Turkish Nationality Room
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the Turkish Nationality Room TÜRKIYE ODASI Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh Dedicated: March 4, 2012, Commons Room TNR2.indd 1 2/20/12 10:15:49 PM North Entrance of the hospital of the Seljuk (Selçuk) Külliye (an architectural complex of mosque, school, hospital, public bath and soup kitchen) in Divriği, Turkey, 1228-1229 AD. COVER İznik Ceramic Tiles, Topkapı Palace İstanbul, Turkey / COPYRIGHT All rights reserved by Ömer Akın, 1505 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 / LAYOUT DESIGN Ayça Akın, New York, NY / CENTER SPREAD PHOTO Mark Perrott / ISBN NUMBER Contact copyright holder 2 3 TNR2.indd 2 2/20/12 10:15:49 PM TABLE OF CONTENTS I. The Emblem of the Turkish Nationality Room II. A Brief History of Turkey 1. Origins of Turks 2. The Seljuk Empire 3. The Ottoman Empire 4. The Republic of Turkey III. The Precedents for the Design of the TNR 1. Background 2. A Significant Precedent of the TNR: The Topkapı Palace (Saray) 3. The “Yurt” and the Başodası 4. Central Architectural Concepts of the TNR 5. Materials used in the Construction of the Başodası IV. The Design of the TNR 1. TNR’s Design Concept 2. The Evolution of TNR’s Design 3. The Final Design 3.1 Ceramic Panels 3.2 Classroom’s Interior Finishes 3.3 Classroom’s Mechanical and Lighting Systems 3.4 Seating Design 3.5 Led Glass Windows V. Acknowledgments 1. Committee Organization 2. Financial and Administrative Support COVER İznik Ceramic Tiles, Topkapı Palace İstanbul, Turkey / COPYRIGHT All rights reserved by Ömer Akın, 1505 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 / LAYOUT DESIGN Ayça Akın, New York, NY / CENTER SPREAD PHOTO Mark VI. Citations Perrott / ISBN NUMBER Contact copyright holder 1. In order of appearance 2. Other Readings 3 TNR2.indd 3 2/20/12 10:15:50 PM DEDICATION This book is dedicated to E. Maxine Bruhns, without whose support and guidance, we would not have been able to realize the Turkish Nationality Room project. 2 3 TNR2.indd 2 2/20/12 10:15:50 PM I. THE EMBLEM OF THE TURKISH NationalitY ROOM The emblem of the Turkish Nationality Room (TNR) is the Turkish flag (Türk bayrağı). It has a white crescent moon and five-cornered star in its center, against a red background. It has a variety or references in literature and the national anthem including the “red banner” (alsancak), “moon-star” (ayyıldız), and “red flag” (albayrak). These symbols bear a close resemblance to the Ottoman flag adopted during the reformation period in the late 19th Century (Tanzimat); however the official color and layout of the flag (Figure 1) was adopted in 1936. The crescent and star design is not unique to the Turkish flag. Other nationalities that incorporate the crescent and star in their flags include Turkestan, Pakistan, Libya, Tunisia, and North Cyprus. The Turkish flag has been officially adopted on June 5, 1936. Like most old flags, there are many legends that describe the history and creation of the Turkish flag and the facts are sometimes hard to substantiate. Even before Turks arrived in Anatolia, there were examples of the star and crescent pattern. In 330 AD, Byzantium Emperor Constantin used this symbol while rededicating Constantinople to Virgin Mary. After the conquest of Constantinople there is a flag design with a crescent on a green base. Subsequently, this was changed to a red base in 1793. Finally, the star was added in 1844. Figure 1. The Turkish Flag 3 TNR2.indd 3 2/20/12 10:15:50 PM II. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TURKEY 2.Origins of Turks Two to three millennia ago Turkic tribes populated only Asian territories. Due to massive migrations over the ensuing period until the middle of the 13th Century, Turks are found in no less than twenty countries of Asia and Europe, in the 21st Century. Their combined population exceeds 180 Million, and includes more than twenty different ethnic branches and tribal entities. The country that is identified with modern Turks is Turkey (Türkiye) that is located in Asia Minor (Anatolia) and Thrace, the furthest South-Eastern corner of Europe (Figure 4). Anatolia has been at the cross-roads of civilizations and was host to 36 empires including Hitites, Phrygians, Lidians, Trojans, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and the Ottomans. Therefore the ethnicity of today’s Turkey is far from the “pure” Turkic tribes that migrated from Central Asia. During 1040 - 1923 Turks intermarried, exchanged cultural artifacts, and generally coexisted with a variety of ethnic populations in close proximity – including Arabs, Persians, Armenians, Georgians, Pashtuns, Kurds, North Africans, Serbs, Bulgarians, Romans, Albanians, Greeks, Macedonians, and Jews, as well as with others that migrated during the course of the last millennium, such as Sephardic Jews and Italians. The Turkish Nationality Room at the University of Pittsburgh represents all Turks, who reside or are immigrants from Turkey and who speak Turkish. 