samedi 16 janvier 2016

Le Cedid Atlas : le premier atlas moderne du monde musulman

Le Cedid Atlas a été commandé par le gouvernement Ottoman et publié à Istanbul en 1803 en 50 exemplaires dont seulement 10 ont survécus jusqu’à nos jours.
Son nom complet est « Cedid Atlas Tercümesi », ce qui se traduit par « Une traduction du Nouvel Atlas », une référence au fait que c’est une adaptation d’un Atlas anglais publié par William Faden et il est précédé par une préface de 80 pages sur la géographie.
IL a été créé pendant que l’empire Ottoman avait engagé de grandes réformes de modernisation dans divers domaines et il voulait avec la création de cet atlas disséminer des connaissances géographiques modernes dans la société, la plupart des cartes existantes jusqu’alors étant dessinées à la main d’après des connaissances anciennes.

Conférence solidaire pour les associations qui aident les réfugiés en Turquie, au Liban et en Syrie

  • clock
    à 20:30 - 22:00
    Semaine prochaine ·
  • pin
    Cinéma Jean Marais, 59 Bd Carnot (face à la mairie) 78110 LE VESINET
une conférence solidaire par Annick LECLERC:

« la Syrie, de l’Antiquité à l’aube du XXIème siècle »

L’entrée sera libre ; les personnes qui souhaiteront apporter une aide pourront le faire au profit de 2 structures très efficaces : la petite association « Yalla ! Pour les Enfants » (qui procure un enseignement à 120 enfants déscolarisés réfugiés au Liban) et AAVS (groupe de médecins syriens travaillant depuis des années en France et apportant une aide médicale dans des zones en grand besoin).

En espérant que, grâce à vous, l’auditoire sera nombreux, et en vous souhaitant une année 2016 clémente !

Annick Leclerc

(Musée et Ecole du Louvre)

PS. Précision : les personnes venant par le RER A doivent descendre au Vésinet-Centre)

Ottoman-era synagogue in Istanbul reopens with Teffila


An historic synagogue in Istanbul has reopened with a morning prayer performed for the first time in 65 years – another significant step for Turkey’s Jewish community.

A Tefilah, a prayer performed three times per day, was performed early on Jan. 8 in the İştipol Synagogue in Balat, a neighborhood on Istanbul’s European side on the shores of the Golden Horn, daily Vatan reported.

“It is our responsibility to protect this holy place. Let’s come to all places of worship including this to express our gratitude to God for his mercy and beauty,” said Turkey’s Jewish Community Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva after the Tefilah.

“May peace prevail across our country as well as the entire world. Today is a day of feast. God commends joy to people in days of feast. Let us come to this place of worship in joy and prayer,” Haleva added.

The synagogue was built in 1694 for Jewish immigrants coming to Istanbul from the Macedonian city of Shtip. It was severely damaged by a fire in 1899 and was renovated upon an order of Sultan Abdül Hamid II. But it has been closed for 65 years.

Among those who took part in the opening of the İştipol Synagogue were Turkish Jewish Community President Ishak Ibrahimzadeh and Minority Foundations Representative Laki Vingas, along with several members of the Jewish community.

The opening came about a year after the Great Synagogue, Europe’s second largest synagogue located in the northwestern province of Edirne, was reopened after restoration in late March 2015.

That synagogue briefly became a subject of controversy after Edirne Governor Dursun Ali Şahin told reporters last year that it would not be reopened to worship as planned, but instead be turned into a museum, in retaliation for the Israeli military raid on Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque at the time.

Şahin later offered an “apology,” claiming that his proposal “had no connection” to Turkish Jews. 

Four months after the governor’s headline-making remarks, the synagogue was reopened for the use of the Jewish community, in a ceremony that saw the participation of government officials as well as Şahin.

The reopening was welcomed by the Turkish Jewish Community in a fast-breaking iftar meal on June 21, 2015, as an appreciation for the restoration of the historical Edirne Synagogue by the Directorate General of Foundations. Around 700 people attended the iftar meal.
January/08/2016 HDN

vendredi 15 janvier 2016

‘Blue Bicycle’ to compete at Berlin Film Festival


A Turkish film titled “Mavi Bisiklet” (Blue Bicycle) will compete at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Directed by Ümit Köreken, the film will compete in the “Generation Kplus” category, the main theme of which is children and youth, to win the “Crystal Bear Award.” 

The film’s script was written by Köreken and Nursen Çetin and it will make its world premiere at the festival. 
 
The film was made in 2015 in the central Anatolian province of Konya’s Akşehir district. Children in the film were selected from neighboring villages who took basic cinema and acting classes for a long time. Actors in the film include Selim Kaya, Eray Kılıçarslan, Bahriye Arın, Mustafa Küçükibiş, Burak Vurdumduymaz, Beren Yiğit, Fatih Koca, Mustafa Şimşek, Nursen Çetin Köreken and Turan Özdemir. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/blue-bicycle-to-compete-at-berlin-film-festival-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=93912&NewsCatID=381

Mahmut DEMİR en concert le 16 janvier à PARİS

Récital de SAZ par Mahmut DEMIR.

