The Ottoman Castle... Ecyad...
Demolished by Saudia Arabia...


The Ottoman Citadel by Yilmaz Öztuna...
Columnist Yilmaz Öztuna writes on the destruction of Ottoman architectural works throughout the world. A summary of his column is as follows: "Over nine-tenths of Ottoman architectural work in the Balkans has already been destroyed. The remaining ones in Bosnia-Herzegovina were ruined by savage murderers who bombed them systematically. Last year, Afghanistan's Taliban destroyed gigantic Buddha monuments that had been protected by their Muslim ancestors. This led to the fury of a billion Buddhists and countless admirers of Buddha. This action was a smear against all Muslims. A few days ago, a follower of bin Ladin who calls himself a Muslim threatened India by saying that he would put a bomb in the Taj Mahal. This mentality does not view Taj Mahal as the pearl of Islamic civilization and a highwater mark in aestheticism. Wahhabi gangs have been unable to erase all Ottoman architectural works of art from the face of earth by destroying them but not through lack of trying .A few days ago, they destroyed the Otoman Citadel in Mekke through setting off TNT. They will build a hotel in its place. This enmity against the Ottoman legacy, is the classic demonstration of animosity towards the Turks. We denounce all those who are trying to insult our fathers and grandfathers. It is our duty to protect and repair the Hittite, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine works remaining on our soil with the utmost care. Fanaticism is evil no matter where it shows it face. Therefore, there is no difference between someone threatening the Taj Mahal, planning action against Hagia Sophia, destroying the Ottoman Citadel or firing mortars at the Mostar bridge. The people of the 21^st century should not fall into these traps."

Saudia Arabia and the Ecyad Castle by Oktay Eksi...
Columnist Oktay Eksi writes on the demolition of the Ecyad Castle in Saudia Arabia. A summary of his column is as follows: "It has been learned that the Ecyad Castle, a piece of both Ottoman and Saudia Arabian history, has been demolished under the orders of Saudia King Fahd. It remains to be seen if the revenues of the hotel to be built in its place will be used to help cover the expenses of Harem-i Sherif as claimed or rather fill the purse of a prince. In either case, the Ecyad castle built by the Ottomans in 1780 to protect the sacred assets of the Islamic world will be forgotten. The Saudia leaders aren't short on historical awareness, but we can add that they do lack national honor. We know this is the case because they have made a house that the British spy Thomas Edward Lawrence once stayed in into a museum. It is true that Lawrence provoked them to rebel against the Ottomans, but he also saw them as tools of the British. You cannot explain to them the importance of the Ecyad Castle. Therefore, there is no use in talking the issue over with the Saudias, especially when the castle is already demolished. The important thing is to take the matter to international platforms, and organize an international reaction similar to the one shown when the Taliban destroyed the great Buddha monument in Afghanistan. It cannot be said that we are seriously protecting our historical values. Our behavior in protecting other cultural legacies within our borders is not enlightened either. However, Türkiye recognizes these assets today and probably it must teach this to the Saudias."

Türkiye Looks to Protest Saudia Castle Demolition by Cumhuriyet...
Türkiye is seeking ways to protest Saudia Arabia's decision last week to demolish the 220-year-old al-Ajyad fortress to make way for a $533 million project to house pilgrims to Mecca. Democratic Left Party (DSP) Deputy Ertugrul Kumcuoglu has presented a proposal to the Chairmanship of Parliament calling for a boycott on travel to Saudia Arabia. The proposal suggests the cancellation of pilgrimage visits to Saudia Arabia this year. The Parliament denounced Saudia Arabia's demolition of the historic Ottoman castle in its Plenary Session yesterday. Acting Turkish Parliament Speaker Murat Sökmenoglu said: "One Muslim country's destruction of another Muslim country's historic heritage constitutes sinful behavior which is in breach of Islam's moral values and religious brotherhood." The Saudia government has rejected Turkish protests over the demolition of the castle in the city of Mecca. A high-level Saudia Foreign Ministry official was quoted by the daily Okaz as saying that Saudia Arabia was exercising its sovereignty, and that no one had the right to interfere in what comes under the state's authority.

