Transcript Turkey and The Ottoman Empire

Turkey and The Ottoman
Empire
by
Susan Daly
The area known as the Ottoman
Empire lasted from the early 1200’s
until its fall in 1923 during a rebellion
led by the Young Turks. This group was
led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and was
made up of army officers who wanted a
more democratic government. Ataturk
established modern Turkey as a
republic.
The history of Turkey goes from
Neolithic times to the present day.
When visiting any area in Turkey you
are visiting history, seeing Neolithic
remains, Greek, Roman, Byzantine,
Seljuk Turk, Ottoman Turk sites as well
as important places for Jews,
Christians and Muslims.
Modern Turkey has also been known
as Anatolia,Phrygia,Troy,part of the
Assyrian empire, Galatia, Asia Minor,
and Cappadocia. In Christian times it
became the Diocese of Pontus and of
Asia. It was part of the Byzantine and
Seljuk Empires and finally the Ottoman
lands
Neolithic Turkey and Catal Huyuk
For approximately 1600 years , starting
in 8,000 BCE, a large Neolithic
settlement existed in central Turkey. It
is one of the largest Neolithic sites in
the Middle East and had a population
of 2,000-8,000 people during its
occupation. Rebecca Daly, a 1994
graduate of Arcadia is doing her PhD
research as an archaeologist here.
Part of the dig site covered by a tent.
This huyuk or mound is very tall and the
dig goes down many stories.
Burials were
commonly
done inside the
homes in their
floors.
Catal residents lived in mud brick homes
built close together. They entered their
homes from holes in the roof.
An artists drawing of Catal Huyuk
Although Catal Huyuk was abandoned
about 6,500 BCE, the area became
very important again with the rise of
Mesopotamia. Southeastern Turkey
was the bread basket for the cities of
Sumer and Ur. It had fertile soil and
abundant water from the Euphrates
river.
Northern Mesopotamia and the Euphrates
river is today the city of Birecik
This food was shipped using the
Euphrates river down south to Sumer.
The modern city of Birecik is where the
Euphrates river becomes navigable
and was one of the busiest ports on the
Euphrates. The river widens here and
flows very fast in deep water.
All across Turkey, there are many sites
from the Bible. In the city of Sanliurfa,
in a cave, the prophet Abraham was
born. This site is sacred to Jews,
Christians and Muslims since Abraham
is a prophet for all three faiths. The
cave is a place of pilgrimage and is part
of a mosque today.
Where the prophet Abraham was born
When Abraham left for the promised land,
he left from the city of Harran
People in Harran have lived in these
mud brick beehive homes for over
6,000 years. It is only within the last 25
years that people here moved in
ordinary homes. This is the type of
home that Abraham would have lived in
while he was in Harran.
A typical living room
Mud brick construction
The main source of fuel is dried animal dung
Pergamum
This spectacular city high on a
cliff was built by a general of
Alexander the Great. It was later
added to by the Romans.
Modern Bergama below with the ruins of
Pergamum.
A theater that seated 20,000 people.
A temple in ruins
When the Egyptians refused to export
papyrus to them, the people of
Pergamum invented a new type of
writing surface made from beaten
animal skins. This became known as
vellum. They had a huge library until it
was burned by the Byzantines because
the authors were pagans.
Egg and Dart detail on a column
One Roman city which is well known by
most Christians is Ephesus. This is the
city that St. Paul was writing to in his
Letter to the Ephesians. It was a
prosperous Roman trading city.
The main street in Ephesus
The library at Ephesus
The library at Ephesus is one of the
most beautiful buildings in the ancient
world. It was also one of the largest
collections of scrolls. This library
contained over 125,000 scrolls making
it a huge collection for its time.
This city really showed off its wealth!
A very large public bathroom
A Roman arch
An early Christian symbol
This sculpture is on the Turkish money
today.
A Roman backgammon board
Turkey has had waves of occupations
throughout history. After the fall of the
western Roman empire, the Byzantine
empire ruled here until 1453. There are
many Byzantine churches across
Turkey which show their style of
religious art.
Goreme Rock Churches.
In Cappodocia, in central Turkey, 3
volcanoes left a soft layer of tufa
covered by a harder layer of basalt.
The tufa layer was easier to carve into
and many Christian hermits came here
to live and carved rock churches.
Christ and some Apostles
Christ and the rest of the Apostles
A cross from the Iconoclastic period.
A typical dining room from this monastery.
St George slaying the dragon
Byzantine
Emperor
Constantine
Emperor Constantine is very important
in Byzantine history because he
accepted Christianity as the state
religion. His mother returned from a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem with pieces of
“the true cross”. Her interest in
Christianity influenced Constantine. In
312, he issued the Edict of Milan
granting equal rights to all religions.
The Empress
Helena- mother
of Constantine
Under the great Byzantine Emperor
Justinian, the great Church of St.
Sophia was built in Constantinople. It
was an architectural marvel with its
huge dome built between 532-537.The
name ,Haia Sophia ,means holy
wisdom. After 1453, it was converted
into a mosque by Mehmet II.
Haia Sophia
Entrance
Central dome under repair
The mimbar – used to be the pulpit.
Byzantine
Empress
Eugenie –
done in
mosaic.
In 1453, the Ottoman Turks captured
the city and renamed in Istanbul. The
churches were converted into mosques
by adding the 4 minarets and covering
the Christian mosaics. These were
redecorated with calligraphy or floral
designs. This preserved the mosaics
,some of which have been restored in
Haia Sophia.
