What horrific scene did Mehmed II witness after he entered Targoviste that not just shocked him but the whole Ottoman army?
When Mehmed II entered Targoviste with his army, he found the capital to be completely abandoned. It was the other end of the capital where Mehmed II came across a view of impaled corpses of all the Turks, that numbered 23,884. The view came to be known as “Forest of Corpses”. The corpses were lined as far as 5 miles or 8 km.
Never ever had any Ottoman emperor and the Ottoman Army came across such horrific view. There was one corpse that was given special recognition by Vlad Dracula, so that Mehmed II could pay attention towards it. This corpse was impaled on the tallest stake of all and was purposely well dressed. It was the corpse of Hamza Bey, Mehmed II’s father in law (Emine Gulbahar Hatun’s father) and one of the commanders of the Ottoman army.
Source and Further Reading:
Research and Study of the History of Ottoman Conquest of Wallachia
When Vlad the Impaler Repelled an Invasion With a Forest of Corpses
Gabriela Nitti Retired Professor/Researcher of World History and Religion
Here is a passage from memoirs of an American soldier Anthony Hebert from his book “Soldier” he gets separated from his team and stuck with a Turkish company during The Korean War.
“The Turks were of about a company size. We established a perimeter on our hill and sat back to wait for some further word. I didn’t speak their language and nobody in their group spoke English, so we spent a cold, quiet night and the next morning found ourselves surrounded by Chinese.
I was nervous. There I was with a unit that had never been in combat before, we were surrounded and I couldn’t even talk to them. They couldn’t have been happier. They were having a picnic. Every way they looked, it was the front. They could fire in any direction and kill Chinese. They used up most of the morning doing just that, while I sat around trying to figure out how I could get the hell out of there.
By the time the sun was high, everybody’s ammo was low, but the Turks were calm as hell about it. They formed a skirmish line, fixed their bayonets and faced north with grins on their faces. I saw the direction they were facing and knew instantly it wasn’t where I wanted to go. I jumped up and jammed my fist to the south. Their line whirled, and I suddenly found myself swept along in one of the most successful, old fashioned bayonet charges of the entire Korean War.
I learned a lesson from that. The Turks are never trapped. It’s the people who surround them who are in trouble. Watching them use their bayonets that day was a revelation They were dervishes. They had a peculiar style–one I hadn’t learned back at Beginning. They lunged, drove the bayonet into the abdomen, whirled, struck down hard on top of the rifle with their with their left hand and consequently disembowel their victims.
My most vivid memory of that charge is of my gratitude to God or the United Nations or whoever was responsible for putting the Turks on our side.”
“I will no longer fight the Turks. They are very brave and good people.” (Andreas Phitiades)
“Give me an army of Turks and I’ll take the world hostage.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)
“There are two merits that glorify a person: being courageous for a man and being virtuous for a woman. Besides these two, there is another merit that glorifies both man and woman: so much loving the homeland to an extent with being ready to sacrifice his/her life, if needed. Turks are such courageous and virtuous people. That is why you can kill a Turk but you can never defeat them.”(Napoleon Bonaparte)
“Whoever wants to enjoy the pleasure of a war, they should war against the Turks.” (Townsend (British Commander)
“No other army in the world other than the Turks can stand for this long.” (General Hamilton)
“Turks are fierce riders. In their attack, the Turks turn the enemy like a leaf and destroy it.” (Jahiz)
“There is no soldier who is more ready to give his life for the sake of his religion and country other than the Turks.” (General Hamilton)
“You can ask any army in the World and they will admit how hard to plan against Turkish soldiers. Turks are for two thousand years professional soldiers. Every Turk’s profession is to become a soldier.” (Donaldson)
“Turkish armies have shown heroism and sacrifices unprecedented in history.” (M. Kemal Ataturk)
“Turkish army; There has never been a more pure, more solid soldier than yours in any army in the world.” (M. Kemal Ataturk)
“Our army is the sole fulcrum of the aims of the nation in the struggle for life and honor.” (M. Kemal Ataturk)
“Our army is a steeled expression of Turkish unity, Turkish might and ability, and Turkish patriotism. Our army is the invincible guarantee of the Turkish lands and the systematic efforts we are making to realize the ideal of Turkey.” (M. Kemal Ataturk)
“The most vivid example of an armed nation is the Turks. The commoners of this land has the strength of a gun-wrapping claw in the grip of the sickle, dexterity of a duelist with the scribe’s pencil, and even the skirts of his women. The Turk doesn’t walks but strides awake like a soldier sent on an expedition.” (Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke)