Demolition photo of the "Ottoman Castle Ecyad"...
Done by Saudia Arabia...
Formerly Foreign Minister Ismail Cem Said that...
"The Saudia Government Broke It's Promise"... By Cumhuriyet...
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem stated yesterday that although Türkiye had done its utmost to prevent the demolition of the historic Ottoman fortress in Mecca, Saudia Arabia paid no heed to Türkiye's concerns. "Despite all our efforts, the Saudia administration broke its promise to protect historic places," said Cem. "We will always be against one country's destruction of another country's historic heritage. Saudia Arabia should be ashamed of this act of destruction, and we won't let the world forget it."
Source...

Demolition of the Ecyad Castle...
Ecyad Castle built in 1782 by the Ottomans to protect the sacred sites and the city of Mecca in Saudia Arabia was demolished following the decision taken by the Saudia administration. The destruction of works of art bearing the cultural and artistic traces of a period, wherever they may be, is tantamount to destroying history. During its rule over territories in Asia, Europe and Africa the Ottoman Empire left many notable works of art bearing traces of its cultural identity. It is the duty of the country where these monuments stand, of Türkiye due to its historical ties and of international cultural organizations to protect these works of arts for these Ottoman monuments constitute the common heritage of all humanity. Ecyad Castle built in 1782 by the Ottomans to protect the sacred sites and the city of Mecca in Saudia Arabia was demolished following the decision taken by the Saudia administration. The destruction of works of art bearing the cultural and artistic traces of a period, wherever they may be, is tantamount to destroying history. Many Balkan, North African and Central Asian countries, in contrast to Saudia Arabia, either at their own initiative or in cooperation with Türkiye are trying to protect such works of art. The rebuilding of Mostar Bridge destroyed at the beginning of the 1990s in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the projects for the restoration of Seljuki ruler Sultan Sanjar's mausoleum in Merv, the El Barka barracks in Libya, and the Constantine, Oran and Dayý palaces in Algeria have either started or are expected to begin shortly. In addition, the Hamzabey Minaret, dating back to the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent and the Gülbaba Tomb built in Hungary, in 1553, are under the protection of the state. There is work in progress to protect the masterpieces that have remained from many ancient civilizations within our country and abroad. Within this framework, projects are being carried out in coordination with international institutions, such as UNESCO and the European Council. The campaign which was launched in 1997 by the European Council called, "uncovering and protection of the common European heritage" helps to promote and preserve the cultural masterpieces belonging to a wide spectrum of civilizations which have flourished on Anatolian soil. It should be remembered that, if future generations are to tolerate cultural diversity, the awareness that cultural values, which emerge as a result of human creativity and by way of intercommunal influences, are indeed a common heritage must be instilled in of all societies.

Source...

Remember the Time...
Ottoman Army Band... Mehter...