Un Voyage Anatolien.
Leur Musique est l’héritage immatériel des Paysans d’ANATOLIE. A travers les chants d’amour, les complaintes d’exil, les airs de danse et les dires des Bardes, ils expriment leurs joies et leurs peines, et surtout leur attachement puissant à un Pays varié, de la Riante Egée aux bords luxuriants de la Mer Noire, des rives du Bosphore où s’entassent Palais et Mosquées aux steppes balayées par les Caravanes Nomades. Au fil des Siècles, ils ont construit un patrimoine inspiré et coloré, qui sait aussi parler au-delà de ses Frontières. Mahmut DEMIR appartient à cette tradition de Musiciens Itinérants qui transmettent la Philosophie Mystique et Humaniste Séculair... Afficher la suite 
https://www.facebook.com/ParisKulturSanat/photos/gm.1095628327128455/907594439309411/?type=3&theater

Conférence solidaire pour les associations qui aident les réfugiés en Turquie, au Liban et en Syrie

  • clock
    à 20:30 - 22:00
    Semaine prochaine ·
  • pin
    Cinéma Jean Marais, 59 Bd Carnot (face à la mairie) 78110 LE VESINET
une conférence solidaire par Annick LECLERC:

« la Syrie, de l’Antiquité à l’aube du XXIème siècle »

L’entrée sera libre ; les personnes qui souhaiteront apporter une aide pourront le faire au profit de 2 structures très efficaces : la petite association « Yalla ! Pour les Enfants » (qui procure un enseignement à 120 enfants déscolarisés réfugiés au Liban) et AAVS (groupe de médecins syriens travaillant depuis des années en France et apportant une aide médicale dans des zones en grand besoin).

En espérant que, grâce à vous, l’auditoire sera nombreux, et en vous souhaitant une année 2016 clémente !

Annick Leclerc

(Musée et Ecole du Louvre)

PS. Précision : les personnes venant par le RER A doivent descendre au Vésinet-Centre)

Ottoman works in the digital age


ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

The Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) develops a new system, the first of its kind, which allows researchers around the world to easily work on Ottoman documents

The Ottoman Optical Character Recognition (OCR) project, which enables rare Ottoman works to be transferred to the electronic world, has been launched by the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA).

“You scan an Ottoman text first, upload it to a computer and the convert it into a word document; finally you can search this document,” said IRCICA General Director Halit Eren, explaining the process the ORC uses to bring old Ottoman documents into the digital age. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ottoman-works-in-the-digital-age--.aspx?pageID=238&nID=93549&NewsCatID=386  

jeudi 14 janvier 2016

Footprints among top findings of Yenikapı excavations


Ömer Erbil - ISTANBUL
While taking the known history of Istanbul back to 8,500 years ago, the Yenikapı excavations have unearthed a raft of historical artifacts that have drawn the world’s attention to archaeology in Turkey. 

Among the most interesting findings of the Neolithic Age excavations are the footprints of the first locals of Istanbul and their tools - including canoe oars and spoons fashioned out of bone. 

Many of these findings have been included in the world’s most unique artifacts, and are currently being held at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, waiting to be moved to a new museum set to be established in Yenikapı on Istanbul’s historic peninsula. 

At the same time, the excavations at the Aksaray Yenikapı Square, which are thought to be an extension of the ancient Theodosius Harbor, are still being carried out. Officials and archeologists stress that these excavations must be carried out with utmost care as very important findings may be revealed there. 

Among the many interesting items found during the Yenikapı excavations include a 1,200-year-old wooden comb, which is the only such item in the world; 1,500-year-old flip-flops, on which “use on healthy days” is written in Greek; a 1,200-year-old amphora; 8,000-year-old canoe oars, which are the oldest ever found; cherry stones found in a shipwreck that sunk 1,200 years ago; and the head of an ivory figure from 1,600 years ago, an extraordinary work of art.
Hürriyet daily news 

mercredi 13 janvier 2016

Reliefs in Mersin fall victims to treasure hunters

DHA photo
DHA photo
The walls of the Şeytan Deresi Canyon in Mersin are home to some of the most unique reliefs in the world, but a lack of formal protection has resulted in treasure hunters damaging the artwork despite the lack of any valuables in the area.

“Treasure hunters dig these places for nothing and damage the reliefs. People carved their reliefs there in the ancient ages but established their graveyards in the main rocks in very different parts of the valley that cannot be discovered,” said Mersin University Archaeology Department Professor Serra Durugönül regarding the Adamkayalar (man-rocks) reliefs, which consist of 11 men, four women, two children, a mountain goat and an eagle.

The reliefs, which dates from the second and third centuries B.C., are located in such a difficult location that even mountain goats experience difficulty in accessing them.

Despite all the difficulties, the Adamkayalar region has been looted by treasure hunters for years even though no historical artifacts have been found there. 

The professor said she had first seen the region in 1980, noting that its situation was better then than today. 