2. The Seljuk Empire A significant chapter of Turkish expansion towards the West from Central Asia took place during the waning years of the First Millennium, A.D., and the first half of the Second Millennium. Seljuk (Selçuk) Turks, descendants of the Qynyk branch of the Oghuz tribe, established themselves in Persia and then in Eastern Anatolia subsequent to their conquest of the Eastern Roman Empire territories, starting with Manzikert (Malaazgrit), in 1071. During the next three centuries, Seljuk (Selçuk) Turks, as a relatively new convert to Islam and 4 5 TNR2.indd 4 2/20/12 10:15:50 PM facing the challenge of the Crusades, built an empire called the Great Seljuk (Selçuk) Empire, stitched together from smaller City States of Anatolia. “The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf (Figure 2). The Seljuq rule gave impetus to the Turkification of Iran. The Seljuqs Turkified Azerbaijan between the 11th century and 12th century.”[1] Figure 2. The Great Seljuk Empire (1037–1194) Figure 3. The Ottoman (Osmanlı) Empire (1299-1923) 5 TNR2.indd 5 2/20/12 10:15:50 PM 3. The Ottoman Empire The Ottomans also descended from the Oghuz tribe of Central Asian Turks. Starting in the waning years of the 13th Century, they began their conquest of the territories of the declining Seljuk and Eastern Roman Empires. By the beginning of the 16th Century, under the leadership of Sultan Süleyman the Law Giver, the Ottomans realized their furthest expansion into Europe, Africa, and the Near East (Figure 3). After having entered the first World War on the side of the German Reich, in 1914, the Ottomans found themselves fighting a losing war on several fronts. The Allies, having declared the Ottoman Empire as the “sick man” of Europe, occupied a majority of Ottoman territories and placed economic and regulatory sanctions on the Sultanate. During 1918-1923, the Turkish Republic rose from the ashes of the Ottoman empire due to the grass roots uprising of the peoples of Anatolia led by the founder of Modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. 4. The Republic of Turkey In 1923, Atatürk (Mustafa Kemal) almost single handedly carved Modern Turkey out of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire [2]. Turkey evolved into a democratic republic with Eastern traditions and Western sympathies. The first member to join the newly founded NATO, Turkey stood by US defense and economic policies for many decades. A participant in the Korean War and other conflicts serving the interests of the West, Turkey has demonstrated its modern position on the world stage with conviction and confidence. Arnold J. Toynbee, in the Epilogue of his seminal book titled Turkey [3] states: “Japan and Turkey claim to offer a practical compromise for practical men,“ as opposed to North African and Russia’s (Kremlin) aggression or India’s passivism; a prophecy that is to be realized nearly 90 years later. Recently, Turkey has entered the world’s G-20 Economies and has become a serious player in the contemporary issues on the world stage. 6 7 TNR2.indd 6 2/20/12 10:15:51 PM Table 1. Atatürk’s Reformations Date Reformation or Passage of Civil Laws Nov 1, 1922 Abolition of the office of the Ottoman Sultanate. Jul 24, 1923 Abolition of the capitulations with the Treaty of Lausanne Oct 29, 1923 Proclamation of the Republic - Republic of Turkey. 1924 The Weekend Act (Workweek became Monday to Friday) Mar 3, 1924 Abolition of the office of Caliphate held by the Ottomans Mar 3, 1924 The unification of education 1925 Establishment of model farms; Atatürk Orman Çiftliği 1925 The International Time Zone; (Gregorian) Calendar System Nov 25, 1925 Change of headgear and dress Nov 30, 1925 Closure of religious convents and dervish lodges. 1926 The Obligation Law 1926 The Commercial Law Mar 1, 1926 New penal law modeled after the Italian penal code. Oct 4, 1926 New civil code modeled after the Swiss civil code. May 31, 1927 Establishment of the Turkish State Railways Turkish Education Association to support children in Jan 1, 1928 financial need and contributions to their educational life. Nov 1, 1928 Adoption of the new Turkish alphabet 1931 Turkish Historical Society for research on history Turkish Language Association to regulate the Turkish Jul 12, 1932 language 1933 The System of Measures (International System of Units) May 31, 1933 Regulation of the university education Dec 1, 1933 First Five Year Development Plan (Planned economy) Jun 21, 1934 Law on family names. Nov 26, 1934 Abolition of titles and by-names. Dec 5, 1934 Full political rights to women, to vote and be elected. 1937 Second Five Year Development Plan (Planned economy) The inclusion of the principle of laïcité (secularity) in the Feb 5, 1937 constitution.