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Tag: Anatolian tigers

  • Anatolian Tigers drive Turkey’s silent revolution

    Anatolian Tigers drive Turkey’s silent revolution

    The Anatolian Tigers — a new breed of pious businessmen who have risen from the grassroots to fire Turkey’s economic and political transformation — are targeting an entry into the high-technology big league.

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    “We have tasted considerable international success in the areas of manufacturing and trade. Our next challenge is to develop an expertise in select areas such as computer software, pharmaceuticals and new energy,” says Sadan Yavuz, a finance specialist, with a Canadian higher education background.

    Mr. Yavuz is one among several professionals with business exposure abroad in the ranks of the Anatolian Tigers who have achieved spectacular business success without sacrificing their core religious values.

    Emerging out of Anatolia — Turkey’s Asiatic part, long stereotyped as “backward” — these businessmen, mostly engaged in small and medium enterprises — have turned to their unique and inclusive version of Sufi Islam to achieve meteoric business success. A report by the European Stability Initiative has called the new Anatolian business class “Islamic Calvinists” because of the similarity of their work ethic and values with the mentality of the Calvinist Burghers, the pioneers of early capitalism in Europe.

    The Anatolian Tigers have been deeply influenced by the writings of Said Nursi, who shepherded the Nur (light) movement in the region.

    Driving force

    Nursi’s advocacy of embracing Western science and technology as well as engagement with “competing paradigms”, has had a deep impact on his followers in Central Anatolia. In the tradition of Nursi, Fethullah Gulen has given a clear contemporary direction to the Anatolian middle class. The Gulen movement’s message of inclusivity, inter-faith engagement, entrepreneurship, education and outreach has had a decisive influence in directing the entrepreneurial impulses of the Anatolian Tigers.

    As they grew, benefiting initially from the early phase of globalisation initiated in the eighties under the stewardship of Turgut Ozal, a former Prime Minister and President, the Anatolian Tigers have become part of a new ecosystem that is steadily overwhelming Turkey’s established order.

    The Anatolian businessmen have ploughed their considerable resources to the cause of the Gulen movement, which, in step with its focus on education, has opened quality schools imparting modern education in more than 140 countries. The Gulen movement’s well acknowledged educational contributions abroad, in turn, have helped soften the ground for the entry of Anatolian businesses in many of these countries. “There is no direct link but our association with the Gulen movement quite often helps to do business in new areas such as Africa, Central Asia and the Balkans,” says Fatih Kutlutas, another Anatolian Tiger. The top floors of many of the buildings affiliated with the Gulen movement usually have a few “guest rooms”, which travellers can usually access.

    Organisations such as ISGED — a business-development establishment — and the 20,000-member TUSKON are also helping Turkish small and medium enterprises to break into markets abroad. Addressing a TUSKON gathering recently, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “These businessmen [affiliated to TUSKON] conquer hearts in five continents by conducting successful projects and contributing to education in these countries.”

    With a fast developing support infrastructure, Anatolian businessmen are quietly confident of further success. “We aim to export $150 billion in 2012 and $500 billion by 2023,” says Mehmet Buyukeksi, president of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

    The Anatolian Tigers and the Gulen movement have staunchly supported the Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by Mr. Erdogan, and President Abdullah Gul, who hails from Kayseri, Central Anatolia’s powerful industrial hub.

    The triumvirate — the Anatolian Tigers, the Gulen Movement and the AKP — have been pioneers of a silent democratic revolution, which appears set to peacefully marginalise Turkey’s military-led old guard.

    via The Hindu : News / International : Anatolian Tigers drive Turkey’s silent revolution.

  • ‘Anatolian tigers’ conquering Bosphorus villas

    ‘Anatolian tigers’ conquering Bosphorus villas

    NURİYE DOĞU

    ISTANBUL – Radikal

    Prestigious, luxury residences alongside the Bosphorus in Istanbul are slowly but surely changing hands. Varying between $10 million and $100 million in price, these villas have started to receive great interest from businesspeople hailing from Anatolian cities. The Bursa-based Türkün Holding has recently purchased a villa on the Bosphorus

    Owning a villa alongside the magnificent Bosphorus in Istanbul is regarded as a 'prestige booster,' while selling a villa may erode such prestige. That's why villa sales alongside the Bosphorus are generally conducted through word-of-mouth. Hürriyet photo
    Owning a villa alongside the magnificent Bosphorus in Istanbul is regarded as a 'prestige booster,' while selling a villa may erode such prestige. That's why villa sales alongside the Bosphorus are generally conducted through word-of-mouth. Hürriyet photo

    Bosphorus-view luxury villas, well known for their high prices, are attracting attention of businesspeople especially from Anatolian companies.