“People living in that era established their graveyards in a variety of different places to protect them from robbers. Actually, it is impossible to find the places of these graves,” Durugönül said. “Nobody has so far succeeded in finding anything there because they can’t. There are similar geographical and topographical valleys like this one, but they don’t have such rich reliefs. It is possible to see various graveyards and reliefs while walking through the Şeytan Deresi Canton but all of them have been damaged.”

Guard needed 
Durungönül said they had made some proposals to the Mersin Governor’s Office for the protection of the region.

“We made an official application to the Mersin Governor’s Office years ago. We suggested a project for the establishment of a walking lane there as well as a platform for people to walk there easily, along with security cameras. The best solution is to post a guard there. This guard could oversee the entrances and exits and also give information to visitors about the region like a tourist guide. The governor’s office leaned toward to our proposal and informed the ministry about the issue, but we are still at the same point,” she said.

“Forget about Turkey, no place in the Mediterranean region, or even Europe, has such reliefs that are related to each other. The Adamkayalar were not finished at one time; they were finished one after the other and the earliest example dates back to the second century, and the last one dates back to the third century.

People buried the dead for 500 years and then came back to commemorate them,” the professor said.
Hürrıyet Daily news

mardi 12 janvier 2016

Special stamp to remember Nazım Hikmet on birthday

DHA Photo
DHA Photo
World renowned Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet’s 114th birthday will be commemorated with a special postage stamp printed especially for the occasion, while a documentary will be screened about his years as a prisoner in Bursa.

The Nilüfer municipality of the northwestern province of Bursa will organize series of events for his birthday in order to remember Hikmet, whose influence extends beyond Turkey to world literature history, on Jan. 14.

The documentary, “Nazım of Bursa,” will be screened as part of the momentous occasion. The film centers on the poet’s 11 years spent in Bursa prison, including exposés of documents and interviews with witnesses and friends who were with him during these harsh years.

Hikmet was arrested several times because of his political beliefs, marking his life with years of exile and prison.

An exclusive exhibition, named in honor of Hikmet’s “Yapraklara Dallara” poem, will be organized at the Nazım Hikmet Kültürevi, a culture center named after him in Bursa. Hundreds of poems written during Hikmet’s prison years will be displayed at the exhibition.

The stamp, the first one of its kind to celebrate Nazım Hikmet, will be offered to hosts during the event. The stamp will also be sold for 1.40 Turkish Liras and available for all literature lovers.

The event will end with a special concert, “Love is a shirt of fire,” performed by Hasan Yükselir who will interpret songs composed by the veteran poet.
January/08/2016 HDN

‘New Hasankeyf’s’ museum ready to open

AA photo

AA photo
The construction of a museum and an amphitheater has been finished at a new settlement established for Hasankeyf, which is to be flooded by the Ilısu Dam, a project that NGOs fear will displace thousands and obscure Hasankeyf’s unique ancient history.

The new settlement, which has been set up to save a few of Hasankeyf’s historical sites from flooding, is located on the outskirts of the Batı Raman Mountains, north of Hasankeyf’s current location where projects undertaken by the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board are finally coming to fruition. 

In the projects’ scope, a three-floor Hasankeyf Museum with 2,500 square-meters of closed area and 5,000 square-meters of open area and an amphitheater have been built in the field named Cultural Park. The artifacts that shed light on Hasankeyf’s history will be displayed at the museum. 

Meanwhile, the construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting moved historical sites is in its final phase. West of this bridge will be the İmam Abdullah Tomb, a historic bath and Zeynel Bey Tomb, while east of the bridge will be the El Rizk, Koç, Sultan Süleyman and Kızlar mosques and the castle’s gate. 

Hasankeyf district governor Bülent Baygüven said their goal was to “fill the gaps at Hasankeyf” and turn the new settlement into a modern tourism center without damaging Hasankeyf’s historical foundation. 

While the settlement’s government building and district police department were currently up and running, Baygüven said, “some public housing is still under construction.” Though students are still attending Hasankeyf’s middle school, a new high school has been set up at the new settlement, according to Baygüven.

He continued: “The hospital will be finished very soon. The Cultural Park, District Gendarmerie Command, District Food, Agriculture and Livestock buildings are under construction, too. When the citizens arrive here, houses will be built and this [new settlement] will be a complete district.”

Hasankeyf and the Ilısu Dam
The ancient, 12,000-year-old town of Hasankeyf is located on the banks of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey, featuring Neolithic caves, Roman ruins and medieval monuments. 

Eighty percent of Hasankeyf will be flooded due to the controversial Ilısu Dam, which has been the subject of controversy since 2006 when its first foundational stone was placed. Due to the highly impactful nature of the dam, European creditors pulled their investment support for the dam in 2008, postponing its construction for 2 years.

Set to become Turkey’s fourth hydroelectric power plant if completed, the dam is part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), which aims to create sustainable development for people living in Turkey’s southeast through the construction of dams and hydroelectric plants. 

Europa Nostra, a European heritage organization, and the European Investment Bank Institute announced on Dec. 10 that Hasankeyf and its surroundings were among the heritage sites shortlisted on its “The Seven Most Endangered” program for 2016.