Author: Takmazian

From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Subject: Hamidiye Mosque unique architecture with a sultan’s touch

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 17 2008

Hamidiye Mosque unique architecture with a sultan’s touch

You may have noticed an elegant minaret rising modestly to the sky to
your right while climbing up from Barbaros Bulvarı toward
Yıldız in the BeÅ?iktaÅ? district.

If you were careful enough, you may also have noticed the clock tower
just across from the minaret.

It is Hamidiye Mosque — or Yıldız Mosque, as it is used
to be known to the public — that sits at the top of a hill in
Yıldız. Once rows of soldiers encircled the mosque and
mounted troops gathered just outside its courtyard, with the sultan’s
subjects behind them. Hamidiye was once the scene of flamboyant `Cuma
SelamlıÄ?ı’ ceremonies — held before and after
the Friday prayers with the participation of Ottoman sultans. Sultan
Abdülhamid II participated in these ceremonies at Hamidiye
Mosque. It is no longer possible to witness these scenes except
through historical accounts, but the mosque has lost nothing of its
elegance.

Hamidiye, adjacent to Yıldız Palace, was built by
Abdülhamid II in 1886. The architect was Nikogos Balyan, the
chief imperial architect of the time.

Once you pass through the doors leading to the courtyard of the mosque
you see two white, marble staircases, which connect you to two
different rooms on the second floor, and between them the main door,
decorated with beautiful calligraphy.

The stairs on the right lead to the Süfera Odası, a room
reserved for ambassadors, with its gilt ceiling, while the stairs to
the left lead to the ornately decorated Hünkar Mahfili, the
royal booth. To the left of the royal box, there is an elegant, white
ceramic stove that remains well-preserved, and to the right there is
another booth separated from the rest of the room with a door made
mostly of glass. This smaller booth looks out through latticework over
the main space of the mosque.

You enter the mosque through two covered rooms, the first smaller and
the second larger. These rooms contain lockable shoe boxes.

Unique architecture

Rich in interior ornamentation, Hamidiye Mosque is a unique example of
gothic revivalism (neo-gothic), an architectural movement that became
popular in the Ottoman capital in the 19th century. The neo-gothic
style is combined with classical Ottoman motifs in the mosque.

The major neo-gothic features of the mosque stem from its vertical
emphasis and the longitudinal proportions of the parts of the
building. The mosque — excluding the dome — has a total of 17
windows, which were all treated in the neo-gothic style. The mosque
has a single-balcony minaret adorned with stone carvings.

Its single dome is surrounded by 16 windows and sits upon four elegant
piers. The gilded wooden decorations on these piers supporting the
dome were partly done by Abdülhamid II himself, who was known
for his carpentry skills. The sultan’s carpentry workshop remains
today and is open to Yıldız Palace visitors. The sultan
is also said to have been involved in the design of the mosque.

The dome is painted a bright blue, which makes you feel like you are
under a twilit sky. The dome is also unique since it is one of the few
to feature star decorations, which further the feeling of looking
skyward.

Quranic verses decorate the four sides of the mosque, while the panels
on the walls are made of ebony with pearl engravings.

Hamidiye Mosque is significant because it represents a period when the
Ottoman capital was seeing a rising number of Western-style buildings
competing with classical Ottoman styles. A search for new
architectural forms was at stake. The neo-gothic style of the mosque
is one of the new major styles reflecting the architectural pluralism
of the city, as well as the Western-influenced nature of Ottoman
architecture in the 19th century.

Yıldız Clock Tower

Yıldız Clock Tower (Yıldız Saat Kulesi)
was also built by Sultan Abdülhamid II between 1889 and
1890. The tower is located at the far right corner of Hamidiye
Mosque’s courtyard.

It is a three-storey structure, also done in a neo-gothic style. The
first floor is adorned with inscriptions while the second floor houses
a thermometer and barometer and the third floor holds the clock
itself. The tower was built in honor of the 25th anniversary of the
reign of Abdülhamid II.

