SHARED

HERITAGE

ISBN 978-90-820971-5-3
STORIES FROM
DUTCH-TURKISH
HISTORY

SECRETS OF THE BANKING WORLD

ARCHAEOLOGY, ASTRONOMY
AND ARCHITECTURE
FOOTBALL HEROES AND
LEGENDARY SAINTS
THE LARGEST ISLAMIC COUNTRY
IN THE WORLD
SHIPS, PLANES AND SUBMARINES
SHARED
HERITAGE
STORIES FROM DUTCH-TURKISH HISTORY
 Photo: RVD - Erwin Olaf

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima

Welcome
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
it is a distinct pleasure to introduce this new magazine on Dutch-Turkish historic
relations. It has been more than 400 years since the Netherlands and Turkey first
established diplomatic contacts and our dedication to lasting friendship and mutual
beneficial partnerships is still strong. Our shared cultural heritage is the firm base
on which this relationship is built.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of the
long tradition of diplomats who served our country.
It all started with our predecessor Cornelis Haga, who
in 1612 obtained the first Ahitname (official treaty)
from Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. This cooperation,
which has lasted for hundreds of years, is based on
deep historical connections and mutual respect.
To shape our collaboration in these times of great
technological transformation and societal change,
it is essential to remember the long history we share.
Our role as diplomats is to bring all parties together
and to make clear that political, economic, cultural
and scientific cooperation is of vital importance to
all parties involved. In this special magazine you
will find many, often forgotten, stories of our shared
history in the fields of culture, art, science, and even
sports. At times these stories are about exciting
encounters, such as the magical football match
between Fenerbahçe and Ajax in 1968. Sometimes
they look back at our cooperation in science and
technology, including for instance the work of Dutch
scientist Egbert Kreiken in the field of astronomy and
Emilie Haspels in the field of archaeology.
It is from interaction between cultures that new ideas
are born. By seeing challenges and opportunities
through another person’s eyes, we create the
possibility to come up with innovative and surprising
solutions. Not just because two heads are better than
one, but because in an open and fair collaboration,
we learn to think outside of existing frameworks,
to embrace change and to venture out on new roads.
In the Netherlands, there are many Dutch citizens
of Turkish origin. And in Turkey, there are many
Dutchmen with a Turkish background and Turks who
used to work or study in the Netherlands.
Often these people feel equally at home in both
cultures, speak both languages and are open to
new opportunities. Social media allows us to be in
constant contact with one another across borders.
As tourists, we visit each other’s countries; as
students, we study at each other’s universities;
as employees and employers, we make contributions
to each other’s economies. These are important
parts of the shared identity between Turkey and
the Netherlands. We must embrace a future in which
we work together internationally and further tighten
the bonds of friendship.
Together, the Netherlands and Turkey are in a
unique position to take on that challenge. Both
countries are commercially motivated nations,
both are strategically positioned and both have a
long-standing tradition of diplomatic mediation and
consultation. These are exciting times, economically,
socially and politically. The international challenges
are formidable but together, we can put our long
historical experience to good use. We can achieve
this by bringing our young people together,
by stimulating artists and performers into working
together and by facilitating entrepreneurs to conduct
commerce and trade. We hope that the surprising
stories and discoveries that you will encounter in
this magazine will inspire you to create these new
opportunities and develop new ideas and exciting
new commercial partnerships.
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands:
The Dutch Embassy in Ankara
The Dutch Consulate-General in Istanbul
The Dutch Honorary Consulates in Antalya,
Gaziantep, Izmir and Marmaris
CONTENTS

FORGOTTEN
06 Bank Secrecy

STORIES
The Secret Mission of Dr. Gerard Vissering,
president of De Nederlandsche Bank (Dutch
National Bank)

10 ATheQuiet Oasis

TREASURE
‘Palais de
Hollande’ in Istanbul

ARCHAEOLOGY
14 The Midas Touch
Dutch archaeologist Emilie
Haspels (1894–1980) in the
Phrygian Valley

26 Van Gogh Opera

MUSIC
A Turkish composer celebrating Vincent van Gogh

28 AFenerbahçe
Match To Never Forget

SPORTS
– Ajax 27-11-1968

DIPLOMACY

32 Diplomatic Talent
For centuries, the Ottoman Empire
and later the Republic of Turkey
sent their best diplomats to the
Netherlands
TREASURE

36 Heritage Treasure
The Turkish Embassy in The Hague
RESEARCH

52 Endangered Ottoman
Heritage in the Balkans
The Netherlands Institute
in Turkey in action
 60

HERITAGE
Flourishing

LIVING
Shared Heritage
A story of horse-chestnuts,
tulips and coffee

ASTRONOMY
68 Egbert Adriaan Kreiken
Pioneer of Turkish astronomy

ARCHITECTURE
72 Dudok in Turkey
An Architect’s
Lost Dream

92 Legendary Flights:

AVIATION
Turkish Airlines and KLM
When the Dutch first flew to
Turkey and the Turks first flew to
the Netherlands

104 The First Turkish

INDUSTRIAL
HERITAGE
Television Broadcast
The forgotten role of Philips

The Oldest Church

TREASURE

112 in the World

On the trail of the apostles and
the crusaders

A Monumental Office / 20
Changing Times The 1935
Women’s Rights Conference in
Istanbul / 22
The Turkish Roots of Santa
Claus / 40
Our Man in Istanbul Cornelis
Haga and the beginning of
Dutch-Turkish Relations / 44
Deep Dive / 48
All Aboard! The story of the Turkey’s First Dam
Karadeniz / 56 A pioneering project by two Dutch
engineers / 90
Constantinopel-Scheveningen:
Family Business Izmir is a
Together for Charity / 66
city of trade with many Dutch
The Dutch Red Cross in Istanbul / 78 connections / 98
Panorama Ankara / 82 Johannes Botter Dutch tailor of
the Ottoman court / 102
Dutch Tiles in Istanbul / 84
A Marriage Between
Where The Past Meets The Future
The Restoration of the Peace Palace East and West / 108
Hereke Carpet / 86
06

Bank Secrecy
forgotten storıes

The Secret Mission of Dr. Gerard Vissering, president

of De Nederlandsche Bank (Dutch National Bank)
Based on a story by Ufuk Özay
Supervisor and Banking Analyst, Dutch National Bank

Official painting of
Gerard Vissering

It is 1928. A well-dressed, Im neuen Anatolien (In New

inconspicuous elderly
Dutchman, with round glasses
and a grey moustache, is
travelling with the Orient
Express to Istanbul. As a typical
Dutch businessman he has taken
out adequate travel insurance,
just to be sure. Before leaving
he has also made a visit to
his family physician,
who had given him
the advice “no
water from the tap
and no red meat.”
For 7 guilders and 20 cents, we
know this from his cost claim
The once secret files form, he had purchased the book
Anatolia) to study on the way.
Arriving at Sirkeci Station in
Istanbul, he takes a taxi across
the Golden Horn, where he has
booked a room at the legendary
Pera Palace hotel. In this famous
establishment - which has been
recently completely restored
and brought back to its original
splendour - you might encounter
Alfred Hitchcock sitting with
Greta Garbo at the bar or bump
into Agatha Christie and Mata
Hari in the lobby. Banker Gerard
Vissering (1865-1937) however,
has not come for a leisurely