“The spirit of the Turks will shine again and the history of this heroic nation, born to use weapons, will find its old light.” (Moltke)
“It is possible to see the sense of security that a weapon gives to the soul in the gaze of every Turk. He has learned to look at life and events with confidence.” (Molkte)
“There is no tribe superior to the Turks in terms of strength and courage; There is no tribe more astute than them in terms of achieving great goals. Allah Almighty created them as lions.” (Ibn Hassul)
“We failed at Dardanelles. How could we succeed? Turks were fighting like furious, angry and courageous lions whose homes have been transgressed. I have never seen a nation like Turks.” (Sir Julien Corbet)
“If the power of ten valiant men of ten nations were gathered in a single person, it would not be worth a Turk. The thing that Turks talk about the most is war, victory. Their entertainment is horses, they are weapons. The truth and honesty of the Turks is praiseworthy.” (Charles McFarlene)
“Turks not only have a boundless bravery but also a dazzling level of intelligence. With such intelligence, they have become victorious, build civilizations, and accomplish the highest achievements of mankind. Without such intelligence they would not be able to rule half the Europe for centuries.” – Carnayev (Russian Commander)
“Turks are first class masters in destroying and establishing a state. They have turned the continents upside down, not the countries, and created their dominance, which is not easy to shake in the midst of terrible attacks. History has learned a lot from the Turks. There are such works of art by their hand that they become ornaments for civilization.” (Hammer)
“There are two unknowns in the World. The Poles and the Turks!” (Albert Sorel)
“Be friends of Turks, never their enemies.” (Gianni de Michelis)
We are not afraid to die.
“You can never find a soldier in any other nation like the Turks who smile to death. All they need to succeed is a good commander.” (Mulman)
“Turkish soldiers are brave. He loves his homeland and will sacrifice his life for it if necessary without hesitation.” (Albert Einstein)
“Turks know how to die, and they know it well. I am experienced enough to know that a nation that knows how to die cannot be defeated. It is possible to build armies out of nothing here and drag these armies to death. I take advantage of these opportunities. But there is one obstacle that has staggered the armies I have forged: the living memories of the Turks! The Turks, who defeated every power and every nation three or four centuries ago, are now staggering every attempt with their indelible memories. I sense this fear in almost every heart. So, it is necessary to defeat not only the Turks, but also their history. In this case, I also understand the secret of the Turks governing dozens of nations. They defeat nations once, but they can imprint their victories on spirits and generations.” (Montecucco)
Turks know how to be merciful too.
“The hand of a Turk who uses a sword with utmost skill is also skillful to heal the wounds of those whom he has defeated.” (Lord Byron)
“I’m talking about the Turks. The Turk, who resembles a relentless hurricane, a terrible sea and a ruthless lightning while attacking his enemy; It is a morning wind, a clear lake, in the presence of a friend and an unarmed enemy. To intimidate this heartwarming wind, to turn this dazzling lake into an exuberant sea would be a mistake that hurts nature.” (Torquato Tasso)
“I was a prisoner in Poltava. It was a death for me, I survived. The danger loomed stronger before the river of wheat; water in front of me, the enemy behind me, the sun raging above me… The water wanted to drown me, the enemy to tear me apart, the sun to melt me; I survived again. But today I am a prisoner, a prisoner of the Turks. What iron, fire and water could not do, they did to me, they made me captive. Only I have no chains on my feet, nor am I in a dungeon; I’m doing what I want. But this time, I am a prisoner of compassion, nobility and kindness. The Turks wrapped me in this diamond bond. How sweet it is to live as a free prisoner among such a noble, noble and gentle nation.” (Charles XII)
Why did the Ottoman Turks call all European lands that they conquered as “Balkans”?
The Ottoman “Rumi” Turks did no such thing. Although the word “Balkan” comes from the Turkish language, its real meaning until the 19th century was different. It only referred to the Balkan mountains, not more. Balkan in older Turkish meant “steep mountain range full of trees”. Then this word became the name of that particular mountain range specifically. As for the term “Balkans” to refer to that entire “peninsula” that makes up southeastern Europe, it was invented in the 19th century by Western European scholars based on the name of the said mountain range. The term was then adopted in the Turkish language as “Balkanlar” too.
