THE YEAR OF TURKEY IN AUSTRALIA (2015) Occupying an important place in the near history of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, the Battle of Gallipoli (Gallipoli Campaign) is a sea and land warfare rarely found in the history of the world. The respect, love and sympathy that fl ourished among the Turkish, Australian and New Zealander soldiers at Gallipoli went down in history, proving to be an extraordinary experience on battlefi elds. The Gallipoli Campaign that entered into literature as the Battle of Gallipoli and gave shape to the history and future of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand played a signifi cant role in the formation of respective national identities. The Gallipoli Peninsula is a resting place for thousands of Anzac, English, French, Canadian, Irish, Nepalese, Indian, Senegalese and Turkish soldiers. Today, instead of keeping old animosities alive and people apart as a result of past pain and suffering, this piece of land gathers the Australian, New Zealander and Turkish peoples around a sense of brotherhood. The commemorations of the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign aim at keeping the spirit of Gallipoli alive that is considered to be a symbol of friendship among thousands based on mutual respect and admiration. The events during the commemorations will pass this honorable heritage onto the future generations and make it permanent. Within the scope of the joint declaration released during the visit of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Julia Gillard to then Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between 24-26 April 2014, 2015 was declared as the Year of Turkey in Australia and Year of Australia in Turkey on the occasion of the Ground Battles of Gallipoli commemorations. That means, 2015 is marking the mutual culture year of both countries. The principles below were adopted under the said declaration: • to affi rm the friendly and strong relations, between the governments of Turkey and Australia, • to affi rm the understanding and respect that sprung up among the fallen soldiers during the ground battles of Gallipoli of the WWI and contributed to heal the injuries • to acknowledge that the historical relations between these two nations have been improving through political and social contacts as well as growing trade, thereby laying the foundation for powerful and mutually- benefi cial bilateral relations. • to use the opportunity of Gallipoli Centenary in order to refl ect upon the common history and to gain a future-oriented momentum for relations between two countries. • to promote the empowerment of political, economic and cultural ties as well as the contacts between both peoples. • to refer to the Action Plan for Cooperation that was signed between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both governments on 1st February 2011. A series of events and activities will be carried out, in Turkey and in Australia, throughout 2015 in order to foster historic, social and cultural understanding and awareness, with a view to strenghtening the common historic and cultural relations going back a century and paying respect for the loss of both countries. PROGRAMME NOAH’S ARK HALITUS Composition: Mercan Dede & Göksel Baktagir METROPOL Clarinet solo: Improvisation MAIDEN’S TOWER YARİM SENDEN AYRILALI Soloist: Demet Tuğcu Composition: Turgay Erdener Darbuka solo: Improvisation GRAND BAZAAR SULTAN-İ YEGAH SİRTO Composition: Şadi Işılay Ney solo: Improvisation LAND OF TOLERANCE ARMENIAN HYMN Soloist: Kevork Tavityan Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen GEL GÖR BENİ AŞK NEYLEDİ Soloist: Laura King Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı GÜZEL AŞIK CEVRİMİZİ Soloist: Ayşe Göknur Shanal Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı EBRU Composition: Ahmet Baran & Kamuran Umuzdaş Rebab solo: Improvisation BLACK SEA GELEVARA RIVER Soloists: Kevork Tavityan & Demet Tuğcu Composition: Anonymous Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen KÖROĞLU KÖROĞLU Soloist: Tuncay Kurtoğlu Composition: A. Adnan Saygun Arrangement: Naci Özgüç THE FOUNTAINS Oud solo: Improvisation THE INNER GARDEN YİNE BİR GÜLNİHAL (TOPKAPI PALACE) Composition: Dede Efendi Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı A’MED NESİMİ Soloist: Demet Tuğcu Composition: Abdülkadir Meragi Arrangement: Tuluğ Tırpan PİRİ REİS GÖÇMEN KUŞLAR Composition: Ahmet Baran & Kamuran Umuzdaş GALLIPOLI BAŞKA TOPRAKLARIN ÇOCUKLARI (CHILDREN OF ANOTHER LAND) Composition: Aytuğ Ülgen & Melis Öztoprak SONG OF ÇANAKKALE Soloist: Tuncay Kurtoğlu Solo Cello: Tarık Aydoğan Composition: Anonymous Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen ANATOLIA UZUN İNCE BİR YOLDAYIM Soloists: Tuncay Kurtoğlu & Demet Tuğcu Composition: Aşık Veysel Arrangement: Naci Özgüç POTPOURRI ALLA TURCA Composition: W.A.Mozart & Turkish Traditional Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen A BRIEF LOOK AT “THE CULTURAL ICONS OF TURKEY” Noah’s Ark / Ağrı According to belief, the vessel God commanded Noah to build before the Great Flood for the continuation of the human race and living beings... Mount Judi, located in the Turkish province of Şırnak, is indicated as the landing site of the