holiday. Although he is certainly
impressed by the mysterious
metropolis and the energetic,
new Turkish Republic, he is a
man with a mission. A secret
mission.
Turkey is experiencing financial
difficulties and the country
struggles to obtain much-needed
loans on the international capital
market. Turkey does not have
its own banking system and still
depends on the old Ottoman
Bank, which is almost entirely in
the hands of the UK and France:
countries with which Turkey
had been at war. The economic
reality had forced Turkey to
an agreement in 1924. Until
1935, the Ottoman Bank would
continue to function as a central
bank, unless Turkey set up its
own national state bank. Who
can help them with independent
advice? The Turks approach the
president of De Nederlandsche
Bank (Dutch National Bank), Dr.
Gerard Vissering, to investigate
how the Turkish Pound can be
stabilised and how a solid state
bank can be set up. Vissering
is an excellent economist with
international experience and,
moreover, he had been taught
the banking business from an
07
early age: his father had been President Atatürk
after a meeting at
Minister of Finance in the Dutch the İşbank with
government. Vissering
The international interests are
complex and wide-ranging.
The Turkish Republic has a lot
to offer the world: oil rights
(in Mosul, Northern Iraq),
timber stocks and especially
tobacco. The stakes are high and
politicians around the world are
nervous about the new Republic.
Vissering’s mission is already
known to the US secret service
two months before his
departure. The Germans, the
French and the English are
08
forgotten storıes
İşbank building (now
a museum) where
Vissering did his
research (photo by
Ayhan Çakar )
Celâl Bayar
following the situation with
suspicious interest and all are
trying to find out what
Vissering is planning.
His advice can have far-reaching
financial consequences and the
international banking world
doesn’t like that it has no control
over the situation.
President Ismet Inönü
Vissering is welcomed in
Istanbul with an official dinner.
President Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk and his ministerial
team led by Ismet Inönü invite
him to the chic restaurant
Tokatlian. The atmosphere
is pleasant and constructive
and Vissering gets carte
blanche to map the country’s
financial situation.
For three weeks Vissering
conducts his investigation into
the books of the Turkish state
economy. There are more than
160 million Turkish Pounds in
circulation in Turkey, but the
gold coverage is by no means
high enough. Compared to the
British Pound Sterling the
Turkish Pound is almost nine
times less valuable than before
the Great War (1914-18). It is not
clear how Turkey can balance
its budget, which has a major
impact on the confidence of
international investors.
Gold must be found somewhere
because, according to Vissering,
even by including the centuries-
old Ottoman crown jewels,
there is not nearly enough.
Gold can be obtained on the
international market, but that
would make Turkey vulnerable.
The Americans, for example,
are willing to lend gold in
exchange for oil guarantees and
tobacco rights.
It takes Vissering eighty pages
to summarize the complex
financial situation. Although
he judges the possibilities
for the stabilization of
the Turkish Pound to be
favourable, Vissering argues
that emergency measures and
temporary fixes do not offer a
solution in the long run. One
of his recommendations is the
establishment of a Central
Emissions Trading Bank. This
could also be used to better
regulate the circulation of
money. He puts forward the
idea to convert the İşbank - the
investment bank that is in
the hands of the Turks - into
a central bank. There are
experienced staff and sufficient
knowledge and resources. The
government in Ankara is very
enthusiastic about the report.
His advice offers the Turkish
government a step-by-step
plan towards an independent
and stable monetary system
without interference from the
English and the French. Turkey
asks Vissering to keep the
report secret. Prime Minister
Ismet Inönü does not want the
international community to
know his plans.
That does not prevent bank
representatives and government
officials from the US, England,
France and Germany from trying
to get hold of Vissering’s
recommendations. The countries
desperately want to gain insight
into what the Turks are planning
and are putting pressure on
Vissering to share his report but
he does not give in. Even the
Dutch business community tries
to get more infomation but
Vissering’s answer is steadfast:
“Dr. Vissering is regrettably not
in the legal position to grant third
party access to the intended
document.”
Then, on 9 March 1929, the
telephone rings. It is Karl
Müller, the second man of the
German Reichsbank and later
National Socialist, who urgently
wants to speak to Vissering.
They have a long conversation
two days later. The Turkish
government has also sought
Müller’s advice and he wants to
know Vissering’s opinion on the
matter. Vissering, however, does
not make his report available to
his colleague Müller. Müller’s
boss, Hjalmar Schacht -
09
Hjalmar Schacht
nicknamed the ‘Money
Magician’ - also puts pressure on
Vissering to share his findings
but even his efforts are in vain.
Schacht was to become Hitler’s
finance minister, but would later
renounce the regime.
In 1931, following Vissering’s
secret recommendations, the
Turkish Republic established its
own central bank, bypassing the
foreign owned Ottoman Bank.
Turkey and the Netherlands
have kept the Vissering report
behind lock and key for more
than 80 years. Only in 2012 did
the Dutch Central Bank
officially hand over the
papers to the National Archives
in The Hague.
Even after he had resigned as
president of De Nederlandsche
Bank, Gerard Vissering always
Gerard Vissering
maintained friendly ties with
Turkey. The later Turkish
President Ismet Inönü in
particular continued to ask his
advice until 1934. And every
New Year, Celal Bayar, the
director of the İşbank, who
would later also become
president of Turkey, sent
Vissering 2,000 cigarettes as a
token of friendship. Business card with typed message of Vissering’s visit to Müller
10 When you pay attention to the
treasure

many beautiful facades of the

İstiklal Caddesi - the famous

A Quiet shopping street in the Beyoğlu

district in Istanbul – it is hard to
miss the ornamental entrance

Oasis of No. 197. If you pass through

the high gate with the Dutch
coat of arms you enter another,
quieter world. The hustle and
The ‘Palais de Hollande’ bustle of the metropolis disappears
and you find yourself in a peaceful,
in Istanbul green oasis, centered around a
19th-century country estate: the
‘Palais de Hollande’.

‘Palais de Hollande’ on a 19th-century

drawing

For hundreds of years this hidden

* This article is partially based on the introduction
to the book ‘Palais de Hollande in Istanbul’ by
Marlies Hoenkamp-Mazgon, published in 2019 (third
edition), Consulate General of the Netherlands.
gem has been a symbol of Dutch-
Turkish diplomatic relations.
In 1612, this was the location of
the house that Cornelis Haga,
the first Dutch ambassador, had
rented. The Pera district (now
Beyoğlu) was an area where
many foreigners had settled
during the Ottoman Empire.
In the immediate vicinity of
the Dutch enclave (since 1947
Consulate General, the embassy
is in Ankara) we find the estates
of other countries, such as
the Swedes, the Russians and
the French. The Pera district
consisted mainly of traditional
wooden buildings and large
parts of the neighbourhood
regularly burned down. Of the
wooden house that once stood
here, probably only parts of the
foundation remain. The current
city palace was built in 1858.

‘Palais de Hollande’ seen from

the main entrance

The building has retained its
monumental appearance to this
day. The stately home, with the
private rooms of the consul on the
first floor, has undergone a
number of major restorations.
The exterior is still reflective of
the original building plan. It
resembles an Italian villa, a
favourite style in this historic
neighbourhood. Pera was largely
designed by Italian architects.
The ‘Palais de Hollande’ is no
exception: it was built by Italian
architect Giovanni Battista
Barborini, who also built the
nearby Odeon theatre.
Due to the steeply sloping terrain,
the front of the estate consists of
two floors while on the rear side
there was space for a third floor.
The front entrance is beautified
by four classic columns which
lead into the various official
reception rooms and a loggia
which enjoy an attractive view
over the Bosphorus, especially
in the evening. The wide terrace
at the rear of the building rests
on the so-called ‘camel corridor,’
an arched basement gallery. This
is one of the oldest parts of the
house. The adjacent intimate and
colorful garden is regularly used
by the Consulate for cultural
performances and seminars.
Until 2005, the walls of the
building were adorned by a
number of original works by
the eighteenth-century Flemish
painter Jean Baptiste Vanmour.
He was a highly sought after
artist who worked on behalf of
many diplomats in Istanbul,
including Cornelis Calkoen,
who was ambassador from
1726 to 1744. Now this collection
of unique paintings can be seen
in the Vanmour-room in the
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
There are reproductions in
the Palais.
Painting by Jean 11
Baptiste Vanmour
of Cornelis
Calkoen on his way
to an audience with
Sultan Ahmed III
Historical map of
the building and its
surroundings
Another memory of Calkoen also
- perhaps literally - lives on in the
monumental building. A small
sculpture of a miserable-looking,
reclining woman is embedded
in a wall in the garden. It shows
Calkoen’s Turkish mistress
Beyaz Gül or White Rose. He left
her in Istanbul when he moved
to his next ambassador’s post.
According to legend, she is still
12
treasure

The ‘camel’s corridor’ living in the Palais. Various

seen from the garden
residents have felt her presence
Interior of the
or seen her shadowy reflection
Consulate
wandering through the corridors.

In the garden we also discover a

rectangular stone church dating
from 1711. The charming building
is known in Istanbul as the
Dutch Chapel. It is the former
embassy chapel, where the
English-speaking Union Church
of Istanbul has held its services
since 1857. The Dutch connection
is still very much a part of the
religious practice. Every weekly
meeting of the congregation is
concluded with a prayer for the
Dutch head of state.
 The Consulate 13
seen from the
garden

At the same side of the garden

we also find the new chancellery,
a modern office building.
The visitors can reach the
building through a separate
entrance on a side street of the
İstiklal Caddesi. At the official
entrance at the front, the palace
is flanked by a former porter’s
house and a coach building.

The ‘Palais de Hollande’ is

one of the secret treasures of
Istanbul’s many historical
monuments reflecting the
Detail of the
diplomatic and international
sculpture of Beyaz
history of this modern city. Gül, the White Rose
It stands as a symbol of Dutch- Inside the Dutch
Turkish shared heritage. Chapel
14 Emilie Haspels
in her village
archaeology

house in Yazılı
Kaya

The Midas
Touch
Dutch archaeologist Emilie
Haspels (1894–1980) in the
Phrygian Valley
 15

