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The trump card of Turkish tourism: Archeology  

”Archaeology; Perhaps Turkey’s greatest trump card, its greatest privilege, as it strives to make itself known to the world, to say something new and to earn money…”

Many excavations are sponsored by famous local and foreign institutions. Like

Philip Morris/Sabancı, Hewlett Packard . Support came from all segments of society, as well as archaeologists and scientists, for the rescue of

Zeugma .

We should once again pay homage to Ekrem Akurgal , who made us love archeology and taught us its importance with his works and excavations . We all got the Aegean love and passion from him. I should also mention the efforts of the

late Jale Inan . Jale Inan ‘s wife, Mustafa Inan, was also an important scientist, and Oguz Atay wrote about the life of this valuable teacher in A Scientist’s Novel .

Even though it is a scientific endeavor, I believe that movies and novels have a primary effect on the rise of archeology in the interests of society. Beyond the scientific curiosity lies the books of

Indiana Jones , The Mummy , and Christian Jacq , fueling a sense of excitement and adventure.

Ahmet Ümit ‘s PatasanaThe other is a murder novel written in an environment where archaeological excavations take place. Successful too.

* * *

Archaeologists from 10-15 countries are participating in the ÇATALHÖYÜK excavation.

The excavation of Allianoi, which will remain under the Yortanlı Dam , continues.

Journalists participate in these excavations and go and see them. An album on

Hasankeyf has been released. A foreword by Swedish Consul General Sture Theolin , a review by Genesis Arık and photographs by Marco Plüss introduce us in detail to this city that will be flooded in the future.

Archeology is no longer confined to the narrow circle of archaeologists, within the walls of the university.

An archaeologist friend of mine gave the following answer to the question of why they do not reach a novel or a script in Turkey.

Only scientific excavation reports are published, no material or comment is presented to narrate it.

When you consider the abundance of sources about Egypt, we can understand the scarcity of publications.

* * *

IN THE JOURNAL; Read an interview with James Mellaart , who first won Çatalhöyük . He offers an example of advice:

“Choose the actual excavators from the local people, not your students! Because they know what is what.

 

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/turk-turizminin-kozu-arkeoloji-4996

The world’s most famous photographers shot Turks and Turkey

by Doğan Hızlan

 

In these photographs, there are Turkey and Turks in a wide geography. Axis Turkish image.

The name of the exhibition; Magnum/Turkey – Turkey with Magnum Photos.

Magnum was founded on April 17, 1947, at the initiative of famous photographer Robert Capa , in a restaurant near the Museum of Modern Art in New York . Capa is so named because he loves champagne. (One-half liter champagne and wine bottles are called MAGNUM). Alex Webb is preparing a photo album about Istanbul this year; its name is Istanbul: The City with Hundred Names Costa Magnos‘s photo in Elia Kazan ‘ s America ‘test is not given permission to shoot in Turkey, Strait has created in Greece in 1962 is seen décor. The ferry looks like a city lines ferry. This photo is the document of the decision taken.

Jim Goldberg shoots here, spending his honeymoon in Turkey. As a wedding memento.

Leonard Fred photographed Turkish workers going to Turkey after taking leave at the train station in Cologne.

Gilles Peress determined the lives of Turkish workers in Germany with an objective lens.

Harry Gruyaert always trains his students in Turkey.

16 PHOTOGRAPHERS SELECTED

16 photographers were selected for the MAGNUM Exhibition . Some of them come here: Abbas, Alex Webb, Antoine D’Agata, Bruno Barbey, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Harry Gruyaert, Jim Goldberg, Nicos Economopulos.

You should get a well-prepared catalogue. In Engin Özendes ‘ article in the catalogue; “Why Magnum?” You find the answer to the question, Diane Dufour in Turkey “Stories” in the text, conveys us information behind the photo. Notes that enrich and size the work.

* * *

TURKEY, Turks, It is a really important and must-see exhibition, where you can watch Anatolia, minorities, and our political history from photographs.

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunyanin-en-unlu-fotografcilari-turkleri-ve-turkiye-yi-cekti-5962887

Getting to know the nature and people of Turkey from the album

by Doğan Hızlan 

For someone like me who is not open to nature, Turkey-Paradise We Live in is a visual feast.