The Blue Mosque
Where does the name
Ottoman come from ?
REVIEW
The founder of the Ottoman rule was
named Osman. His central Asian tribe
came into the area of the Seljuk Turks
and he asked for an area for his people
and was given the region closest to the
Byzantines. This allowed him to get to
know the Byzantine officials.
Osman I established the Ottoman
dynasty,1280-1324.He exploited the
weakness’ of the Byzantine empire
which led to conquest of all of Anatolia
by his descendants.
In 1402 ,Timur , also known as
Tamerlane, occupied Ottoman lands.
His rule was short but brutal. With his
death, the empire grew stronger until
the reign of Sultan Mehmet II. In 1453,
using superior technology, his forces
broke through the huge walls of
Constantinople and took the city.
What does the title Sultan mean?
What power does this ruler have in his
empire ?
How were Ottoman sultans selected ?
Look at the architecture of Topkapi
palace. What does its entrance remind
you of ?
Topkapi Palace / Yeni Saray
One inner courtyard
Topkapi palace was completed in 1465
and showcases Ottoman architecture
and decoration. It covers 700,000
square meters and has 4 courtyards
inside as well as extensive gardens. It
was a closed world exclusive to the
Sultan and his immediate family. There
was a large staff as well as guards for
the whole complex.
A covered walk way
A room inside the Harem
The Sultan’s audience room in the harem
Notice the beautiful tile work on the
walls
A fountain in
the fourth
courtyard
The Sultan’s pavilion
This fountain in
the window
made it harder
for people to
over hear
conversations.
A door inlaid
with mother of
pearl in the
harem.
What kind of statement does Topkapi
Palace make about the power of the
Ottoman Sultan?
What shows the wealth they had ?
Who was the most important
Ottoman Sultan ?
Why ?
During his reign, Sultan Suleyman I,
expanded the territory under Ottoman
control. Between 1520-1566, he got
control over land in Asia, Africa, and
Europe. He systematized law across
the empire so that he became known
as the Lawgiver.
Several problems which will eventually
cause the decline of the Ottomans also
emerge during Suleyman I’s reign.
Inflation, rural overpopulation,
unemployment, and heavy taxation
develop and lead to local revolts and
discontent.
Courtyard in the Harem
Iznik Tiles
Life inside the Imperial harem was very
luxurious but also very confined. You
stayed within the harem and were
guarded by specially trained Eunuchs.
Anything you might need was brought
into the harem. Merchants brought in
fabric and then produced the necessary
clothing for the harem women.
Jewelers brought in their goods for the
women to look over and order.
As a woman in the harem, you would
be well educated and well fed. You had
beautiful clothes and were expected to
be able to converse and entertain the
Sultan if he should express an interest
in you. BUT you could never leave. If
you were even suspected of being
unfaithful , you would be sewn into a
sack and drowned in the Bosphorus.
Would you be willing to give up your
family to live in such luxury for the rest
of your life?
Many women in the harem never even
saw the Sultan.
An elaborate
fountain with
Islamic
inscription.
Gardens
The heir was kept inside this apartment
Every area was richly decorated.
If you were a woman under the
Ottomans , the only power you could
get came from becoming a concubine
in the palace. If you caught the Sultan’s
eye and bore a son, you became a
kadin with your own apartment. Many
young women stayed several years
and were eventually married to
Ottoman officials with a generous
wedding gift.
Who were the Janissaries?
What role/s did they take in Ottoman
rule?
How did you become a Janissary ?
Janissaries were male child slaves
taken mainly from Christian
communities. They were trained to
become professional soldiers loyal only
to the Sultan. They were converted to
Islam and became a key power within
this empire. They could not marry until
they retired from active military service.
What was a millet ?
The symbol of Ottoman power.
After Suleyman, came a long line of
Sultan’ s who only wanted to indulge
themselves. They did not really govern
well and wasted lots of money on
themselves. By the time of WW1, the
Ottoman Empire was known as the
“Sick old Man of Europe.”
A newer Ottoman palace
A gate to the palace.
As the Sultans became weaker, the
power of the Janissaries grew.
Sometimes they even revolted against
the Sultan and removed or
assassinated him.
Dolmabahce Palace
Ottoman excess led to the fall of this
empire in 1923. After the humiliating
defeat in WW 1 and the Mandate
system from the Treaty of Versailles, a
group of Turk nationalists organized a
peasant resistance to the final Ottoman
sultan. Led by Mustafa Kemal, these
officers helped local peasants to arm
themselves . When the call came in
1923, locals rose up to overthrow
the Ottoman sultan. This rebellion was
successful even though there were
many who died in it. Mustafa Kemal
took the last name of Ataturk which
means “ Father of the Turks “ and
became the first president of the new
nation of Turkey. He established a
secular republic which separated
Islamic influence from public schools.
Ataturk is a beloved leader even today
in Turkey with many statues to him in
town squares all over the nation. He set
Turkey on its present course by
adopting the Roman alphabet instead
of Arabic . He forced western dress and
banned the veil. He gave women the
right to vote and to an equal education.
Today Turkey is working to become a
member of the European Union. It is
improving its educational system and
upgrading its roads and economy. The
26 dams being built as part of the
G.A.P.project are designed to bring
more jobs to SE Turkey. This nation is
an unique combination of Islamic
society and western ideas.
Mt. Nemrud Dagi- a huge head