Maybe the best way to The famous Midas

monument in Yazılı
appreciate the Midas Monument Kaya
is to climb to one of the The Midas monument
millennia old fortifications on on a historical photo
by Haspels
the top of a nearby hill. While
scanning the green valley,
the eye is immediately drawn to
the rectangular rock towering
over Yazılı Kaya, a sleepy
traditional village. The Midas
Monument is impressively
decorated and stands in the
heart of the Phrygian
Highlands, south of the Turkish
city of Eskisehir. The tomb is 17
metres high, almost undamaged rocks and boulders and ancient myth and to a warning to be
and covered with geometric tombs cut in the stony facades. careful with what you wish for,
motifs which seem to change as it might come true. King
with the light. In the central Although the legendary ruler Midas prayed that everything
door niche once stood a statue of is not buried there, the name he touched would transform
the Anatolian mother goddess of King Midas is hewn into into gold. After a few hours of
Cybele. The structure is the facade. The name takes us exalted happiness, the downside
surrounded by oddly shaped back to the times of ancient of his wish hit home when he
16
archaeology
Emilie Haspels turned his food and drink into a
reading her notes
precious metal; the blessing had
during an excavation
in the Phrygian Valley turned into a curse.
Throughout the Phrygian
Highlands, we can discover
many similar monuments of tufa
rock, mostly created between ca.
700 and 550 BC. This is where
the Phrygians lived some 3,000
years ago. Their civilization and
the monuments they left behind
were rescued from oblivion
through the remarkable work of
a Dutch scientist, who did
extensive research in the 30s,
40s and 50s of the last century:
Emilie Haspels, an archaeology
pioneer in the true sense of
the word. She was a close
friend to famous Turkish
archaeologist Halet Çambel.
Who was this remarkable
woman who called herself “the
last of the travellers”?
She was a young but established
researcher when in 1937 the
French Institute in Istanbul
asked her to start an excavation
project in the Phrygian
Highlands. It was a daunting
task to dig in the still
underdeveloped countryside of
Anatolia, but Haspels was
incredibly passionate and was
known to never give up. Today,
Yazılı Kaya and the highlands
and valleys are easily accessible
by modern roads and even
public transport. That was,
however, not the case in the

1930s. Life was very simple.
Basic facilities were unavailable,
transport was difficult and
supplies were limited. Haspels
quickly learnt to speak Turkish
fluently and easily adapted to
village life. With the local
villagers, especially the women,
she developed lasting
friendships. She slept in the oda,
the village room, supplied to her
by the village head, the muhtar.
This cottage in Yazılı Kaya, in
which the archaeologist lived for
months on end, can still be
seen today. She felt at home
in this part of Turkey and
worked tirelessly in the late
1930s to learn as much as she
could from the forgotten
monuments and sculptures.
To be able to uncover an entire
civilisation is every
archaeologist’s dream.
Even though the Phrygian
Highlands seemed far removed
from everything, the state of
17
affairs in the rest of the Left: Rock graves in
Yazılı Kaya
world still influenced her work.
The Second World War made Above: Yılan Taş is
not a sculpture of a
continuation of her excavations snake but a broken
for the French government lion from ca. 600 BC
impossible. It also made it
impossible for her to return
to the Netherlands. She found
herself stuck in Istanbul.
Haspels survived on a small
teaching job at the
Archaeological Institute
of Istanbul University; she
wrote a textbook on Greek
View from the top of
the Midas monument
18 A local family
visiting Haspels’
archaeology

house in Yazılı
Kaya

Left: Aslan Taş,
sepulchral Phrygian
monument with lions
from ca. 700 BC
ceramics for the students.
As she needed more money
to be able to help her family
in the Netherlands, she also
worked as a teacher at the
American School for Girls in
Istanbul and as a translator at
the American Consulate’s War
Office.
After the war, she was
appointed Professor of Classical
Archaeology and Ancient
History of Art at the University
of Amsterdam (1946–1965)
in the Netherlands and in
that capacity she was able to
return to the Phrygian Valley.
She organised four more
expeditions. She documented
and photographed all the
Phrygian fortresses and
religious monuments, recording
her experiences in a detailed
personal diary she called Boekie
(an informal word for ‘booklet’).
She published her research
results in the monumental

The excavation
team on the top
of the Midas
monumen
The Highlands of Phrygia: Sites 19
and Monuments (1971), still the
standard work referenced in its
field to the present day.

Her most prominent assistant

in the 1950s was Jaap Hemelrijk,
who would later become her
successor as Director of the
Archaeological Museum of
Amsterdam. He recalled their
working conditions in an
exclusive interview:
“This whole area of Turkey was
then virtually unknown, and
she opened it up to the outside
world and recorded everything.
She studied everything of
archaeological interest. She
took excellent photos, always
under good lighting conditions,
sometimes at 7 o’clock in the
morning, when the sun came horns and she endured it all. Emilie Haspels died in 1980. Rock tombs
out, in just the right light, and Fantastic! Her book on the In 2016, a special exhibition
I made the archaeological Phrygian civilisation is still the to honour her life and work was
drawings. Life was pretty basic. book on the subject. She started organised which opened
All transport was with peasant to work on it around 1953 and simultaneously in the
carts, those squeaky horse the book was not published until archaeological museum of
drawn carriages. She was a 1971. It is truly an incredible Amsterdam and the
fearless person, she was bitten accomplishment: archaeological museum of Haspels in the
by dogs, taken by a bull on the a life’s work!” Eskisehir. Phrygian Valley
20
treasure
A Monumental Office
On 14 May 1940 - in the year that Rotterdam was to celebrate its 600th
anniversary - the historic city centre was completely destroyed on the eve of
the German occupation.
During the German bombing
of Rotterdam, around 800
people lost their lives and
24,000 homes, 32 churches and
2 synagogues were destroyed.
Eyewitness Gerard Martens
wrote the following: “I opened
The Elevator house the outside door and we heard the
in Delftware,
designed for the 20th Stuka’s engines (notorious
anniversary of the German dive bombers) shriek
DHB Bank
and howl amidst the sound of
exploding bombs. ‘Close the door
and come in,’ my mother
screamed. A bomb exploded
nearby and the hallway
darkened. Then a second Stuka
came, again with the same
* DHB Bank is still frightening sound, followed
located in the city of by a very loud bang. ‘It is
Rotterdam, next to the
Central Station, at Weena
nearby,’ I shouted and yanked
780. open the door. (...) It was dark
outside. A large grey cloud of
dust drifted through the street.
It suddenly became unbelievably
quiet. No more aircrafts. Only
screams (...)”
The historic city centre
of Rotterdam was almost
completely destroyed by
German bombs but one area
miraculously survived the
attack without much damage:
the Scheepvaartkwartier
(Shipping District) This planned
landscaped area is nowadays the
historical pride of Rotterdam.
Of all the beautiful buildings,
one building stands out: the
Elevator House. This beautiful
monument from 1909, which
survived the war unscathed,
used to be the headquarters
of the Turkish Demir Halk
Bank (DHB) for more than 20
years. The bank has firm roots
in the Netherlands. Turkish
ambassador to the Netherlands

Şaban Dişli was one of its
leaders for many years.
Senior General Manager Kayhan
Acardağ explained how much
the monument meant to him.
“We were proud to be the
custodians of this important
monument. It was inspiring
to work in a building with such
a long history and to be part
of that history. We celebrated our
20th anniversary in that building.
We combine craftmanship with
passion and motivation.
For me, that special building
was a symbol of that.
We briefly had replicas made
in Delft Blueware and used to
give them as a present to our
customers.”
The office building was built
in 1909 for the Graan Elevator
Maatschappij - a grain handling
company - by architect Michiel
Brinkman (1873-1925).
Brinkman would later become
internationally famous with
important designs in the so-
called Nieuwe Bouwen (New
Building) style. He was one of
creators of the famous Van Nelle
factory in Rotterdam which is
on the UNESCO World Heritage
list.
His design of the Elevator House
was very modern in many ways.
It had central heating and an
elevator. No expense was spared
for the detailing of the building.
Upon entering, the impressive
staircase stands out as a
monumental central axis of the
building. The Commissioner’s
Room and Boardroom are richly
decorated with rosewood and
oak. Stained glass windows,
designed by, among others,
the famous glass artist Jan
Schouten, show the activities
of the grain handling company.
The office building is of a
classic design and is almost
symmetrical. The basement is
made of natural stone and the
21
rest of the building is made of Above left to right:
brick with a cornice of Detail of the ceiling
sandstone. On the facade a relief Original lamp
was created of a ship sailing Fire place in the
between grain elevators, Director’s Chamber
designed by artist Bernard
Richters (1888-1966). The
facade decorations were made
by De Porceleyne Fles, one of the
most prominent Dutch pottery
factories.
Senior General Manager Kayhan Left: The Elevator
house on a historic
Acardağ: “If you see with how photograph
much love and attention this
building was constructed, you
can understand what a privilige
it was to work there. We were not
the first users of the building and
we were not the last, but we saw it
as our duty – especially in a city
such as Rotterdam which has so
few monuments – to maintain
and to cherish it.”
Detail of the ceiling
22
feature
Changing Times
The 1935
Congress in
Istanbul
The 1935 Women’s Rights Conference in Istanbul
In the Ottoman Empire,
motherhood was seen as the main
career choice for women.
Although women could own
property and be financially
independent, public roles or
occupations for women were
frowned upon and discouraged.
All that changed dramatically
when the Turkish Republic was
founded in 1923. The new leader
and President Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk believed that the active
involvement of women on all
levels of society was essential for
the future of Turkey and his new
The logo of the
International Alliance approach was quickly
of Women implemented. It was, in a sense, a
revolution that transformed the
role of women almost overnight.
Women’s voting rights were not
common in early 20th century
Europe. In fact, women were not
allowed to vote in many European
countries. It was the autonomous
Grand Duchy of Finland that was
the first country to recognise the
right for all adults to vote, in
1906. The Netherlands recognised
women’s voting rights in 1919.
Countries such as France
(1944) and Italy (1946)
were relatively late.
Turkey adopted
women’s voting rights
in 1934.
When it was suggested that the
12th Congress of the International
Alliance for the Suffrage and
Equal Citizenship in 1935 was to
be held in Istanbul, not many
members were in favour. The
original invitation of the Turkish
Women’s Union Türk Kadınlar
Birliği was even at first refused.
The old prejudices of the Ottoman
period still prevailed. Why would
such a modern organisation hold
their annual conference in
a country that gave little
recognition to women?
How wrong they were.
The 12th Congress had a
distinctive Dutch touch,

