They Fought City Hall...And Won!

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 28 April 2017)


                               Fortress of Kars

Although Transportation Minister Ahmet Arslan ordered that 130
structures in the vicinity of the Kars Kalesi (Fortress of Kars) be
nationalized for redevelopment of the area, two state workers refused
to budge from their homes.  The balkers, two brothers who demanded
assignments in Gölçük district of Kocaeli province before they would
vacate, finally complied after the intercession of Kars Governor Rahmi
Doğan.

Minister Arslan's order to raze the dilapidated structures on the slopes
adjoining one of the oldest settled areas in the city of Kars was put
into effect a year ago.  The project includes 20 Ottoman-style homes
and a market where local products will be sold.  On 30 March,
destruction of the 130 dilapidated structures began but the two hold-outs
persisted.

Brothers Enver İnan (53), an employee of the National Education
Directorate, and Serkan İnan (37), who works in the Health Directorate,
stuck to their demand to be assigned to Gölçük.  Their demand was
made known to Governor Doğan, who arranged for the two brothers
to be assigned to Gölçük (!), ending the standoff.


                     Kars (A), Kocaeli (B)

A Bridge Too Crooked

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 27 April 2017)


Uh, you may want to re-think protesting on top of a collapsing bridge.

The iron bridge that connects Atlıdere village with Sarısüleymanlar
in Seydikemer district of Muğla province is in a very dangerous
condition.  The 60-meter long bridge was constructed 6 meters over
Eşen Stream in 2011.  Because of flooding, though, the bridge's feet
have been badly damaged.


                Feet don't fail me now!

Consequently, the bridge has collapsed 50 centimeters and its handrails
have become bent.  The citizens and children who use the bridge to
get to work and school each day are up in arms and 25 of them gathered
on the bridge (!) to protest.

In the event the bridge becomes unuseable people will have to add more
than 20 kilometers to their stream crossings.  The Atlidere village chief,
Abdurrahman Güngör, lamented that "relatives on opposite banks won't
be able to get together!"

139 Years Later, Russian General Emerges

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 27 April 2017)


A true soldier - he died with his boots on.

In the Karagöl neighborhood of Ardahan the discovery of a
"Russian general's coffin" created quite a stir.  Hundreds of
people rushed to the scene after social media postings announced
that "an historical grave full of gold has been found."  The coffin
was found during an excavation at a construction site.

The body in the coffin will be turned over to the Kars Museum.
Archeologist Ünver Solaklıoğlu explained after his initial exam
of the body that "it's probably the body of a Russian general from
the period after the 1878 war, when the Russians settled here. But
there is nothing of value inside the coffin."


   Gen. Geyman in happier days.


The body may be that of Major General Vasiliy Geyman (1823-
1878), who participated in the Russian-Ottoman war of 1877-1878
and who died in Kars in 1878 from the plague.

Russian WW1 Advance, Ancient Turk Headstones

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 24 April 2017)



Asst. Prof. Mustafa Aksoy of Marmara University's History Department
has shared the results of his 20 years of research into Tünceli and Pülümür
with Milliyet.  One of his major findings is that the Russian army attacked
the Dersim region (another name for Tünceli) in 1916 during the First
World War, contrary to accepted history.

Aksoy explained that "In our history books and official historical accounts
it is accepted that the Russians came as far as Erzincan and stopped there,
without attacking Tünceli.  However, as the result of the research I have
been doing in the area since 1997, I have determined that the Russian
occupation forces attacked Uzunevler village in Pülümür district in 1916."



"In other words, the Russians wanted to occupy Tünceli, too. There were
very violent clashed between the Russians and the Dersim fighters at
Kızılköprü along the Erzincan-Tünceli road.  The fighters turned back
the Russians but lost many men, whose bodies were swept away in the
river (Pülümür Stream).  However, the graves of brothers Mustafa Çelik,
son of Gal, and Şeh Huşen Çelik, along with that of Hıdır Çelik, son of
Musa, have been located on the bank where the fighting took place."


           Kırmızıköprü is south of Pülümür.

As for the ram head gravestones found in the cemetery, Aksoy said that
"the ram head statues first appeared in the ancient geography of the Turks
in Hakasya (Khakassia), Yenisey and South Siberia.  The headstones
were thought to symbolize bravery and protect against evil.  The first such
headstones, which are exclusively of ancient Turkish heritage, were found
by Russian archeologists at Hakasya in 1722.  These headstones show that
there are many Turks in Tünceli in a biological sense.  Many elderly
people in Tünceli say that their ancestry is from Horasan (present-day
eastern Iran-western Afghanistan, along the Turks' migration route
from Central Asia.)"



Khakassia Russian Republic, from whence the Turks emerged.



                           Khorasan region

Should Have Let the Ring Stay Stuck

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 26 April 2017)


                      Accessory to a nightmare.

In Erzurum's Yakutiye district, a year ago Esengül Zengin (41) went
to Atatürk University's hospital because her ring was stuck on her
finger.  When the emergency room doctor there failed to extract
the ring with thread, firemen were called and they cut the ring
off of Esengül hanım's finger.

The firemens' cutting efforts, though, caused damage to Esengül
hanım's right hand.  Since then she has had 6 operations and doctors
have told her that the ring finger will have to be amputated.   In any
case, Esengül hanım cannot use all the fingers on her right hand now.

On 25 January Esengül hanıım filed a complaint with the Erzurum
public prosecutor against the emergency room doctor and the firemen.
Her lawyer Erhan Topcu explained that "the metal-cutting machine
damaged her nerves and muscles.  After the operations the prospect
of her other fingers having to be amputated has come up. We've
opened a suit for material and psychological compensation."



                 Erzurum province

Oh the Irony! Pigs Kill ISIS

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 26 April 2017)


Trump now considering aid to these anti-ISIS fighters...

Wild pigs that entered a field in an area controlled by ISIS in
Iraq's El Reşad region near Kerkuk attacked and killed 3 ISIS
miltants.  Hearing the news, other ISIS fighters shot the pigs.


...who have good reason to hate these unpleasant fellows.