    Being mostly on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, the waterside villas, varying between $10 million and $24 million in price, have been receiving high demand. Their enigmatic histories and the length of quays are the main attraction points for those looking to buy a waterside villa.

    A boom in interest has been observed for the villas over the past four months, according to Sinem Ayıkcan Yılmaz, an expert of villas at Ayıkcan Emlak, a real estate agency.

    Ayıkcan Emlak is currently conducting “secret” sales negotiations for four waterside villas that are not on the market, Yılmaz said. “We offer these villas, each worth between $25 million and $58 million, to our special customers.”

    Owning a Bosphorus villa is a “prestige booster,” she said, adding that the global economic crisis did not create an obstacle for the buyers of these luxury homes. The sales are not announced to the public, as such a move may result in a “loss of prestige” for the former owner, according to Yılmaz.

    Anatolian interest in Bosphorus villas has become perfectly visible, according to Cem Sallı, a real estate consultant at Coldwell Banker Bravo. As capital changes hands – from the so-called Istanbul elite to Anatolia’s dynamic companies – these villas have also begun to be transferred as well, according to Sallı.

    There are currently more than 100 villas “secretly on sale” alongside the Bosphorus, according to Sallı. “The interest is mostly from the northwestern province of Bursa, followed by İzmir and Ankara,” he said. “We also brokered for a businessman from the southeastern city of Diyarbakır for his house purchase. That residence sold for $10 million.”

    The Erbilgin residence, owned by the Erbilgin family and located in Yeniköy, Istanbul, is regarded as the most attractive house on the Bosphorus. The residence has been waiting for a buyer for a long time, with a price tag of $100 million.

    A status indicator

    Large families such as Koç, Sabancı, Demirören, Ülker, Kıraç, Boyner and Doğan have villas alongside the Bosphorus. The Kont Ostrorog residence, owned by Rahmi Koç, is one of the most attractive and worth nearly $100 million.

    Ferit Şahenk, chairman of Turkey’s Doğuş Group, Ali Ağaoğlu, board chairman of the Ağaoğlu Group and Güler Sabancı, chairwoman of Sabancı Holding, are some of the other businesspeople who own Bosphorus villas.

    Confirming demand from Anatolia, Muhterem İlgüner, a brand consultant, said buying a Bosphorus residence is a status indicator. “Anatolian capital wants to impose itself on Istanbul. To buy a Bosphorus villa is the way to say ‘I am also here.’ Anatolian companies are proving themselves as they get stronger,” İlgüner said.

    Three more houses on the Bosphorus have been sold for a total of $39.2 million during the past few weeks. The Clifton house was purchased by Aziz Torun, president of Torunlar Group, for $11.5 million. Koza İpek Holding’s chairman Akın İpek purchased a house in Bebek while Erol Türkün, owner of Bursa-based Türkün Holding, has become the owner of a waterside villa for $6.2 million in Anadoluhisarı.

    Hasan Aslanoba, partner of Bursa’s Erikli, also purchased a villa in Kandilli for 16 million euros in June.

    Sales conducted secretly

    Transfers of Bosphorus villas are made secretly, according to Ulvi Özcan, from real estate agency Turyap Çengelköy. “The most expensive house we have is the Abud Efendi waterside residence in Kandilli, where two famous Turkish television series, Gümüş and Kurtlar Vadisi, were shot.” The villa was put up for sale by the two daughters of the late businessman İsmail Özdoyuran, but according to Özcan, customers find the $45 million tag expensive.

    Noting that foreigners are also interested in Bosphorus villas, Özcan said Gulf Arabs have especially been displaying great interest, but “they cannot buy due to the property ban imposed on foreigners.” Russian and Iranian nationals have also shown interest in these villas, according to Özcan.

    Nearly 10 watersides villas in Istanbul were secretly sold during 2009. The Yedi Sekiz Hasan Paşa residence in Kanlıca was sold to Nezih Barut, board chairman of pharmaceuticals firm Abdi İbrahim, for nearly 20 million Turkish Liras. A waterside residence in Bebek and another in Kanlıca neighborhoods were sold for $18 million and 27 million liras, respectively, and the historical Yüzüklü house in Beykoz was sold to Yaşar Dalkıran, owner of the Dalkıran Group, for 13 million liras.