If you are interested in the historical Friday prayers, like those
held at Hamidiye Mosque, you can find many photos on the Internet. For
those who like to keep pictures of places they visit, photography is
certainly allowed: You can take as many photos of this magnificent
mosque as you like while enjoying its unique architecture, which is
richly decorated but somehow maintains a sense of modesty.

Who was Nikogos Balyan?

Nikogos Balyan was from the distinguished Balyan family, an
ethnic-Armenian family of Ottoman imperial architects. Architects from
the family built various mosques and churches in Ä°stanbul
throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Members of the family served a
total of six sultans during the period of the Ottoman architecture’s
Westernization. Some of the monuments they have built include Valide
Mosque, Dolmabahçe Mosque, Yıldız Palace, the
Ã`sküdar Armenian Gregorian Church and Beyazit Tower.

17 May 2008, Saturday
BÃ`Å?RA Ä°PEKÃ?Ä° Ä°STANBUL

ad=detay&link=142040

LAKE VAN DYING

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.05.2008 12:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Lake Van, the fifth largest lake in Europe, is
dying. Unless urgent measures are taken, the lake will dry up within
the next 10-15 years.

The Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA)
has included Lake Van in its project ‘Limitless Blue’ that has been
carried out for two years to save coastlines.

As it works to protect a coastline of 8,333 kilometer from Hopa to
Iskenderun, TURMEPA plans to save Lake Van as well. The association
has organized an event to clean the shores of the lake.

Esref Cerrahoglu, TURMEPA executive board chairman, said, "According
to reports of experts, pearl mullets will die out in 10-15 years. Lake
Van will become a source of pollution and will not be suitable to
swim in. Taking some urgent measures could save the lake, which is
an example of very significant historic and ecological richness of
the region. This is why we are also working for Lake Van as well as
our coastlines."

As part of a project titled "Limitless Blue," for two years TURMEPA has
been giving courses on the protection of the seas to primary school
students living on the coastlines. There were 105,000 students from
Van who participated in one of the courses last week, the Turkish
Daily News reports.

Situated in historical Armenia, Lake Van is Europe’s fifth largest
lake. The city of Van located on the eastern shore of Lake Van
was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9th century BC. Its
ancient inhabitants called themselves Nairi and the city was a major
Armenian center.

Despite courageous resistance, the city’s Armenian population was
devastated during World War I by Ottoman troops as a part of the
Armenian Genocide.

Holy Cross church situated on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van was
reconstructed not long ago and transformed into museum. There is no
cross on the top but a Turkish flag and a portrait of modern Turkey’s
founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk are stuck at the entrance.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF ARMENIA GROWS BY 0.2% IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2008 AS COMPARED WITH SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Industrial production of 168 bln 858.5
mln drams or over 548.1 mln USD in current prices was made in Armenia
in January-March 2008. Production of 167 bln 149.3 mln drams was sold,
including sales of 15 bln 308.7 mln drams in CIS countries and sales
of 36 bln 533.6 mln drams in other countries.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, the industrial
production index made 100.2% as compared with January-March 2007, while
the same index without production and distribution of electricity,
gas and water made 98.3%.

New York Hyortik AYF Chapter
69-23 47th Ave.
Woodside, NY 11377
(718) 651-1530
[email protected]
May 12, 2008
For Immediate Release

New York AYF Hosts Spring Barbeque Celebrating 16th Anniversary of Shushi
Liberation

NEW YORK – On May 10 the New York Hyortik AYF chapter hosted a barbeque at the
Armenian Center in Woodside, N.Y. bringing together its junior and senior
members, friends, family, and community members to celebrate the 16th
anniversary of the liberation of Shushi. The entire afternoon the chapter
had Armenian folk and heghapoghagan songs playing for the over 70 guests who
enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, pilav, salad, and dessert. Attendees spent the
day talking, playing basketball, soccer, Frisbee and remembering the spirit
with which the city of Shushi was liberated.