as one of the organisers and one
of the people who influenced the
decision to go to Istanbul, was
Rosa Manus (1881-1942).
Manus grew up in an affluent
family in Amsterdam. She wanted
to start her own fashion shop,
but her father forbade her to do
so. He was of the opinion that
paid work was a disgrace for a
woman of their social class. In
1908, the fourth congress of the
International Woman Suffrage
Alliance took place in Amsterdam.
The Dutch organizers invited
some young Dutch women to
participate and from that moment
Rosa Manus was hooked. She
started her work for the Alliance
in 1910, mainly because she spoke
several languages. She became
first the ‘Special Organiser’ and
later, in 1923, Vice-president of the
World Congress.
Manus became a dedicated
pacifist and, for many years,
was also the secretary of the
Women’s Disarmament Committee
(1931–1939). She collected and,
on 6 February 1932, presented a
petition to the League of Nations’
Peace Conference in Geneva,
which was signed by over 9
million people from almost 60
countries. At that moment, this
was the largest international
petition ever.
Despite the initial reservations,
the Congress of the Alliance in
Istanbul in 1935 became a huge
success. One of the reasons for
the success was the promotional
tour Rosa Manus and the English
President of the organisation,
Margery Corbett Ashby, had
undertaken to Egypt, Palestine
and Syria to convince local women
and activists to participate.
23
The Congress became a hopeful Rosa Manus in 1928
symbol of the changes that Turkey Rosa Manus voting in
the Dutch elections
had gone through. The location
of a meeting at the Yildiz Kiosk of
the former Ottoman sultans was
highly significant. Discussions were
held in the Turkish newspapers.
Cumhuriyet published a series
of articles about the role of
women in the military and even
about abortion and the health
risks of prostitution. One of the
interviewees was Rosa Manus.
Commemorative stamps were
Commemorative
stamps
24 Sabiha Gökçen
She was one of the adopted children of Atatürk and
feature

perhaps one of the strongest symbols of the new

role women were playing in the Turkish Republic.
From a young age, Sabiha Gökçen (1913-2001) was
interested in flying. She would become the world’s
first female fighter pilot, in 1937. She was active in
bombing and combat missions. She had a long and
successful career in the Turkish Air Force and later
in life she became an instructor and an icon of the
Turkish Republic.
In comparison, the Dutch pilot Nellie Speerstra
would become NATO’s first female fighter pilot
in 1986.

The women elected to the Turkish Parliament in 1935

Parliamentarians
Emine Mebrure Gönenç (1900-1981) was one of the eighteen female deputies elected
into the Turkish Parliament in the 1935 general elections. Gönenç emphasised the
importance of education for people living in the countryside and was active in the
fight against alcoholism. She also wanted women to be socially more active. She even
worked to increase thermal spring tourism, the adaption of the Braille alphabet and
the rights of the visually impaired. In comparison, the Dutch government only had a
few women elected to the parliament in the 1930s. By 1952, there were still only 7.

Keriman Halis Ece

In those early days of the Turkish Republic, things were changing at high speed.
All of a sudden doors, which had been closed for centuries, would open and a new
world of opportunities presented itself. For the first time, beauty competitions
were organised in Turkey and in 1932, Keriman Halis Ece (1913-2012) was crowned
Miss Universe in the Belgian city of Spa. She was a fashion model and musician.
She was Turkey’s first (and so far only) Miss Universe. The last part of her name
‘Ece’ was an honorary title bestowed on her by Atatürk in 1934. In comparison,
the first Dutch woman to win the Miss World beauty pageant was Corine Spier-
Rottschäfer in 1959. Angela Visser was the first (and so far only) Dutch Miss
Universe in 1989, more than 65 years after Keriman Halis Ece.

Business Women
The changes in the new Turkish Republic also
allowed women to start businesses and travel
overseas and to other countries alone.
Mrs. Kiazin from Izmir (then Smyrna) was
welcomed at the Amsterdam stock exchange in
1927 to sell Turkish raisins. The Dutch newspapers
Keriman Halis Ece Corine Rottschäfer in 1959 hailed her as “new and living proof of the
emancipation of Turkish women.”

printed in honour of the congress,
including one stamp of Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk. The organisers
even met the Turkish leader in
person, although it meant they
had to travel all to the way to
Ankara and back.
How women dressed in public
had become one of the focal
points of Atatürk’s new and
modern Turkey. Falih Rıfkı Atay,
journalist and newly elected
parliamentarian, complained
that there was still a double
standard and that many of his
colleagues would not let their
wives go out in public.
One of the Congress organisers,
Mrs Edith Balfour Lyttelton,
wrote: “The change is so drastic
and the opportunities beckoning
Turkish women so bewildering,
that the Executive of the Alliance
wisely decided to hold their
Congress this year in the old city
of Istanbul, believing that the
possibility of conferring with
other women who have been
emancipated for centuries,
as well as with those who are
enfranchised, to say nothing of
the women who are still fighting
for their right to vote, might be of
real assistance to the new life of
the Turkish women. (…) Atatürk
was determined to wipe out the
old cruel and tyrannical past
and open the door to modern
ideas.” Rosa Manus and the
other members of the organising
committee of the Congress
strongly believed in the power
of one-to-one meetings and “the
Left: Ayşe Afet 25
İnan (1908-1985) a
Turkish historian
and sociologist and
an adopted child of
Atatürk, visiting a
Ankara High School
in 1933.
Newspaper article on
Rosa Manus
Below: The members
of the board of
the International
Alliance of Women
for Suffrage and
Equal Citizenship
(Rosa Manus is
sitting third from
right, photo Atria
personal contact which results Amsterdam)
between women of different
nationalities, both enfranchised
and voteless.” Thirty countries
belonging to the Alliance sent
representatives, and a total of 256
women attended in spite of great
distances, with one lady coming
from Brazil by Zeppelin.
Rosa Manus was one of the key
figures of the Congress and it
was thanks to her organisational
skills that it was such a success.
As a Jewish woman, she was
very conscious of the societal
changes that were taking place
elsewhere in Europe. She was
actively involved in peace and
anti-Nazi organisations. When
the Netherlands were attacked
and occupied by the Germans in
1940, the International Women’s
Archive (IAV), which she had
helped found, was looted. Her
anti-Nazi Amsterdam Women
Volunteer Corps was shut down in
1941 and she was arrested. She
died in a Nazi concentration camp
on May 29, 1942.
The International Alliance of
Women for Suffrage and Equal
Citizenship is still active and
functions, since 1946, under the
name the International Alliance
of Women (IAW).
26
musıc
Vincent van Gogh
self portrait
The Ankara 25 February 1957 was a magical
Opera where the
evening in the State Opera
opera was first
staged building in downtown Ankara.
Dutch painter Vincent van
Gogh (1853-1890) had been an
inspiration for books, articles,
films and exhibitions, but never
for an opera. Turkish composer
Nevid Kodallı had worked
tirelessly on the score for years
and now the moment had finally
arrived to share it with the world.
It was such a high profile event
that even Turkish President Celâl
Bayar arrived for the premiere
Van Gogh
Opera
A Turkish composer celebrating
Vincent van Gogh
Nevid Kodallı
of the opera together with the
Dutch Ambassador M.M.L.
Savelberg. The diplomat said
after listening to the music: “It
beautifully captured the tragic
lives of Dutch farmers. While I
was listening to it, I understood the
meaning of homesickness. I know
that all of the Dutch in attendance
felt exactly the same as I.”
Who was this young composer
who wrote such an inspiring piece
of music in his early thirties?
From where did the inspiration
for such a project come?
Nevid Kodallı’s Van Gogh opera
was one of the very first fully
 Van Gogh Letters
All the letters of Van Gogh to
his brother Theo, his artist
friends Paul Gauguin and Emile
Bernard, and many others are
now available online. It is the
product of 15 years of research
at the Van Gogh Museum
and the Huygens Institute.
You can read and study the
letters, richly annotated
and illustrated, with new
transcriptions and authorized
English translations at the
website http://vangoghletters.
org.
staged operas created by
a Turkish composer. The love
for western classical music was
first introduced in Turkey
during the presidencies of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and
İsmet İnönü by a group of five
pioneering composers known
as the Türk Beşleri. The most
famous of the five was Ahmed
Adnan Saygun, whose Kerem
was the first western style grand
Turkish opera. This group of
composers integrated Turkish
traditional music with western
symphonic music for the first
time.
Kodallı (1925-2009) is an
example of the second generation
of composers of the Turkish
Republic. After studying at the
Ankara State Conservatory, he
won a state scholarship in 1948
to study with famous composer
Arthur Honegger in Paris.
He was also a student of
conductor Jean Fournet and
renowned music teacher Nadia
Boulanger. In 1948, his Orchestra
Suite was performed by the
Prague Symphony Orchestra
and in 1950 his Sinfonietta
for String Instruments was
played by the Darmstadt
Opera Orchestra. Other works
were regularly performed in
The Potato 27
Eaters (1885),
one of Van
Gogh’s most
famous
paintings
Ankara. He returned to Turkey Netherlands to the Borinage
in 1953 and became famous as in Belgium and Arles in France.
the composer of the Atatürk The last painting tells the story
Oratorio, a composition to a of Van Gogh’s tragic death at
poem by Cahit Külebi, which was the age of 37.
first performed when Atatürk’s
body was transported from the The opera was performed 26
Ethnography Museum to the times in Ankara. The piece was
Anıtkabir, his memorial tomb submitted to the Holland Festival
in Ankara. in the Netherlands, but although Cover of Lust for Life
by Irving Stone
the artistic management
It was probably playwright appreciated the music, they had
Orhan Asena (1922-2001) questions about the libretto.
Turkish
who put Kodallı on the path of Unfortunately, up to this day, newspaper
Vincent van Gogh. Asena was Kodallı’s Van Gogh opera has reporting on
the opening
fascinated by the book Lust not yet been performed in the night of the Van
for Life by American writer Netherlands. Gogh opera
Irving Stone. The novel,
published in 1934, tells the tragic
story of the artist through some
of his most iconic paintings.
Irving based his research on the
letters between Van Gogh and his
young brother, art dealer Theo
van Gogh. It was the kind of story
that would appeal to Asena,
who was developing a reputation
as the Turkish Shakespeare due
to his love for historical themes.
Together with opera singer
and stage director Aydın Gün
and Bülent Sokullu, Asena and
Kodallı created an opera based
on five paintings discussed in
Irving’s book. The composition
follows Van Gogh through his
life, from his early work in the
 A Match
28
sports