Different photographers have taken pictures that are impressive and evoke the feeling of going and seeing, and they have been collected in this album.

It was edited by Mustafa Alp Dağistanlı , the photo editor was Erdem Yavaşça , and the texts were written by AM Celál Şengör . I took a few sentences from the Introduction titled

Land of Eternal Beauty , to illuminate the quality and perspective of the album.

“The endless natural beauties of this magical country cannot be separated from the beauties created by the human mind. In fact, it is the mind that creates the beauty of even natural objects. Therefore, one may wonder why locals everywhere do not share their feelings of wonder and admiration.”

The album consists of 6 parts: Water, Mountain, Forest, Coast, Countryside, Culture.

I especially liked the Culture section , you can find many important and historical buildings from Akdamar Church to Halilurrahman Madrasa to Galata Bridge in Paradise We Live in Turkey .

(Turkey The Paradise We Live in, NTV Broadcasts)

PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE IN DUTY

I’m looking at the albums of the winners of Albaraka Türk’s photography contest themed Alinter .

The name of the album; Quote from the viewfinder.

A section from the text inside the front cover determines the importance of the album’s theme:

“‘Photography is not the reflection of reality, it is the reality of reflection,’ says Brecht. Among the reality that Brecht mentions, perhaps the most valuable are the stories of people who earn their living with hard work.”

Who won the award?

Albaraka Türk Special Award: Yücel Oruç (Giving Meaning to Mud); First Prize: Arif Tanju Korkmaz(I Dive Far Away); Second Prize: Muhsin Divan; Third Prize: Muhsin Divan; Honorable Mention: Olcay Sarikaya (Kalayci); Mention; Gürsel Egemen Egin (Triple); Honorable Mention: Ercan Arslan (Kumkapi Fisherman).

The photographs of people who work hard and shed their sweat reminded me of many novels, stories and poems, a single frame perhaps sums up hundreds of pages.

* * *

Alınteri awarded in the competition, and pressed to be worth exhibiting pictures stored on: December 31 up to hours 09:00 with You can see it at Sirkeci Station between 17.00 .

 

The theme of the festival, which will start on August 18, was determined as ‘Another World is Possible’ .

The venues are as follows: Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre, Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Venice Palace, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, French Palace, Saint Benoit French High School, Arter, Four Seasons Hotel, Atatürk City Forest, Fenerbahçe Park, Yıldız Park, Maximum Uniq Open Air.

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/turkiye-nin-dogasini-ve-insanini-albumden-tanimak-7901143

Turkey special issue of the British magazine

by Doğan Hızlan

Barbaros Altuğ, owner of the INTERNATIONAL book agency, brought me the Turkish special edition of Edinburgh Review. The cover features Tracey Emin’s speech with Orhan Pamuk during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

In Orhan Pamuk ‘s speech at the opening of the fair, I think the view that affects Westerners is that the world does not understand us.

The magazine also talks about the power of our literature and culture.

Which authors were translated?

Enis Batur, Cevat Capan, Selcuk Altun, Cemil Kavukçu, Perihan Magden.

Under the title of Istanbulite , there are photographs of Alp Sime .

Some of the photographs contain images not only from Istanbul but also from Turkey.

Veiled woman, Toy seller man, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech, Those who wait for a long time in a snowstorm, Like a card game in a cafe.

There are also introductory articles about Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Látife Tekin, Mehmet Murat Somer ‘s books translated into English.

* * *

REINA LEWIS ‘ in Harem Literature from East to West ‘ s (West Harem Literature in the East) example of a stranger’s interesting approach to this concept.

What caught my attention the most was Will Brady ‘s Alamanci article. The article begins with a statement by the director of the cinema, Fatih Akın :

“We brought two cultures together, we are the new Germans.”

In this article, there are judgments on foreign population in terms of multiculturalism and ethnic-culture that need to be discussed. After commenting on Tevfik Başer ‘s film 40 Square Meters of Germany , his opinion on how Turks in Germany are characterized shows a fine distinction.

“Turks are Alamanci, not Germans, like Germans.”

The aspects of the special issues that are open to criticism are whether the selected samples are sufficient to represent Turkish literature.

Or it is the thought that they will introduce Turkish literature incompletely or be misleading because they cannot find the opportunity to research other sources.

* * *

II still argue that these introductions are useful. Others can also prepare their own Turkey issues with different perspectives.