During the event the executive gave a brief speech, reminding attendees
about the importance of Shushi’s liberation in May 1992. Sixteen years ago,
they said, Armenian fedayees gave their lives to take back city of Shushi, a
historic Armenian city that the Azeri army was using to bombard Stepanakert
during the Karabagh war. They noted General Tro’s words that "Whoever reigns
over Shushi, reigns over Artsakh," describing how frrom its natural, high
elevation Shushi controls the capital city, many surrounding villages,
strategic roads, and communications points between Artsakh’s regions. To
further set the mood the Hyortiks displayed the story of Shushi’s liberation
and presented a slide show of images ranging from the Ghazantchetsots Church
to Shushi’s fortress walls to the young diasporan Armenian Viken Zakarian
who lost his life during the battle.

"It was amazing seeing all generations who have been through the ranks of
the New York AYF at our BBQ- from current juniors and seniors, to parents,
and alumni with their families. These young members are the future of the
Hyortiks and this community," said New York AYF executive member Maral
Najjarian.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

BBQ: New York Hyortik members dedicated the barbeque to the 16th anniversary
of the liberation of Shushi (Photo Credit: Maral Najjarian)

Grill: AYF junior and seniors worked together to prepare and cook
hamburgers, hot dogs, pilav, salad, and dessert (Photo Credit: Maral
Najjarian)

ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN LEBANON RECEIVES SEVERAL APPLICATIONS FROM RA CITIZENS TO SUPPORT THEM IN DEPARTURE FROM COUNTRY

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:28:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian embassy in Lebanon received several applications
from Armenian citizens to support them in departure from the country,
Tigran Balayan, the head of the Press Division at the Armenian foreign
ministry, told ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, the number of such applications doesn’t exceed
10. Asked how the departure will be organized, Balayan recalled that
in the past, during the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, departure was
organized via the Syrian territory. "Now we are also working on the
same direction", Balayan said.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 7 2008

Ankara has two terms for establishing relations with Armenia, Turkish
Ambassador says

[ 07 May 2008 12:54 ]

Baku. Ulviyya Aliyeva – APA. `Cooperation is out of discussion unless
there is improvement in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict’, Turkey’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilich told
journalists, APA reports.

He said that Turkey had two terms for establishing diplomatic
relations with Armenia. First of all, progress should be obtained in
the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and secondly, Armenia
should give up attempts for the recognition of 1915 events as Armenian
genocide.

Armenian customs officers and businessmen meet to discuss current
problems

YEREVAN, May 5. /ARKA/. Economic reforms and business processes, the
problems connected with customs warehouses and cargo transportation
were discussed at a Monday meeting of the representatives of the RA
State Customs Committee and the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen
of Armenia.

President of the Union Armen Ghazaryan said the previous meetings had
proved highly effective. He said re-equipment of customs warehouses is
important to improve services and simplify many customs processes.

Acting Chairman of the RA State Customs Committee Gagik Khachatryan
said Armenian customs warehouses do not have the necessary level of
technical equipment.

The problem with electric weighers, x-ray apparatus and other devices
is solved now which allows to pass a rapid customs clearance with no
necessity to open the baggage. Khachatryan also said the costumes
office in the southern region of Meghri (on border with Iran) is ready
to hold customs clearance without car unloading.

Khachatryan said with the increasing volumes of imports the number of
warehouses should increase too. He stressed the necessity to intensify
brokerage services which would relieve the businessmen of many
problems.

The participants agreed on a certain number of issues which will be
included in a common reform package and submitted for the government’s
consideration.

The businessmen will soon meet with forwarders and customs officers to
discuss common problems. `0-

ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES FIRED ON POSITIONS OF AZERBAIJANI ARMY IN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 2 2008

Nagorno Karabakh Mahbuba Gasimbayli-APA. Armenian armed forces have
violated the cease-fire, Azerbaijani Defence Ministry’s Press Service
told APA.