Ottoman Mehter music, which for centuries accompanied the marching Ottoman army into battle, still echoes in that of drum and zurna - an oboe-like woodwind instrument with seven holes above and one below - which are a part of folk culture all over Türkiye. Mehter music was a symbol of sovereignty and independence, and its ardent sounds instilled the soldiers with strength and courage. The rousing songs and crashing sound of the great kös drums were at the same time capable of unnerving the enemy on the brink of battle, and the Mehter music composers took pains to create works that produced this effect. The Mehter band was established in 1299 when Osman Gazi was made bey or liege lord by the Seljuk sultan Keykubat III, who sent him a tabl (kettledrum) and finial as symbols of rank. However, with the dissolution of the Janissary Corps by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826, the Mehter bands were also dispersed, and not until Ferik Ahmed Muhtar Pasa founded the Imperial Military Museum in 1908 was it decided to revive the tradition. In 1914 it was reestablished as the Mehterhane-i Hakani - Royal Mehter Band - attached to the museum. The band was again abolished in 1935 by then minister of defense Zekai Apaydin Bey, only to be reformed in 1952 as an institution of historical interest attached to Istanbul Military Museum. Today the band performs several times a week at the museum, and at certain official ceremonies, and is a reminder of former Ottoman glory. The band has its own distinctive marching step, whose rhythm is that of the words, "Gracious God is good. God is compassionate". The mehter band marches behind the commander of the band or çorbacibasi, who wears a headdress known as üsküf. After him to his left and right respectively march the bearers of the white and red standards, the latter with an armed guard. Behind these march nine plume bearers three by three, the "plume of attack" positioned behind the red standard. Then comes the band master in the center, and behind him the çevgans (jingling instruments in the form of a crescent), zurnas, trumpets, nakkares (small kettledrums beaten with the hands or two sticks), cymbals, davuls (bass drums) and finally the kös drums (giant kettledrums) played on horseback. The mehter band members form a crescent to perform, and play standing except for the nakkare players, who sit cross-legged at the right-hand tip of the crescent, followed anticlockwise by the zurnas, bass drums, cymbals and trumpets. When they march, the band members pause every three steps and turn to right and left in salutation, in a rhythm set by the drums, chanting "Rahim Allah, Kerim Allah" (Merciful God, Gracious God). In former centuries the Mehter band used to play even at night on the battlefield to prevent the camp guards from falling asleep. As well as the instruments already mentioned, a full Mehter band could also include two types of zurna (cura and kaba), kurrenay (a kind of horn with a curved end), Mehter whistle, clarinet-type wind instruments, tabl, tambourine and other percussion instruments. The Mehter bands were primarily military bands, and those under the command of generals included war drums over one meter in height known as harbî kûs or kös. These were carried on camels, and playing them with sticks demanded great skill. The 17^th century writer Evliya Çelebi wrote, "Each kûs is the size of a bathhouse dome. They are played on feast day nights and days and their sound is like thunder." During performances the kös drums were placed in a line on the ground in the center of the circle of musicians, and when marching they were loaded in pairs onto camels. The drummer rode and struck the drums to his right and left by turn. The kös was only ever played by royal Mehter bands, or in that of the commander-in-chief leading the army in lieu of the sultan when on campaign. Each set of players had a leader known as aga. The leader of the bass drum players was called the basmehter aga, and the master of the entire band was called the mehterbasi aga. All the agas and the çevgân players wore white turbans wound around a kavuk (cap), a red coat over a yellow robe and red trousers, a shawl wound around the waist and yellow leather shoes. The other musicians were similarly dressed, except that their kavuks and coats were dark blue. As the Ottomans advanced westwards into Europe, many elements of Mehter music influenced western composers, particularly in the 17^th century. Later Mozart and Haydn composed music inspired by Mehter music, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony’s use of the kös, bass drum and zurna in the last movement is another striking example. Mozart, Bizet and many other composers produced "alla Turca" pieces. The military Mehter bands symbolized the sovereignty of the Ottoman state, and their powerful stirring music had a spirit which we can still appreciate today when listening to the museums Mehter band playing this sound out of the past.
"Ottoman Army Band... Mehter..."
The Best ( In Turkish )...
Gafil ne bilir nese-i pür sevk-i vegay-i
Meydan-i celadetteki enver-i sefayi
Meydan-i gaza ask ile tekbirler alinca
Titrettiginde rüy-i zemin ars-i semayi

Allah yoluna cenk edelim, san alalim san
Kur'an'da zafer vadediyor Hazret-i Yezdan
Farz eyledi Halak-u cihan harb-i cihadi
Hep cenk ile yükselmede ecdadimin adi

Dünyalari feht eyleyen ecdadimiz elhak
Adil idi hifz eyler idi hakki ibadi
Allah yolunda cenk edelim, san alalim san
Kur'an'da zafer vadediyor Hazret-i Yezdan

	Format : "mp3"... Size : 1,437.70 Kb...
	Format : "mp3"... Size : 1,961.98 Kb...

Click on the picture for online musics...

The Ottoman Castle... Ecyad
Last updated on December 30th, 2005
File	Number	Size
HTML	1	20.48 Kb
Images	20	327.68 Kb
Others	2	3,399.68 Kb
Total File : 23
Total Size : 3,747.84 Kb