Kemal Atatürk currency
Today my group is flying to the GAP region in southern Turkey, next to the border with Syria and Iraq. I will post more about it later, and put it on the map. But it means I probably won't have access to Internet until next Tuesday.
One thing I've noticed so far: all the currency has a picture of one man -- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Kemal Atatürk (whose last name literally means "Father of the Turks") almost single-handedly created the modern, secular state of Turkey after World War I from the crushed shell of the Ottoman Empire.
Today Kemalism, the official state ideology, is sacred, and all criticism of Atatürk is taboo. Upon arrival on Sunday to Ankara, one of the first things I noticed was larger than life size portraits of Atatürk hanging on houses and in doorways.
While in America, and probably most countries in the world, currency shows images of popular presidents and leaders, in Turkey only one historical figure gets that honor -- Atatürk, of course. In profile and from the front, young and old, in a fez or balding, but always unsmiling, Atatürk's portrait adorns every kuruş and lira.
Over the course of the next two months, I hope to learn about this man and the debates and fervency surrounding the secular "religion" he created...
3 comments:
Mmm, sounds liek Soviet currency, it all ahd Lenin in different ages
it's always interesting to search for connections in small observations (like currency or peoples' doorways). after learning more about turkey's history and how it lead to how their religion and culture's shaped, i think it will be easier to interpret and understand more fully what Ataturk's role in turkey is.
That's so interesting...! Can you give us the abridged version of what Kemalism is (when you know!) I'm too lazy to sort it out myself! Yes Anna, do more work! 57 hours of Turkish learning is not enough for you! ;)
Love! xoxox
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