The divisions of Armenian armed forces fired on the positions of
Azerbaijani Armed Forces with machine and submachine guns from their
posts in Gadabay Region from 13.30 till 17.40 on May 1, Yusifjanli
village of Aghdam Region 06.15 till 06.20 on May 2, Kuropatkina
village of Khojavand Region from 01.05 till 01.30 on May 2, Fuzuli
Region from 13.40 on May 1 till 00.05 on May 2, Chilaburt village
of Terter Region from 01.35 till 02.20 on May 2.The enemy has been
silenced by reprisal fire. No casualties reported.

Asharq Alawsat (The Middle East), UK
May 2 2008

Sarkozy is Wrong About Turkey

02/05/2008
By Amir Taheri

`I am no ideologue,’ insists French President Nicolas Sarkozy at every
opportunity. He was doing so the other evening during a 90-minute long
live television exposé marking the first anniversary of his
election victory. By saying he is no ideologue, the French leader
tries to present himself as a pragmatic politician, open to argument
and ready to admit errors. This was what he did during his TV
marathon. On at least six occasions, referring to various aspects of
his policies, he said: I admit I made an error!

There was, however, one issue on which Sarkozy sounded like an
ideologue: Turkey’s application for membership of the European
Union. Sarkozy has opposed Turkish membership for years, a position he
emphasised during his campaign last year.

Hoping that Sarkozy is open to argument, let us see if we could
persuade him to change his mind for to shut Turkey out of the EU is
harmful to both.

Sarkozy’s key argument is based on geography. He insists that Turkey
is not `in Europe’. However, the EU is an economic and political club,
not a geographical one. Geographically, Switzerland is in the heart of
Europe but not in the EU. Norway and Iceland are also European in
terms of geography but neither wishes to join the EU. Albania,
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova
and Ukraine are all geographically in Europe and wish to join the EU
but cannot because membership requires something more than
geography. Belarus is in Europe but the EU would not touch it with a
bargepole because it lacks the minimum political qualifications.

As far as the conventional geographical description of Europe is
concerned, only five per cent of Turkish territory is European. But
Europe is not always defined in such narrow terms. Turkey is a
founding member of the Council of Europe, a body that includes
countries such as Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Kazakhstan that
have no geographical connection with the continent.

Should the fact that a part of a country’s territory falls outside the
traditional geographical limits of Europe automatically exclude it
from EU membership?

There is no such rule in any of the treaties that have produced the EU
since 1949. If such a rule were to be established, Russia, most of
whose territory is geographically in Asia, could never consider
joining the EU. Denmark would also be excluded because its vast
possessions in Greenland are far away from the continent. France
itself has quite a few overseas possessions in the Americas, Africa,
Asia and Australasia.

When France, in association with West Germany, Italy and the Benelux
countries, was building the future EU it still regarded Algeria as two
if its provinces. That meant that only a quarter of French territory
was actually located in Europe at the time.

Turkey has strong geographical links with Europe.

It has land and sea borders with five European nations: Russia,
Ukraine, Moldova Romania, Bulgaria and Greece (the last three are
members of the EU).

Turkey controls the vital link between two key European waters: the
Black Sea and the Aegean, and occupies a strategic position on the
Mediterranean, the heart of European civilisation.

Turkey’s historic ties with Europe are even stronger.

Several of the earliest European states, including those of the
Hittites and the Greeks, were located in Anatolia. For many centuries,
the Ottoman Empire, based on present-day Turkey, was a major European
power with a leading role in the Balkans. In the 19th century, when
Western Europeans called the Ottoman Empire `the sick man of Europe’,
they never questioned its place in the continent.

Furthermore, ethnically, Turkey is predominantly European. The
majority of the population are from Lydian, Hittite, Greek, and
Thracian stock with addition from Slavs, Armenians, Caucasian nations,
and, of course, Turkic peoples from central Asia. If Turks were
`Asiatic’ as Sarkozy implies, they would look like Kazakhs, Uzbeks or
Koreans rather than southern Europeans.