……………

(Edinburgh Review, 22a Bucceluch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LN)

 

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ingiliz-dergisinin-turkiye-ozel-sayisi-11026820

Folk songs from Anatolia, lieds from Turkish composers

by Doğan Hızlan

Soprano Ece İdil sang 12 Anatolian Folk Songs of Cemal Reşid Rey from Turkish Five accompanied by Seher Tanrıyar ‘s piano . Vedat Kosal played Turkish Landscapes . It is possible to understand the innovation that the polyphonic music brought by the Republic has brought to our folk songs and folk music from Cemal Reşid Rey’s CD, note by note. Why did Rey do these studies? The answer to the question is given by Evin İlyasoğlu in the booklet, Cemal Reşid Rey.

We find it in his article:

‘The year is 1926. Young Cemal Reşit is trying to compose on the piano in the Darülelhan (conservatory) library. The librarian Fazil enters the room and interrupts his work. ‘O European,’ he says, ‘Enough of this European music, we also have dance tunes and folk songs. Just mess with them! ‘ And he catches the young artist and takes him to Udi Sedat Bey’s room. He plays tunes for him with his oud for hours. ‘

Rey is said to have said , ‘I was struck by lightning ,’ after listening to this, and Sarızeybek arrives in a week, harmonized.

I call this work the synthesis of West and East created by the republic.

* * * See which composers have products on

MESUT İKTU ‘s CD:

Cemal Reşid Rey, Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, İlhan Usmanbaş, Cenan Akın, Nevit Kodallı, Necil Kázım Akses, Muammer Sun, Gürer Aykal.

İktu ‘s work reflects the meeting of Turkish composers and Turkish poets.

Listening to the works of Turkish poets in Western music is a very important dimension for me. Because, in general, the works of our poets are listened and performed only in Turkish music, so these compositions are a meeting of polyphonic music and literature in our post-republic music. This CD of

Mesut Iktu fills one of our shortcomings.

Cahit Kulebi’The works of the total of poets , from Omer Bedrettin to Ece Ayhan , to Oktay Rifat . This work of Mesut İktu is undoubtedly a very important CD for music lovers. Don’t just ask the question of what Western music has brought to our music, while listening to these pieces, hear the positive answer to the question of what Western music has brought to our poetry from these compositions. * * * A regimen has been successful for me in proportion to its culture. The Republic was settled thanks to this music.

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/anadolu-dan-turkuler-turk-bestecilerinden-liedler-304155

Before the Ottoman Empire, there was the Seljuk Civilization in Anatolia.

by Doğan Hızlan

 

The giant two-volume work that I will introduce today; It is called the Anatolian Seljuks and Principalities Period Civilization.

I think it is not possible to know the Anatolian culture and the cultural map of these lands covering various areas without knowing the Anatolian Seljuks.

There are three names in the editors section of the book published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism: Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, Ali Space Peker, Kenan Bilici.

Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, in his article titled An Overview of Civilization History Researches of the Anatolian Seljuks and Principalities Period , states the importance of the period as follows: “The middle of the 11th century witnessed a great change for the Islamic world, which emerged as one of the brightest civilizations in history in the Middle East from the end of the 7th century on. It was the establishment of a brand new Muslim state by the nomadic Oghuzes on the lands of Iran, the homeland of ancient Persian civilization, by coming to settle in the very middle of the Islamic world by the Turks who had accepted Islam in Turkey.

I think everyone will benefit from these two volumes according to their field or will be informed in areas they do not know.

* In the first volume, Ahmet Kartal ‘s Poetry and Poets in the Anatolian Seljuks and Principalities PeriodMustafa Isen ‘s Prose section caught my attention. I make this choice because I am in the habit of watching the cultural face of a civilization from literature.

The most impressive thought in Ahmet Kartal ‘s article is who would remember the sultans if they were not poets: “In general, sultans in the Islamic world believed in the role of poems sung by famous poets in keeping their names in mind.(…) “If the poem is successful, I will donate treasures and treasures. . Because with this verse book, my name will remain immortal in this mortal world. To remain in oblivion in this ephemeral world and in the ephemeral realm, and to remember the name eternally, is a great honor and an achievement that is hard to reach.”