The actual Ottoman Turkish term for what is now called the Balkans was Rumeli (Rum ili), which has been borrowed into English as “Rumelia”. This was, in turn, a translation into Turkish of the more previous Greek and Latin word “Romania”, which means “Roman-land” and should not be confused with the modern nation of Romania —which, in turn, used to be called Wallachia and Moldavia and Transylvania (Eflak ve Boğdan ve Erdel in Turkish) until the 19th century. Actually, Anatolia, which constitutes the majority of Turkey’s present territory between the three seas and the Euphrates River, has also always been an integral part of the greater Roman lands. However, “southeastern Europe”, centered in Thrace and Macedonia, was even more Roman and was therefore called Roman-land/Rumeli because the capital Istanbul, also known as Nova Roma (New Rome) belongs to this peninsula. That is why it was called Romania in late antique and medieval times and then Rumeli/Rumelia.
Ottoman and Austrian and Russian Rumelia/Balkans in 1815.
We condemn the Producers of the movie Smyrna and their supporters and organizations
“War is murder unless unless it is based on legitimate grounds.” M. Kemal Ataturk
There is a part of the sentence that describes the movie SMYRNA, which will be in theaters nationwide in the UK on December 4th, and in the US on December 8th, for one day only. That part of the sentence reads: “moving drama about an elderly Greek American woman whose family diary recounts the Turkish occupation of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna in 1922; where Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and Levantines once lived together harmoniously.” That should actually read like this: “ “moving drama about an elderly Turkish woman whose family diary recounts the 1919 invasion of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna by the Greek Army, who committed atrocities against the civilian Turkish population in the villages and towns, where Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and Levantines once lived together harmoniously.”
The advertisement for the film is historically incorrect, describing a “historic film about the Turkish occupation in 1922”… “The historical events and facts” clearly show that the occupying side was the Greeks, not the Turks. The Ottoman Empire was occupied and partitioned by the Allied Forces following its defeat in World War I….IZMIR (Smryna), which has been under Turkish rule beginning in 1081, and part of the Ottoman Empire since 1426, was invaded by the Greek Forces on May 15, 1919. The idea to occupy İzmir came from then British Prime Minister of the time, Lloyd George, with the suggestion of Greek Prime Minister Elefterios Venizelos; after The Ottoman Empire, suffering defeat, signed the Mudros Armistice Agreement at the end of World War I. Article 7 of the Mudros Armistice Agreement specified that the allied forces had a right to occupy any strategic location in the event of a threat to the security of the allies. Using Article 7 as an excuse, Great Britain, France and USA came to an agreement and decided for the occupation of Izmir by Greece, on behalf of the Allied Powers; even though they did not have the right to do so! There was no event that would endanger the security of the Allied Forces in İzmir… Despite this, the occupation of Izmir by the Greek Army happened on May 15, 1919; violence and massacres took place with the cooperation of local Greeks, in and around Izmir. The Armistice of Mudros was abolished with the signing of Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923; following the Turkish victory in the War of Independence. Even though the Greek occupiers tried to conceal massacres on local Muslim populations; testimonials of British, American, Swedish and Canadian officials in the British archive documents clearly reveal the facts. And there are books written about the historical facts by unbiased Greek historians.
But the most powerful confirmation of these facts came from a very unexpected source; the person who came up with the suggestion to invade Izmir; The Greek Prime Minister Elefterios Venizelos himself! In 1928, Venizelos changed his attitude and made attempts to start a friendship with Turkey and the founder of the newly established Turkish Republic, Atatürk. As a matter of fact, he nominated his old enemy Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize on 12 January 1934. And, In 1981, the centennial of Atatürk’s birth, the memory of Atatürk was honored by the United Nations and UNESCO by declaring it that year “The Atatürk Year” in the World. These two extraordinary facts are clearly enough to show the worldwide acceptance of the great Turkish military leader and peace-loving statesman Atatürk, and the injustice and oppression that was once committed against the Turks. His old enemy, Venizelos, admitted Greece’s past mistakes against the Turks; The United Nations, on the other hand, told the world that there is no other peace-loving leader like Atatürk. He is the only person worthy of such recognition by UNESCO
How could this be possible if he was the commander of a cruel and murderous army as described in the movie SMYRNA?
Although the Greek and Turkish peoples went to war due to political problems and went through very difficult times, their common cultural and artistic values have brought them closer together over the centuries. We, as the followers of the legendary world leader Ataturk around the world; with the awareness of the enlightenment that Atatürk brought to the Turkish people and the philosophy of peace he wished for all humanity; and with respect for Venizelos’ great step for friendship, condemn the producers of the film Smyrna and everyone and every organization who supports such productions by distorting historical facts for the sake of their political ambitions. We invite you to be PEACEFUL, not HATEFUL. Atatürk World Platform-AWP
Today Istanbul holds an unusually large population of stray cats. They are often well taken care of by the city’s population. How old is this tradition, is it due to Turkish or Islamic culture, or does it date back to Roman times?
