Historical ResponsibiltyBy

The Proud Students of Atayurt College

Historical responsibility is our debt to our ancestors. It enables us to preserve our cultural heritage and helps us take lessons from the past. So we can remember where we came from. It does not belong to a single country. Every person in every country has a responsibility towards it’s nation.

What is Historical Responsibility?

Sehzadebası MosqueThe Şehzade Mosque was commissioned

by Sultan Suleiman I in memory of his eldest son by Hürrem, Prince Mehmet, who died of smallpox at the age of 21 in 1543, though the cause for his death is disputed. It was the first major commission by the Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan, and was completed in 1548. It is considered by architectural historians as Sinan's first masterpiece of classical Ottoman architecture.

A Note From the Past While the Sehzadebası Mosque designed by Architect

Sinan was being restored people recovered a note explaining how to restore the stonework. The note was written by Architect Sinan himself in order to assist the people who would restore the mosque.

Hagia Sophia World’s oldest cathedral is now a museum in Istanbul. Thanks

to Ottoman Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the mosaics with human figurines in them were coated with a thin layer of plaster, so they were preserved. In 1574 when building showed signs of instability Architect Sinan built retaining walls. If he hadn’t Hagia Sophia probably wouldn’t be here today. The building got some more restoration by the Byzantine Institute of America. Thanks to all these restoration through history it still stands.

Church of Akdamar It is told that this church was built to house the Original

Cross. It is a beautiful work of Armenian architecture with its plant and animal motifs. After decades of neglect this wonderful church was restored by Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Selimiye Mosque This grand mosque stands at the center of a külliye, a

medrese, a dar-ül hadis, a timekeeper's room and an arasta. In this mosque Sinan employed an octagonal supporting system that is created through eight pillars incised in a square shell of walls. The four semi domes at the corners of the square behind the arches that spring from the pillars, are intermediary sections between the huge encompassing dome and the walls.

Dolmabahçe PalaceDolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan,

Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856. The design contains eclectic elements from the Baroque , Rococo and Neoclassical styles, blended with traditional Ottoman architecture to create a new synthesis. unctionally, on the other hand, it retains elements of traditional Ottoman palace life, and also features of traditional Turkish homes. It is the largest palace in Turkey, considering that the area of the monoblock building occupies 45,000 m².

A law that went into effect on March 3, 1924 transferred the ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here.

Maiden’s TowerThe length of tower: 80 metersThe older name of the tower: Leander’s TowerCity: İstanbul

LegendThere are many legends about the construction of the

tower and its location. According to the most popular Turkish legend, a sultan had a much beloved daughter. One day, an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. The sultan, in an effort to thwart his daughter's early demise by placing her away from land so as to keep her away from any snakes, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. The princess was placed in the tower, where she was frequently visited only by her father.

On the 18th birthday of the princess, the sultan brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding among the fruit bit the young princess and she died in her father's arms, just as the oracle had predicted. Hence the name Maiden's Tower.

Strategic Importance of TurkeyThe importance of Turkey is known from the

geographical location between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.  Turkey is a modern Muslim country and culturally stands as a bridge between Western and Eastern world.  Turkey plays big role in the distribution of energy from Middle East to Europe.  Also Turkey is playing a very affective role in the region as a leader.

Economic DimensionTurkey is a country that is rapid developing, urbanizing, carrying on economical and cultural integration with the world and has a continuously growing 70 million market. The economical relationship between Europe and Turkey is increasing. According to Rehn “Turkey is also becoming more and more important partner for the EU in energy. It can provide new routes for oil and gas imports to the EU from the Caspian region.

Turkey is also having an economical potential from the aspects of the countries and autonomous governments which are separated from Soviet Union.  In addition to these if the Iraqi petrol and the Caucasian petrol marketed over Turkey for a very long time, Turkey will ensure a significant advantage. The economical importance of Turkey with the defragment of the geopolitical importance will gain a lot deeper dimension and meaning.

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