The following statements of Behramşáh also support this: “If Ferdowsi had not written this book (Şeh-náme), who would remember the sultans, crown holders and famous wrestlers of that period? Who would mention their names?”

I can say that the interest shown by the administrators, who are also poets, to poetry is an enviable situation today. After examining the situation of prose in this period

, Isen concludes his article with the following determination: “Because the majority of the texts of this period consisted of the transfer of the basic topics of a newly accepted civilization, which were written in Arabic and Persian, into Turkish, the texts that were produced were generally written in those languages. It reflects sentence structure features.In this sense, the use of inverted sentence is common in these texts.(…)

Another feature of the texts of this period is that the majority of the words used are Turkish. If the concepts that come with the religion of Islam are excluded, all of the words used are the own vocabulary of Turkish. Uses depending on the grammatical rules of Arabic and Persian, which will be encountered in the texts of the next period, are not encountered in the texts of this period. The only rule that is rarely seen is Persian noun and adjective phrases.”

*
The chapter that stands out for me in the second volume is called Cities and Environment . Which names are there?

Aksaray, Akşehir, Amasya, Antalya, Beçin, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Harput Castle , Kayseri, Konya, Malatya, Nigde, Sivas,

Tire.Canan Parla‘s Diyarbakir , see the post. It goes without saying the importance of this article to compare today with yesterday.

Books that are collaborative works have more scientific credibility.

Building Area: Design, Architects and Builders are also must-read pages for me. I think these two volumes will be an important book in our library.

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/osmanli-dan-once-anadolu-da-selcuk-uygarligi-vardi-5372591

The glory of art in Anatolia

by Doğan Hızlan

 

In order to know the history of Anatolia, it is necessary to know its art and the human and social canvas that art provides.

We are just beginning to realize that preserving these is at the top of the elements necessary for the existence of that country. Studies such as the Anatolian Seljuk Works book are very important for us to promote and protect our historical and present richness. I am in favor of exhibiting such works at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, where Turkey is the Guest of Honor. It is a work that should be kept in their libraries not only by experts but also by those who want to get to know Anatolia. I wholeheartedly support the works and books of local governments and municipalities on art.

Because we all learn about the importance of the place, not just those who live there, those who visit there or the experts on the subject.

There are two-volume Anatolian Seljuk Works albums on my desk . The book is prepared in two languages; Turkish and English. It was published in Konya Selçuklu Municipality Culture Publications .

Photo albums by Prof. Dr. Prepared by Haşim Karpuz / Feyzi Şimşek / Ahmet Kuş / İbrahim Divarcı .

At the beginning of the album, President Abdullah Gül ‘s Introduction , Konya-Seljuk Mayor Assoc. Dr. Adem Esen ‘s Foreword is included. In the Preface, Esen explains both the purpose of this project and his future projects .

“This work is the most important link of the project that we have been trying to realize for many years. In 2004, we started a project called ‘Seljuks; we protect our own civilization’. We have published albums that prepare the works of the Seljuks, Principalities, Ottoman Era and Sille Album in Konya.

Of course, it is not possible for us to pay our debt to the Seljuks, who founded our civilization in Anatolia. But at least, I believe that there should be a tidy book of his works that have survived to the present day. We should care about protecting everything that has survived from the Seljuks.

During the Seljuk period, Anatolia became the most prosperous country in the world. As a matter of fact, in this period when the most spectacular years were experienced in terms of economy, a great progress was made in culture and art as well as the vitality of commercial life. The Seljuks and the state that emerged from them filled all parts of the Islamic world with mosques, madrasahs, libraries, hospitals, medical schools, soup kitchens, zawiyas and caravanserais, and built large foundations for these institutions. Despite the natural and man-made destructions and the internal conflicts with the Crusader and Mongol invasions, most of the monuments in Anatolia belong to the Turks, but the works in Iraq, Syria and Egypt are noteworthy. After this work, we will try to address these places in our project ‘Loyalty to the Seljuks’ or awakening from history.”

SHOULD BE EXHIBITED IN FRANKFURT

prof. Dr. In Haşim Karpuz ‘s photo album of Seljuk Buildings in Turkey ; It emphasizes the foundation of Seljuk art, the importance of photographing architectural works, and introduces Anatolia in the Seljuk era.

In the analysis, information is given on the characteristics of culture, art environment, society and building types.