To Never
Forget
Fenerbahçe – Ajax 27-11-1968 Officials check the field on 26 November 1968

13 November 1968. It was quite

Poster for the Ajax-Fenerbahçe
match
a conventional football match
in Amsterdam between Ajax
and Fenerbahçe in the European
Championship. The Turkish team
from Istanbul had been officially
welcomed at Schiphol Airport and
later enjoyed an evening out in a
Turkish restaurant. During the
match on the 13th, the Turks did not
do well. The Dutch team scored a
goal (Klaas Nuninga) in the first
half and another one in the second
Ajax-Fenerbahçe, De Meer Stadium, Amsterdam, 13 November 1968
half (Bennie Muller), leaving the
Turks empty-handed.
The Turkish champions were
obviously disappointed but were
ready for a rematch when Ajax
arrived in Istanbul two weeks later
on 26 November. That match would
go down in history as one of the
muddiest games of football. Istanbul
had been plagued by days and days
of incessant rain and the football
fields had turned into pools of mud.
“A potato field that has just been
ploughed, one big mess of blubber” Above: Fenerbahçe team in a Turkish restaurant in Amsterdam,
the evening before the match
is how the field of the Şükrü Below: The field on 26 November 1968
Saracoğlu Stadium, home of the
Turkish football club Fenerbahçe
S.K., was described by the Dutch
press. The conditions of the pitch
were so bad that the Romanian
referee, Jozef Ritter, cancelled the
game. Many of the Dutch supporters
had to fly back without seeing
 the match and the Dutch players, 29
including celebrities like Johan
Cruijff, Klaas Nuninga, Sjaak Swart
and Piet Keizer, were forced to spend
an additional night in Istanbul.
A moment in
the match
Almost predictably, the gentlemen
ended up in a nightclub with a belly
dancer and caused a bit of a media
scandal. “Blubber & Bellydancing,”
headlined a Dutch newspaper.

The next day, on the 27th, the field

Dutch soccer was not much better, but the game
player Gert
Bals, Klaas
was played anyway. More than
Nuninga and 30,000 spectators showed up to
Barry Hulshoff watch the game. Fenerbahçe – Ajax
pretend to
read a Turkish 27-11-1968 was more a mud sliding
article on the event than a football match. Ajax
match
won the game 2-0, with goals in

Players leaving
the field after
the match

the second half from Keizer and Dutch player

Nuninga who made good use of Theo van
Duivenbode and
Cruijff’s assists. Ajax went on to Johan Cruyff
the next round of the European hunting for
souvenirs in
Championship and would do very Istanbul
Dutch soccer well, ending up in the finals.
player Sjaak
Swart and
the legendary The photos of the Turkish team in
Johan Cruyff
walking off the
Amsterdam and the Dutch team
field after their in Istanbul are part of the ANP
0-2 victory Foundation and can be found in the
National Archives in The Hague.
To see the Dutch and Turkish
Turkish
Fenerbahçe
footballers explore one another’s
supporters country shows that travelling
stay positive abroad was still very much exotic
and pose
for a Dutch and exciting. They are a wonderful
photograph reminder of a time when football
despite
the rainy
was a very different and maybe more
conditions innocent game than today.
30 Trojan horse in Troy
sports

New and old logo of Ajax

Football club Ajax from Amsterdam was

founded by schoolboys who had heard
the story of the Trojan War during
their history lessons. Like many
football clubs, they liked the idea
of a mythical past to give the club
a legendary status. The ‘real’ Ajax
was a hero from the Trojan War.
After the death of the famous hero
Achilles, his armour had to be given
to the greatest living hero. Ajax was
convinced that he was the one, but
his fellow fighters gave the armour to
Ulysses. Ajax did not take disappointment
well and the affair caused a complete public Hero Achilles is dressing the
meltdown. In a waking dream he even wounds of his friend Patrocles
went as far as to murder all his comrades.
Luckily, at dawn, it appeared that he had not slaughtered his friends but
a flock of sheep instead. The shame he felt about his behaviour, however,
was still too much to bear, and he threw himself upon his sword.

So what happened to the legendary Ajax? Close to the ancient city of

Troy, which was rediscovered on the west coast of Turkey, we find a
small traditional village called Kumkale. On the village square, elderly
Turkish men drink their strong afternoon tea in the shade of a large tree.
A shopkeeper rearranges his fruits and vegetables. A group of children
play football on the quiet main street. If we look a little closer, we see that
Kumkale is more interesting than you would think at first glance. The
village is situated on a hill, above the rest of the landscape. This sleepy
town has been inhabited for thousands of years. It is home to antique
pillars and ancient walls and just outside the village is a remarkable hill.
This is the tomb of the Greek hero Ajax, its importance forgotten by the
local population. Standing on top of Ajax’s burial mound or tumulus, we
can see all the way to Troy. We can even clearly see other burial mounds,
including the one of Achilles.

Landscape with tomb of Ajax

The tomb of Ajax

31
32

Diplomatic
dıplomacy

Talent
For centuries, the Ottoman
Empire and later the
Republic of Turkey sent
their best diplomats to the
Netherlands.
Many of the envoys, ambassadors
and consuls working in the
Netherlands in the 19th and 20th
centuries were not only skilled in
international affairs but often
harboured other aspirations.
Some were experienced politicians,
while others were successful
businessmen. There were, also,
however, quite a few with literary
ambitions, who were celebrated
writers and poets. Who were these
men and how are their life and work
connected to the Netherlands?
Some of these diplomats stayed only
a few years; others found their last
resting place in the Netherlands.

Murad Effendi (1836-1881) is

perhaps the most famous and
tragic Turkish ambassador
from the 19th century. He was
not only a diplomat, but also a
celebrated writer and playwright,
who was loved in the literary
circles of the city of The Hague,
the governmental seat of the
Netherlands.

At the age of 45, his servant found

him lifeless behind his desk
shortly after he had been told
that he had been transferred to
Berlin, a post he had long dreamt
of. Was it the emotion of this
great wish fulfilled that killed
him? We will never know.

Drawing of Murad Effendi’s funeral
The forgotten grave of 33
Murad Effendi
Despite all his fame in the Netherlands in the 19th
century, the exact location of his grave in The
Hague was forgotten. However, in 2012, researcher
Eray Ergeç discovered the exact grave-number
in the population register of the municipality of
The Hague. Director of the cemetery, Van der
Vlist, discovered that the grave number had been
changed over time and together with Ergeç started
to research the cemetery’s archives. They found
out that Effendi’s remains were still buried in the
Sint Petrus Banden graveyard in The Hague.
There was even an invoice for the grave for the sum
of 100 guilders, paid by his son Gaston Murad.

