is a mixture of Arab and Turkish people, and some of the people we met before told us to take them to Adana who can hardly visit the city .

So we organised a trip for them on 13th May as S-T-K.We called it ‘’A Day in The City’’and Savaş Özkan and Binnur Tümen participated to this activity.

We started the activity by taking the participants from the village at 10:00 o’clock.

First they were taken to the handcrafts exhibition of vocational high schools and public education centres in TUYAP ADANA INTERNATIONAL FAIR AND CONFERENCE CENTRE at 11:30.They visited all the booths and took some knowledge from the attendants.

They had a tea break there while they rested.

The second stop was a kebap restaurant where they hardly ever find this as an oppurtunity.

They enjoyed it because they were eating in a restaurant .

Last, After they had had a short trip by the lake and along the river in cars,they were given a lift to their homes to the village by Savaş and Binnur.

*********************

SEMINAR

The seminar was held under the title of ‘The Impacts of the Problems Traditional Societies Have to Urban Life’ by Haluk Suphi Gülkaya,who is the assistantant of the president of our association, with the involvement of S-T-K and GKS members on 15th May,2011.

It was presented by Süleyman Çelik who was the old mayor assistant of Yüreğir county that allows immigrants.

HALUK SUPHI GULKAYA

At the end of the seminar, participants were given the poem book ’Sensiz Ben’ which was written and autographed by general secretary Savaş Özkan of S-T-K.

*********************

POEM PRESENTATION

Two retired teachers who were grown up in Şakirpaşa neighbourhood of Adana which let immigrants presented a poem concert to contribute Turkish,Kurdish and Arabic youngsters and neighbourhood residents to come together and socialize by an artistic activity.

This event was fulfilled by general secretary Savaş Özkan in Tapanyiğit Omnibus Meeting Hall with a broad participation on 18 May,2011.Those who attended the activity read poems and also sang emotional songs in their own languages and enjoyed their time.

*********************

A PARK VISIT BY TRAIN

FOR INFO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkez_Park

This park is quite famous with its landscape and train which is located partly along the famous Seyhan River in Adana and is also a rarely seen large park in Turkey.

A few people joined this activity from Dervişli village on 1st June.

They enjoyed it fully and there were also a small zoo which has a peacock,an ostrich,some geese,a turkey and a few bantams.

After the activity they were served some food and drinks in the park by the river.

Yaşar Kaya (charter member), Haluk Suphi Gülkaya ,(assistant of president),Savaş Özkan (general secretary & charter member) and Binnur Tümen (contact person ) participated the event from S-T-K.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASPIRATIONS PROJECT ACTIVITIES AFTER ROMANIA MEETING

Activity Name : Big “Meeting” Festival at Dervisli Village

Date : June 10th, 2011

Place : Turkey – Adana – Seyhan – Dervisli Village

STATEMENT

Long term preperations for the Big Festival at Dervisli Village were completed by S-T-K Organization members Mehmet OZKAN (retired soldier – 67 year old) and Meryem YILMAZ (retired teacher – 74 year old).

Activity of getting people who are living in Dervisli Village and who were born in Dervisli Village but currently living in the other cities or in the other countires together was organized as a festival.

The festival was fulfilled under the management of S-T-K Organization General Secretary Savas OZKAN at June 10th, 2011.

The house of Mehmet AYLANTEKI, who is actually living in Augsburg, Germany but came to Dervisli Village for the meeting, was used as the festival place.

Tea-cake and dinner were served to the visitors by S-T-K Organization at the festival which started at 2.30 pm and ended at 11:00 pm at June 11th, 2011.

Very emotional moments were observed during the meeting of aproximately 150 fellow townsmen at the festival.

First time in the history of the village, fellow townsmen who are living in the village and who are living outside the village were enjoyed their time until end of the day by dancing with slow and traditional songs at the festival named Big “Meeting” Festival at Dervisli Village within the Aspirations Project.