We can evaluate the sections of the article showing the method followed for better reading/seeing the book as follows: An inventory or determination study covering all of the Seljuk structures in Turkey has not been carried out so far. Haşim Karpuz expresses this as follows; ” We experienced the greatest difficulty in detecting structures produced with a wide variety of functions. During the determination, we consulted local histories and monographs other than the main reference sources on Seljuk architecture. Traveling around Turkey, which is a big country with different geographical features, and photographing the structures took both time and effort.

In line with the Turkish state tradition, the sultans of the Turkish Seljuks showed significant successes in the fields of state administration, economy, culture and art, as well as new conquests, in order to keep their nation alive in prosperity. They made significant contributions to medieval and world civilization. Within the framework of this understanding, they had mosques and masjids, madrasahs, healing houses, tombs, caravanserais, lodges and zawiyas, baths, palaces-mansions, bridges and in general Seljuk cities built. With this album work, unpretentious and for the first time, the architectural heritage of the Seljuks has been collectively documented and promoted.” The

first volume includes the architectural works of the following cities: Afyon, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, Batman, Bayburt, Bitlis, Burdur, Çankırı, Çorum, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Iğdır, Isparta, İçel, Kahramanmaraş, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kırıkkale.

The cities in the second volume are listed as follows: Kırşehir, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Mardin, Muş, Nevşehir, Niğde, Samsun, Siirt, Sinop, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tokat, Tunceli, Uşak, Van, Yozgat.

The names and pages of the photographs are also included at the end of the second volume.

In order to know the history of Turkey and Anatolia, it is necessary to know its art and the human and social canvas that art provides. We are just beginning to realize that preserving these is at the top of the elements necessary for the existence of that country.

As explained in the Anatolian Seljuk Artifacts , some of the artifacts have disappeared, some have not been preserved, and some have been destroyed without considering their harmony with the environment. Our next care is of vital importance.

AN IMPORTANT STUDY ON TILE The Treasure of the Anatolian Soil Tile – Tiles of the Age of Seljuks and Principalities , prepared by

Rüçhan Arık and Genesis Arık , was published by Kale Grup Kültür Yayınları .

If we give the titles and authors, we can enlighten our readers about the feature of the book.

Material in Seljuk and principalities Age Tile, Some Observations Relating to Technical and oven / Muharram Attracting

A Glimpse of China’s History / The resulting Arik

Anatolian Seljuk and Principalities Period Religious and Public Buildings in Tile / The resulting Arik

in Seljuk Tile Tile Form Determination Against the Wall Covering Designs and Baking Some Processes Afterwards / Rüstem Bozer

The Composition and Technology of Kubad Abad Seljuk Tiles / Zehra Yeğingil – Ian C. Freestrone

Tile in Anatolian Seljuk Palaces / Priority Arık.

In the presentation ; Rüçhan Arık and Genesis Arık emphasize the place and social decisiveness of tile: “The Anatolian soil has been doughed, baked, decorated and added to our lives since the polished stone age, when people thought that it could be used for pots and other objects.

Quality ceramics, especially glazed ceramics. It has always been a source of prestige that reflects the welfare level of societies; at the same time, it has been accepted as an indicator of the level of culture and art, like today’s paintings.

SELÇUKLU PALACE TILES Some Determinations on Materials, Techniques and Kilns in

Muharrem Ceken ‘s Tiles from the Seljuk and Principalities PeriodAn interesting review for those who want to learn how tile was made in different periods. Formation

Arık ‘s A Brief Overview of the History of Tile describes the situation of tile in different geographies and structures. An article that provides an overview of tile.

His analysis is followed by the works of Rüstem Bozer, Zehra Yeğingil – Ian C. Freestone .

Rüçhan Arık ‘s tile writing in Anatolian Seljuk Palaces completes the research by explaining the tiles in important palaces in all details. At the end of the Tile book; Includes author biographies and a select bibliography.

I recommend it to those who want to learn about tile.

https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/anadolu-da-sanatin-gorkemi-9933871

Not Hellenic, Luwian

Bilge Umar states that the origin of the word Lygos is derived from the Luwian word “Lu” which means light, twinkle, its successor Lycian language has similarities with the Latin word “Lux-light”, and that the sun shine is the most beautiful on the Bayrampaşa Stream near the Golden Horn/Haliç in antiquity. He says that his name is Lykos. Probably, the name Lygos was used for the settlement at the tip of the peninsula before the settlement of the Hellenes from Megara.