Document on Murad Effendi’s grave’s location

Murad Effendi at a young age Books by Murad Effendi

The city of The Hague gave him a In 1877, he became the In 2012, the former Turkish ambassador to the
Netherlands Uğur Doğan went to visit the exact
grand farewell. An English tourist
Ottoman ambassador to the
location and paid tribute to his predecessor: “For
even made a drawing of the funeral
Netherlands, Norway and me it is a moment of reflection and emotion. Murad
procession. Representatives of the
Sweden, posted in the Dutch Effendi was a successful and respected diplomat
Royal House and the Minister of city of The Hague. The Dutch who was important in Dutch-Turkish relations.
As human beings, we must show modesty in view
Foreign Affairs were present and a
literary expert, Prof.dr. W.J.A. of eternity. I am glad that Murad Effendi has been
guard of honour saluted him as heJonckbloet, praised Murad’s saved from oblivion and that I am now able to show
was transferred to his final resting
work which was published in my predecessor respect.”
place. Dutch. The two became good
friends. Murad became a
Murad Effendi was born in Vienna frequent guest speaker at
in 1836 as Franz von Werner. literary evenings in the city.
He received a good education Fragments from his work
and decided to become a soldier. ‘Turkish sketches - an impartial
In 1851, he joined the Ottoman report about Ottoman society,
army as a lieutenant and took politics and culture’ - even
on the name Murad Effendi. appeared weekly in the
He distinguished himself in Dutch newspapers.
the Crimean War and later in He had a talent for languages
Montenegro and went to work and translated Turkish poetry
as secretary to the Grand Vizier into German. In June 1881,
Edhem Pasha, the beginning of the same year that he
his diplomatic career. In 1869, unexpectedly passed away, he
he published his first poetry even received a gold medal
collection and his first play from the Dutch King and
Former Turkish ambassador Uğur Doğan at the
followed two years later. Queen for his literary work. location where Murad Effendi is buried
34
Turkhan Pasha
dıplomacy

(1846-1927)
Turkhan Pasha was a famous diplomat
who represented the Ottoman Empire
at the Peace Conference in The Hague
in 1899. He was also ambassador in St.
Petersburg for five years. A beautiful
snuff-box, made by Fabergé, which he
received from Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
as a gift, was sold in 2011 for the record
price of $1,463,985.

A meeting in the recording still exists today.

Orange Hall of Palace
Huis ten Bosch in The
Hague during the 1899
Peace Conference with
Turkhan Pasha on the
left.
Left: Abdülhak Hâmid
Tarhan
Right: Lüsyen Hanım
The story of Abdülhak Hâmid
Tarhan (1852-1937) is very
different. The famous poet, writer
and diplomat was not allowed
to write a single literary word
during his time as ambassador in
The Hague in the late 19th century.
Some of his works were viewed as
controversial and he was put on
probation several times during
his life. In this case it was his
work Zeynep that had not gone
down well with the Ottoman
leadership.
Abdülhak Hâmid was
internationally oriented. He was
born in Istanbul, educated in
Paris and worked as a diplomat
in the United Kingdom, France,
Greece, Belgium and India to
name but a few. His personal life
was reflective of his international
outlook. His first wife Fatma,
whom he had married in 1871,
tragically died en route to Beirut.
The beautiful and moving poem
Makber or The Grave is
still one of Turkish
most beloved
romantic songs,
famously performed
by Hafız Burhan
whose original wax
Singer Hafiz Burhan
Later he married an English
woman, Nelly, and after his
third wife Cemile, he married the
young Belgian woman Lucienne,
or Lüsyen Hanım. The age
difference was quite scandalous
at the time. Abdülhak Hâmid is
considered as one of the
key figures in Turkish
romanticism.
After the establishment of
the Turkish Republic, he was
elected into the Grand National
Assembly as deputy for Istanbul
in 1928, a post he kept until
his death in 1937. His fame and
reputation as Şair-i Azam (The
Great Poet) led the government
to grant him a state funeral.
Yusuf Mardin wrote a book
about the years Abdülhak
Hâmid spent in London.
Maybe it is also time
that his two-year tenure
in The Hague is studied
in more detail.
 Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu at his 35
arrival in The Hague

The cover of his book

Ankara

distance between Turkish

peasants and intellectuals.
Ankara (1934) is a powerful
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu study of Turkish society in
(1889-1974) came to The Hague change. After the war he wrote
in 1939, just before Wold War a famous biography of Mustafa
II. He was a journalist and Kemal Atatürk (1946).
newspaper editor, who later in He became known as the ‘grand
life became a parliamentarian old man of Turkish prose’.
and a diplomat. Even though
he had published his first book
at the age of 24, it was during
his years as a diplomat that he
wrote his most celebrated
works. Yaban (The Wild, 1932)
tells the story of the emotional

Halide Edib Adıvar

It was rare for Turkish literature to be published
in the Netherlands in the early 20th century.
Halide Edib Adıvar (1884-1964) was a women’s
activist, writer and nationalist. One of her most
famous books was her 1935 work The Clown
and His Daughter (Sinekli Bakkal), originally
written in English and afterwards translated
into Turkish and other languages. The book was
also translated into Dutch and caused quite a
stir. The literary critic J.G. de Haas wrote, when
the book was first published in Dutch in 1937
(entitled De Dochter van den Pias), that it was
‘special but also educational and beautiful’ and
praised the book’s sensitive humanity.

The Dutch version of The Halide Edib Adıvar’s fame even reached beyond
Daughter of a Clown the earth. The Adivar Crater on the planet
Venus is named in her honour.
36
treasure

Heritage
Treasure
The Turkish Embassy in The Hague

The Turkish flag hanging at half-mast

at the Turkish Embassy to observe the
death of the Turkish President Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk on 10 November 1938
Originally built in 1734, 37
Prinsessegracht 29 in The Hague
became the property of the
Turkish Government in 1937
and has been the official Residence
of the Turkish Ambassador
ever since. It is one of the few
remaining examples of an
18th-century decorated house in
the Netherlands. It is located in a
unique part of the city with a
fascinating history that goes back
centuries. The Hague is the official
seat of the Dutch government and

that is why most of the foreign Letter of acquisition

embassies and international
organisations can be found there.
The governmental decree allowing
the purchase of the residence
at the Prinsessegracht bears the
approval signature of Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk, the President
and founder of the modern
Turkish Republic. The residence
was purchased by the then
Chargé d’Affaires, Abdulahad
Akşin. Not long thereafter, the
Emissary Ahmet Cevat Üstün
took up residence in the charming
monument.
Prinsessegracht 29 is located at the
historical edge of the city centre.
Next door to the right, at number
28, we find the Chancellery
building of the Turkish Embassy,
which is located - since 1974
- next to the Liberal Jewish
Congregation Beth Jehoeda. The
neighbour on the left-hand-side
at number 30 is the book and
manuscript museum Meermanno-
Westreenianum.
of the Residence
Above: Residence
building with Turkish
flag
Left: Prinsessegracht,
The Hague, in the 18th
century
All the houses on the
Prinsessegracht show great
similarity in style and structure.
This harmonious appearance
is partly thanks to the building
code, which was issued by the
municipal council to erect only
distinguished houses on this
site. The designs were in all
38
treasure
Reception rooms on probability drafted by Daniël
the ground floor Marot (1661-1752), a French
Dining Room with Protestant architect who fled
wall paintings
France after the lifting of the
Decree of Nantes in 1685 and
took refuge in the Netherlands.
Opposite the Prinsessegracht
we can see a large flat area
surrounded by trees, the
Malieveld, a traditional military
marching area, now mostly used
for demonstrations, circuses and
exhibitions. It is a green and leafy
part of the city.
To the south of the Residence,
we can walk easily into the old
city of The Hague. Along a
19th-century canal, we walk
towards the Lange Voorhout,
a beautiful park-like
neighbourhood. It is the
traditional area for foreign
embassies and international
organisations. Close to the Lange
Voorhout, we can find the Houses
of Parliament. The centrepiece of
the assembly of buildings is the
Ridderzaal or Knights Hall.
The Ridderzaal can be traced
back to the 13th century.
The ancient castle still has a
central role in Dutch democracy
as, since 1848, it is the location
where the Queen or King reads
the yearly state of the union
address at the combined session
of both Houses of Parliament to
open the parliamentary year.
The House of Representatives
and the ministries are nowadays
mostly housed in modern
buildings and skyscrapers but the
traditional buildings at the
Binnenhof still function today.
For instance, they house the
Senate and the office of the Prime
Minister. It is a quite unique
feature of the Houses of Parliament
that everybody can walk into the
inner courtyard, day and night.
The King’s official Residence,
the Palace of Huis ten Bosch, is
located just a stone’s throw away
from the government buildings.
It was built in the 17th century.
From the King’s Palace it is only
a ten-minute walk back to the
Turkish Embassy. Apart from a few
necessary changes that have been
introduced over the years, most of
the house at Prinsessegracht 29 has
remained unchanged. Compared
to many other buildings where
the interior has been rigorously
refurbished to suit the taste and
demands of the day, it is still a
delicate treasure and one of the few
surviving buildings where one can
truly experience an 18th-century