Sarkozy might point out that the Turkish language is not European.

That is true. Turkish belongs to the Altaic family of languages while
all but three European languages come from the Indo-European
family. The EU, however, is not a linguistic club either. If it were,
Finland and Hungary, whose national languages are not Indo-Europeans,
would be excluded. France itself, along with Spain, is home to the
Basque language that is also `alien’ because it is not related to any
European linguistic family.

In any case, there are already more Turkish speakers within the
current EU than there are Bulgarian, Catalonian, Czech, Danish,
Estonian, Finnish, Gallic, Greek, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Maltese, Portuguese, Swedish, or Slovenian speakers.

Turkish is already a major EU language thanks to the presence of an
estimated 12 million Turkish immigrants. Only seven of the EU’s 25
recognised languages, German, French, English, Italian, Spanish,
Polish and Romanian, are spoken in its present boundaries by a larger
number of people.

There is one other factor that Sarkozy takes into account, albeit
without giving it headline treatment: Turkey is a majority Muslim
nation.

However, that factor, too, need not exclude Turkey.

Islam is already the second religion of the EU in terms of the number
of its adepts. France itself is home to some six million Muslims. In
22 of the 27 current EU members, Muslims represent the largest
religious minority. Islam may also be the fastest growing faith in EU
in terms of demography. Some scholars project Islam to become a
majority faith in Europe within the current century.

However, the EU is not a Christian club either. If it were it would
have to exclude its 2.5 million Jews as well as its 20 million
Muslims, not to mention millions who practice no faith at all. Should
Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, where Muslims form majorities, never
become EU members? Both have already started the preliminary stages of
applying for membership.

If there are no objective reasons to keep Turkey out of the EU, there
are many reasons to support its candidacy.

The EU is Turkey’s largest trading partner. It is also the biggest
foreign investor in the Turkish economy. Some 80 per cent of visitors
to Turkey come from the EU while the EU is the number-one destination
for Turks doing business, receiving education or holidaying abroad.

It is not only by adopting the Latin alphabet that Turkey has tried to
draw closer to Europe. It has adopted the democratic system, is
building a secular republic and promoting a culture of
pluralism. Trying to meet EU conditions, Turkey has reformed its
cultural, social, and economic policies, and judicial system (the
process is known as mise-a-niveau or bringing up to standard). Today,
Turkey is closer to EU standards than many of the current members.

As already mentioned, Turkey is a founding member of the Council of
Europe. But it is also a founding ember of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO) and provides its second largest army. No so long
ago, Turkey led NATO’s efforts to stabilise post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Sarkozy is wrong on Turkey, and the sooner he admits it the better for
all concerned.

Amir Taheri was born in Iran and educated in Tehran, London and
Paris. Between 1980 and 1984 he was Middle East editor for the London
Sunday Times. Taheri has been a contributor to the International
Herald Tribune since 1980. He has also written for The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Taheri has
published nine books some of which have been translated into 20
languages, and In 1988 Publishers” Weekly in New York chose his study
of Islamist terrorism, "Holy Terror", as one of The Best Books of The
Year. He has been a columnist Asharq Alawsat since 1987

2&id=12615

RA NA ADOPTS GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FOR 2008-2012

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2008 17:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With a vote 88 to 3, the Armenian National Assembly
adopted the government program for 2008-2012.

The program includes provisions from the National Security Strategy
and poverty reduction project, the election programs of the President,
political parties and basic provisions of the agreement on political
coalition.

Presenting the program, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that the
government’s priorities will be ensuring high macroeconomic development
rate and economic growth. "With a limited influence, the government
will create favorable conditions for the private sector. The goal of
the government is to make Armenia a regional center for business and
investments," he said.

"We should also finally resolve the poverty problem.

The best way to do it is to engage low-income groups in the economic
and political life of the republic," he added, Novosti Armenia reports.