B.C. We know that the name of the city, which was formed after the colonists formed a new settlement around 660, was Byzantion. Although the name Byzantion is mostly thought to be a Hellenic name, recent studies show that this name is also of Luwian origin. This name must have been derived from the word Buzanda (Byzanta in Hellenic spelling) by adding the suffix “-ion”, which means “place” in Hellenic language.

sinan genim

https://www.milliyet.com.tr/yazarlar/sinan-genim/istanbulun-isimleri-6569396?sessionid=2

Names of Istanbul

“Istanbul, whose history dates back to the Paleotic Age, has hosted many cultures, and in time it took the names Lygos, Byzantion, Antoneinia, Nea Rome, Constantinople, Constantinople, Istanbul…”

“These old names should be written in various parts of the city, those living in a city like Istanbul, which is unique in the world, and the people of our country should realize what they have with this wealth…”

This city is rich

It is a richness that a city that was founded in this geography, which has hosted various cultures for thousands of years, has been called by many different names over time. The people living in this city like Istanbul, which is unique in the world, and the people of our country should be aware of this wealth and what they have. As I have often stated, we must first become aware of this richness so that we can explain our richness to people outside of us. As a suggestion, I suggest writing LYGOS-BYZANTION-ANTONEINIA-NEA ROME-KONSTANTTINOPOLIS-KOSTANTINNIYE-ISTANBUL at the airport and various points of the city. In this way, we ensure that the inhabitants are aware of the city’s thousands of years of history. On the other hand, those who visit our country realize where they are really coming from. I recommend that those who will oppose this view of mine should first listen to Ibn Khaldun.

Evliya Çelebi’s narration

Evliya Çelebi states the names of Istanbul in various languages ​​as follows.

“The first name of Istanbul Castle is Macedonia in Latin. Then they said Yankovic in Syriac because Yanko did it. Then they said Aleksandıra in Hebrew language because Alexander did it. They once said “Pozanta” in Serbian. Once they said Vejendoniya  in Jewish language. They said Yağfuriye in the Frankish language. Because Constantine did it for the ninth time, they said Poznatiam and Kostantiniyye in Greek. In the Nemse language, they say Constantinopol. In the Moskov language, they say “Tekuriye”. Afrikaans Grandorya, Hungarian Vezendonvar, Polish Canatoria, Czech Aliyana, Swedish Heraklian, Dutch Istinfanya, French Igrandona, Portuguese Kostiyya, Arabic Kostantiniyye-i Kübrâ, Persian Language Hind-zemin Taht-ı Rum is called Çakdurkan in Mongolian language, Sakalib in Tatar language, Islambol in Ottomans. It became famous with the name Gulgule-i Rum”.

I wonder how many cities on earth have so many names. When will we realize this richness and experience the necessary pride? I think the provincial culture once again dominated this city, as it has been from time to time for millennia, when these new provincials become Istanbulites, then a new life will emerge and Istanbul will once again reach the cultural level it deserves.

Sinan Genim, Milliyet Pazar

Life along the Silk Road

Click here to buy the book

 

21 May 2015

In this long-awaited second edition, Susan Whitfield broadens her exploration of the Silk Road and expands her rich and varied portrait of life along the great pre-modern trade routes of Eurasia. This new edition is comprehensively updated to support further understanding of themes relevant to global and comparative history and remains the only history of the Silk Road to reconstruct the route through the personal experiences of travelers.

In the first 1,000 years after Christ, merchants, missionaries, monks, mendicants, and military men traveled the vast network of Central Asian tracks that became known as the Silk Road. Whitfield recounts the lives of twelve individuals who lived at different times during this period, including two characters new to this edition: an African shipmaster and a Persian traveler and writer during the Arab caliphate. With these additional tales, Whitfield extends both geographical and chronological scope, bringing into view the maritime links across the Indian Ocean and depicting the network of north-south routes from the Baltic to the Gulf.

Throughout the narrative, Whitfield conveys a strong sense of what life was like for ordinary men and women on the Silk Road, the individuals usually forgotten to history. A work of great scholarship, Life along the Silk Road continues to be both accessible and entertaining.