atmosphere. Every artistic
element of the monumental
building was carefully selected
and executed. A beautiful marble
floor welcomes the guests at the
entrance of the house. In the
hall behind the vestibule, the
broad oak steps of the stairwell
sweep the entire way from the
basement right up to the original
servants’ quarters at the top of
the house. Crowning the wooden
stairwell in the central hallway is
an attractive, octagonal plastered
dome surrounded by windows
that beautifully plays with
light and shadow. To one side
of the hall we find the old office
of the Ambassador, still in its
original state. It is a beautifully
furnished room with an original
desk and cabinet, mementos and
photographs of the past decades,
and black and white paintings
above the doors.
As is customary in rich patrician
dwellings, the official reception
and living quarters are situated
on the ground floor. The spacious
reception and sitting rooms span
the whole length of the house,
from the front to the garden.
The space is divided in a front
and back room, which form a
harmonious unity. The airy and
highly subtle rococo style suggests
that this front-room can be dated
to around 1750. The ornamental
ceilings and the carved doors,
the imposing fireplaces and
the wooden floors are all of a
magnificent quality. There is,
however, one other feature that
makes the house stand out: the
wall paintings. Almost every
room houses a large collection of
wall paintings.
The dining room is almost a 360°
gallery. Every wall is completely
covered with large-scale panelled
paintings by Johann Heinrich
Keller (1692-1765). Keller was
born in Zurich but had settled
and worked in The Hague since
1726. The paintings show idyllic
landscape scenes with ancient
ruins, populated by lively figures
of rustic peasants and soldiers.
These so-called capriccios were an
exceptionally well-loved subject
executed by Italian artists in the
first half of the 18th century. Four
dessus-de-portes, or overdoor
paintings, show Venetian
cityscapes, copied after prints
39
by Michele Marieschi (1710-1743) Left: Ornamental sky
from 1741. This unique group of light
works by Keller is the only one Above: The garden
seen from the dining
still in situ - in the actual place room
they were intended to decorate.
The Turkish Residence also houses
paintings that are part of the
collection of the Embassy itself.
Especially the paintings by Halil
Pasha (1857-1939), which adorn
the walls of the residence and
show seaside landscapes, are of an
extraordinary tranquil beauty.
The Turkish government
completed an extensive renovation
project in 2012 to make sure
these heritage treasures remain
in the best possible condition
for generations to come. It is a
testimony to the long and lasting
Detail of one of the
relationship between the two Venetian paintings in
nations and their shared heritage. the dining room
40
lıvıng herıtage

Gold leaf

The Turkish Roots

chocolate coins

of Santa Claus

Every year on the third Saturday
of November, Saint Nicolas, also
known as Sinterklaas, arrives in
the Netherlands on a steamboat
from Spain to give presents
to well-behaved children and
reprimand the naughty ones.
He has a full white beard, is
considered to be hundreds of
years old and is fully dressed
as a Catholic bishop with a red
ornamental robe and mitre.
Children are singing Sinterklaas-
songs to honour the Saint
and attract his attention and
generosity. Once a week, children
are allowed to leave their shoes
overnight near the fireplace to
receive a small, usually edible
treat. It could the first letter of
their name in chocolate, it could
be a bag of small spicy cookies
called pepernoten, a figurine
made of a Dutch variety of
gingerbread, everyday objects
made out of marzipan or fondant,
gold-leaf covered chocolate coins
or miniature versions of the Saint
himself made out of chocolate or
sugar. Sometimes, the children
put a carrot in their shoe for his
horse. Sinterklaas is assisted on
his quest to deliver his gifts from
door to door, or more precisely
chimney to chimney, by a large
white mare, which can walk on
roofs and jump from one house to
the next. A group of - nowadays
very controversial - black-faced
helpers called Zwarte Pieten
(Black Petes) dressed in old-
fashioned colourful clothes,
carry the bags with gifts. These
jute sacks can also be used to take
naughty children back to Spain.
41
Above: Saint Nicolas
celebrations in the
Netherlands in 1908
Left: Saint Nicolas
arriving in the
Netherlands
Right: Saint Nicolas
in 1982
It is unclear what would happen
to them once they get there, or
why going to Spain in winter
would be a harsh punishment.
The Pieten also carry a chimney
sweep to potentially beat the
children with, a part of the
tradition obviously frowned Chocolate letter and
pepernoten
upon in the 21st century. The
Dutch Sinterklaas celebration is
a custom that is hard to explain
to visitors or anyone who
did not grow up in
or close to the
Netherlands. Let
us first look at
the basics of this
42 Byzantine fresco
representing the first
lıvıng herıtage

Council of Nicaea
in 325 which Saint
Nicolas attended

important child-oriented festive
period in the Netherlands before
delving into the more historical
facts and figures.
All the different activities
lead up to the most important
evening when the larger
presents are gifted, the 5th of
December. This is once again
more complicated than just
handing over gifts. They are
often hidden in something else
called a surprise: for example
if a child plays the piano, the
gift could be hidden in a piano
made of carton and paper. Many
of the gifts come with a little
rhyme that needs to be read out
loud and usually refers to some
mishap, frustration or happy
moment of the past year. By
the 6th of December, officially
the nameday of the Saint, it is
all over and he and the Pieten
quietly leave on his steamboat
back to Spain.
children has been phased out.
The black-faced helpers are also
under increased scrutiny and are
nowadays changed to chimney
sweepers or multi-coloured
rainbow-Pieten.
What lies behind these, often
strange, traditions and what is
the hidden Turkish connection?
The real story of St. Nicolas is
just as fascinating as his legend.
There once was a real St. Nicolas,
who was probably born around
280 AD and who died in 352 AD.
He was born in Myra, a town in
the south of Turkey, which was
then part of the Roman Empire.
The well-preserved ruins of
this ancient Lycian city now
lie near the provincial town of
Demre, about 90 kilometres
from Antalya. Myra was still an
important city when Nicolas was
born there. The town was named
after the myrrh tree. Nicolas
was a smart and religious child
and grew up to make a career
for himself in the church. Most
probably he attended the Council
of Nicaea (present day İznik) in
325. There he got into a religious
dispute, which ended in a real
fight between the participants.
The Saint Nicolas
Church in Myra

Nowadays, many of these

traditions are changing. The
punishing of the naughty
He slapped his opponent in the
face and probably got his own
nose broken during the heated
discussions. He was stripped
to his underwear and thrown
into jail to cool off. The next
day, however, a miracle had
happened. Nicolas appeared
without shackles and fully
dressed in his official robes. This
would not be his first, nor his last
miracle. The life of St. Nicolas
is filled with miraculous events.
He once brought three young
men back to life who had been
murdered and cut into pieces.
He healed a woman’s withered
hand and he saved a baby from
being consumed by fire. And he
was always ready to lend a hand.
He helped young women who
could not afford their dowry
by anonymously throwing
gold coins through the window
(which would explain the gold-
leaf covered chocolate coins).
After his death, a large church
was built around his tomb.
As of 2019, the church is on
the tentative UNESCO World
Heritage list. After his death,
however, the Saint was still
performing miracles and his
tomb was a magnet for pilgrims.
At the same time, Myra was
threatened by one invader after
the other. What happened next, and mitre became a warm red 43
in the year 1087, is even stranger winter coat and matching woolly
than anyone could predict. hat. The hard working Pieten
Raiders from the Italian city of changed to hard working
Bari - which was elfs and the horse
suffering from changed to
an economic reindeer. He
down-turn moved from
- decided to Spain to the
free the Saint North Pole
from danger. and even
They sailed got married.
Cup of Saint Nicolas
to Myra on a Nowadays, in the archaeological
secret mission, most people museum in Istanbul
(11th century)
broke into the tomb, have forgotten
Left below: Russian
stole the bones of St. how Santa Claus
icon depicting the
Nicolas and took them to once was born many miracles of
Italy where they still are in a 4th century Saint Nicolas (15th
century)
today. The bones of a Saint Roman town in the
were a very lucrative business, south of Turkey called Myra. It
which benefited the town is a perfect example of shared
immensely. The relics exude a heritage. The most popular
healing oil which helps the sick. Dutch national holiday turns out
Many thousands of pilgrims still to be based on a legendary man
visit the Italian city to ask Saint born in Roman Anatolia (located
Nicholas for his blessing and to in present-day Turkey). History Story on the history
of Santa Claus in a
be anointed with his ‘oil’. Myra, moves in mysterious ways. Turkish newspaper
in the meantime, having lost
its main source of income and
its reputation all but faded and
disappeared.
In their haste, the Italians
had left a few bits and pieces.
Recent DNA testing revealed
that the bone fragments in the
tomb in Myra and the bones in
Bari indeed belong to the same
individual. He was not tall or fat.
He was short – 152 cm – and of
medium build.
So what about Santa Claus?
When the Dutch started to
emigrate to the United States
they took their Saint Nicolas
traditions with them and
slowly St. Nicolas changed from
Sinterklaas into Santa Claus.
Other cultures added to the
legend. His red bishop’s robe
44 * Some of the
information in
dıplomacy

this article and the

portrait of Aleida
Brasser are from the
biography: Cornelis
Haga (1578-1654),
Pioneer & Diplomat
in Constantinople
by Ingrid van der
Vlis and Hans van
der Sloot, Boom
Publishing (2012)