ark in The Qur’an and the remnants of the ark are claimed to be found on Mount Ararat on April 27 2010. Cruise Ship, Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge / İstanbul A city Bonaparte deeply admired, a city for which Münir Nurettin Selçuk composed songs, a city that enamours everyone… And the exquisite Strait that gives İstanbul the title the only city in the world connecting two continents and guiding the largest ships all over the world. Taksim Tram / İstanbul Taksim Square and İstiklal Street… The heart of the city, through which nearly three million people pass everyday. Full of art galleries, boutiques, book-stores, cafes, bars, venues, restaurants, historical patisseries, chocolatiers. And of course the famous nostalgic red tram that runs along İstiklal. Ortaköy Mosque / İstanbul Also known as the Ortaköy Mosque, the Grand Imperial Mosque and its picturesque waterside with the view of the Bosphorus at its utmost beauty, waves that wash the shore and the most fortunate pigeons in world… Galata Tower / İstanbul One of the most important symbols of İstanbul’s skyline… Built in 528 as one of the oldest towers in the world and 70 meters high, Galata Tower brings forth the authentic texture of İstanbul which combines the contemporary and the traditional in the most spectacular way. Maiden’s Tower / İstanbul Situated at the entrance of the Bosphorus, sits on a tiny islet off the coast of Üsküdar, one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. Maiden’s Tower is the most popular landmark and monument of the city of İstanbul. Grand Bazaar / İstanbul One of the largest and oldest shopping centres in the world with its 4.000 shops, 30.000 square meter vast grounds and 350.000 daily visitors. Built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, its foundations laid 550 years ago, Grand Bazaar is a magnificent historical place. Turkish Carpet Turkish carpets and rugs, either hand-knotted or flat-woven (Kilim, Soumak, Cicim, Zili), are amongst the most well-known and established hand-crafted art works in the world. Turkish Coffee You put a cup of water in the tiny pot (cezve), a spoon of coffee, usually with sugar. With its particular method of preparation, Turkish coffee has a specific fragrance, foam and taste. It has ceremonial value, with or without Turkish delight or liquor served along. Enjoyed best in company and on occasion followed by some fortune-telling... Turkish Tea With its scent coming from the damp and fertile fields of the eastern Black Sea coast, çay is typically prepared using two kettles. Either dark and strong or bright and light, it is served in traditional slim- waist glasses with cubes of beet sugar and a slice of lemon. Hagia Sofia / İstanbul Originally built as a church by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian nearly 1500 years ago, Hagia Sofia was later transformed into a mosque when the city was taken by the Ottomans and now serves as a museum. A majestic architectural masterpiece: Hagia Sophia. Sultanahmet Mosque / İstanbul Commissioned by Ahmed the First 400 years ago, the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 hand- made İznik style ceramic tiles and is the first mosque in Turkey to have six minarets. Sultanahmet Camii or as Europeans call it, The Blue Mosque, is a glorious and unique edifice. Ankara the Capital and Anıtkabir Ankara’s history can be tracked back to ten thousand years. It’s the home to the symbol of the national sovereignty, the National Assembly, the mausoleum of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk… Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial / Çanakkale Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial, is a war memorial, located within the Gallipoli Peninsula, commemorating the service of about 253,000 Turkish soldiers who participated at the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place in 1915 during First World War. It was designed by Feridun Kip, İsmail Utkular ve Doğan Erginbaş. Mount Nemrut / Adıyaman Mount Nemrut lies near Adıyaman, measuring 2.150 meters in height. On the summit are huge statues of Greek and Iranian gods, built in 62 BC. A breath taking site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list... Lycian Rock Tombs / Muğla An early federation, said to have inspired the framing of the United States Constitution, Lycians left behind precious presents before they vacated the world stage of historical time. The gorgeous rock- cut tombs in the sides of cliffs are just some of them. The Trojan Horse / Çanakkale Situated on the upper-west corner of the Asia Minor, land of legends, Troy is the name of yet another historical event, witnessing the war between Greeks and Trojans, dating more than three thousands years back... Zeugma / Gaziantep Today’s Belkıs village, Zeugma is an ancient city of Commagene, which envelopes today’s sorrow with the glory of ancient times. From Alexander the Great to the Romans, it is a passage between China and Euphrates. Even if its mosaics survived to this day, Zeugma couldn’t fulfil its function as a bridge between past and future. Oud The oud is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument made from agarwood, also known as oud or the Indian aloe tree, hence the name.