Today Istanbul holds a usually high population of stray cats, and are often well taken care of by the cities population. How old is this tradition, is it due to Turkish or Islamic culture, or does it date back to Roman times?
Is looking after stray animals due to Turkish or Islamic culture, or does it date back to Roman times?
It is easy to check. There are a couple of countries who claim heritage of Turkish, Islamic or Roman culture. For example, how good the countries such as Italy, France, Germany or England who were heirs of Roman Empire, take care of stray cats? Or how good the countries such as Morocco or Iran which are prominently Muslim Majority countries treat the animals? Do they differ from other Turkic states such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan in regards of animal rights?
A quick research on internet tells it was not a Roman tradition. You may check following articles.
Ritualistic Cat Torture Was Once a Form of Town Fun
1677: Londoners burn live cats in wicker pope – Past Peculiar
The Golden Bough/The Fire-Festivals of Europe
But we have some well-documented information about animals of Turkish History. For example, there was an occupation in Ottoman for the people who fed stray animals which called “mancaci”. Manca means cat & dog food.
Mancaci would feed the stray animals with the donation money of animal-lovers.
Not just cats or dogs were fed, but wild animals such as wolves. In winter months, necessary meat had been left for them, so they would not attack people or wouldn’t come to settlements.
Not to forget feeding birds
Of course only feeding them is not enough. They also needed some institutions. A cat hospital in Uskudar, Istanbul, a bird hospital in Dolmabahce, Istanbul. And another one in Bursa, solely for the storks (Gurabahane-i Laklakan) since 16th century.
Animal-loving also shows itself in architecture as bird-palaces since 15th century.
They were even included in pious foundations and wills. For example Bayezid Foundation had spared annually 30 gold for feeding birds among other things. It was/is also common to put water cups for birds in graveyards.
The first official regulation in the world regarding animal rights?; The Imperial Degree of Ottoman Sultan Murat III, dated 19th March, 1587 stated that “It was forbidden to overload animals such as horse or mule more than their capacity. And necessary care should be given about feeding and caring animals. And those who do not comply with the provisions would be punished.”
Deserved a retirement: The Cattle, which pulling cannons during wars, were retiring with a salary, when they got old. Retired animals were living in a farm which specifically established for them since 1654.
Animal holiday: An imperial degree dated 2nd October 1856, reminded people that it was forbidden by law, on fridays, to use horses to carry goods as well as ride them. Fridays were holidays for the horses since they were working remaining six days of the week.
Asking permission to kill ants: It is well known story that Suleiman the Magnificent asked his Sheikh al-Islam, whether it was ok to kill ants, which searing fruit trees in palace gardens. (The answer was: No, it was not ok!)
Many foreign traveller such as German Hans Dernschwam (1542), French Jean Thevenot (1656), Lamartine, Guer and British Ambassador Paul Ricout mentions about animal hospitals and pious foundations for animals which they had witnessed in Istanbul.
In the 17th century, the traveller Jean du Mont wrote that “For Turks, it is a crime to kill animals such as cats, dogs or horses which were not fed for their meats.
Also Busbecq (1554) writes in his travelogue about a Venetian merchant who was taken to court by Turkish people because he had nailed a bird to his door while it was alive.
Dogs came to Istanbul with Turks and they were always part of street life. However not all stories are pleasant. In 1910, a French Company which used dogs for the perfume and chemical industry applied Coup D’etat Government (Comittee of Union & Progress) of Ottoman in order to buy these dogs. They signed a deal. However, when news heard there was an uproar. Using dogs in experiment was unthinkable for most Turks, that’s why they protested.
Yet, coup government did not care. When stray dogs had been gathered on a ship, animal lovers raided the ship and saved the dogs. However, poor creatures been forcefully re-gathered. And this time there were guards who were ensuring their captivity. Then, it was decided that dogs could wait in a deserted island instead of a ship.
While 80.000 dogs were staying in a deserted island, French company declared that they backed off from the deal. All dogs died from hunger and thirst.
Official name of the island was/is “sharp” (sivri). However from then on people started to call that island as “scapegrace” (hayırsız ada). People also believed that, the earthquake of 1912 and many other following misfortunes befell on them due to this unheard cruelty towards these voiceless, innocent creatures.
This heartbreaking and disgraceful event still vividly remembered by people.