Our Man
in Istanbul
Cornelis Haga and the beginning
of Dutch-Turkish Relations

The life story of Cornelis Haga
(1578-1654), the ambassador who
was the founder of Dutch-Turkish
diplomatic relations, reads like
an adventure novel. His daring
and brazen actions symbolise
the then young Republic of the
Seven United Provinces (the
predecessor of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands). In 1610, the
Ottoman Grand Admiral and
Minister of Maritime Affairs,
Halil Pasha, invited the Dutch
government to establish official
relations with the Ottoman
Empire (the predecessor of
modern-day Turkey). At the time,
only England, France and Venice
had official diplomatic posts in
Istanbul. The other countries
were not keen on having to
compete with that rebellious
and unstable Republic on the
North Sea. The Dutch mission to
Istanbul was therefore prepared
in the utmost secrecy. Eventually,
the young diplomat Cornelis
Haga, who had previously
handled a tricky situation in
Sweden and who had visited
Istanbul as a young man, was
chosen to lead the mission.
The journey from The Hague
to Istanbul took 6 months.
Everything went according to
plan until they reached Vienna
where trouble was brewing.
The local rulers were becoming
suspicious. Haga pretended
to travel to Istanbul to free
Christian slaves. The large
collection of expensive gifts he
carried had no other goal than to
please the Turkish officials but
the authorities felt something
was wrong and tried to delay
Haga as much as possible. Due
to unrest in Transylvania, the
land route was impossible so the
delegation eventually decided to
take the longer route by sea. In
the Adriatic, they cleverly misled
the Croatian pirates and escaped
unharmed. On March 14, 1612,
Cornelis Haga and his company
reached Istanbul. He knew
that his arrival would stir up a
hornet’s nest and his suspicions
proved correct. Still, with the
help of Halil Pasha, he managed
to get a foothold, while the other
envoys could do nothing but
grudgingly and reluctantly accept
the inevitable.
The friendship between Halil
Pasha and Cornelis Haga was
Etching of the arrival of Haga in
Istanbul in 1612
45
Ealy 17th century map
of Istanbul
Handwriting and
autograph of Cornelis
Haga
the beginning of the warm
relationship between the two
countries that continues today.
On 6 July 1612, Haga received
the so-called capitulation,
the ahitname, in which all
agreements between the two
countries were recorded. The
An Ottoman Ottoman traders in
Amsterdam, detail
Chamber of of a painting by
Commerce Gerrit Adriaensz.
Berckheyde, 1672
The Ottoman Empire was a
powerful ally for the young
Dutch Republic in the early
17th century. It was an important
trading partner, so important in
fact that it had its own trade
department, the Levant Chamber,
in the City Hall in the centre of
Amsterdam.
When Ottoman traders visited
the Netherlands, the Dutch
public was amazed by these
exotic-looking figures with their
impressive turbans and silk
garments.
46 official diplomatic relationship posts in all the major ports and
dıplomacy

between the Netherlands and trade centers of the Ottoman

Turkey had begun.
Haga had to pull out all the stops
to circumvent the intrigues at
the Ottoman court. With his
charm and lighthearted attitude,
he quickly made friends in the
highest circles, a wise survival
strategy. Sultan Ahmed I, with
whom Haga had arranged the
capitulation, died in 1617 from
typhus at the age of 27. His
successors with whom Haga had
to negotiate were not always very
reliable or trustworthy, from the
neurotic Mustafa who had been
locked away for fourteen years,
to the cruel and strong-willed
Murad, who came to power at
the age of 11. He also had to
stay on the good side of Ahmed
I’s cleverly operating widow.
Cornelis Haga
Moreover, Haga had to deal
with the fast changing political
situation at home and the lack of
interest of the Dutch government.
In addition, his diplomatic work
was continously hampered by
the undermining activities of his
English, French and Venetian
colleagues in Istanbul. Haga was,
however, not easily derailed and
he managed to set up consular
Empire such as Athens, Gallipoli,
Aleppo, Tunis and Algiers.
In his letters he regularly
expresses his dissatisfaction with
his work and the lack of support
and money. He even begs to be
allowed back. On the other hand,
it is quite obvious that Haga
enjoyed Istanbul. He lived in a
beautiful residence in Pera. He
was a bon vivant and a womaniser,
and his enemies gossiped about
his indecent behaviour. Haga
realised that, for the sake of
appearances and to benefit his
stature as ambassador, it would
be better if he were to marry.
Through intermediaries he asked
for the hand of the rich 43-year-
old Aletta Brasser. She arrived
in Istanbul in 1623 and Haga

Probably a painting by Rembrandt of

Samuel Pallache (1550 1616), a Jewish-
Moroccan-born merchant, diplomat, Painting by Rembrandt of a man in
and pirate oriental dress

Rembrandt van Rijn and his interest in Ottoman

clothing
Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) never travelled to Turkey. He was,
however, influenced by the fact that Ottoman clothing, carpets and art motifs
started to show up in the Dutch Republic in the early 17th century. In much the
same way, the Ottoman Empire started to import Dutch goods, such as blue
Delftware and ceramics. When Rembrandt was 20 years old, he painted The Music
Lesson, where the Ottoman influences are clearly visible.
The Music Lesson by Rembrandt

welcomed her as a princess. Haga,
however, was not planning to give
up his old life completely. As a
welcome gift, he gave his brand-
new wife two 16-year-old slave
girls, who were also his secret
mistresses. There is little doubt
of the accuracy of the 17th-century
portraits of Haga which show
him as a vain and self-confident
man with a carefully combed long
beard and fine clothes.
After 27 years of service, in 1639,
he was allowed to return home
to the Netherlands with his wife,
where he became President of the
Supreme Court. He and his wife
are buried in the main church
(Grote Kerk) of Schiedam, the
town where he was born.
Cornelis Haga played an essential
role in the more than 400-year-
47
The hamlet Turkeye
in the south west of
the Netherlands
Memorial stone
The mysterious
dedicated to origins of the
Cornelis Haga in
the main church
Dutch town
of Schiedam, Turkeye
Netherlands
In the 1560s, during the
Dutch independence
conflict with Spain, Dutch
freedom fighters know as
Watergeuzen started using
the slogan Better Turkish
than Catholic. The symbol
of the crescent moon could
be found on their clothing
and on their flags. Ottoman
fighters (possibly freed galley
slaves) assisted during a
battle against the Spanish in
1599, near the city of Sluis
in the very south west of
the Netherlands. When the
Dutch had reclaimed this
part of the country they built
a new defensive line. Part of
that construction was called
Ahitname the Large Turkeye ramp and
from 1680 was built in 1604. A nearby
hamlet was named Turkeye.
old friendly relationship between
The Ottoman Empire was
the Netherlands and Turkey. one of the first countries to
Despite his mistakes and personal recognize the Dutch Republic
in 1612, a symbol of the good
shortcomings, Haga’s negotiating relations between the two
skills formed the basis of some countries. The tiny village
still exists today.
of the Republic’s most important
diplomatic successes in the 17th
century, which still endures to the
present day.
48

Deep Dive
ındustrıal herıtage

The Turkish
submarines in It is not the kind of military object that demands
Rotterdam
immediate attention of the visitors. The dismantled
submarine torpedo stands in a forgotten corner
of the lush green gardens of the Turkish Navy
base Gölcük. However, behind its unremarkable
appearance lies a story of shared heritage worth
telling. It is the last remaining memento of the first
two submarines in Turkish maritime history.

The torpedo was once aboard
the Birinci Inönü, designed and
built in the Netherlands in 1925.
Under the leadership of Kemal
Newspaper
announcement Atatürk, the new Republic of
of the arrival of Turkey wanted to become a more
the submarines
Western orientated society. The
in Istanbul
former military man also wanted
to modernize the Turkish navy
and that included investing in
modern submarines.
England and France were
competing for the assignment,
 49

but the Turks were not The Turkish

submarines in
impressed by the offers of their Rotterdam
former military enemies. Just
ten years after the conflict, the
memories of the Battle of
Gallipoli were still fresh.
The UK had sold them ships
before the Great War. However,
even though they had been paid
for, the vessels had never been
delivered. The French were
therefore convinced they were in
a much better position to clinch
the deal. In the end it was a third
party, the Dutch, whom the
Turks entrusted with the order.
Trade relations between the
Netherlands and Turkey were
The Turkish
excellent and the negotiations delegation in
were conducted in a friendly Rotterdam
50
ındustrıal herıtage
The Turkish manner, also on a personal level.
delegation in
Rotterdam
The Dutch had also managed to
get hold of technical information
on German submarines.
The Germans themselves were
not allowed to sell military
equipment since the end of the
Great War. The French and the
English both missed the boat
and were furious with this Dutch
trick.
So, in 1925, the Turkish engineer
Ata Nutku and his team
travelled to the Netherlands to
the Maatschappij voor
Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw
Fijenoord (Society for Ship
and Mechanical Engineering
Fijenoord) in Rotterdam,
founded by the Dutch steam
Ata Nutku
engine pioneer Gerhard
Röntgen. The Dutch and
Turkish engineering teams
worked well together and,
over the span of three years,
built the first foreign navy
ships made on Dutch soil, or
water to be more precise; the
Birinci Inönü and Ikinci Inönü
(the First and Second Inönü).
Because Turkey still used the
Arabic script at the time, the
Dutch painters spelled the
words phonetically as Birindji
In-uni and Ikindji In-uni.
In September 1927, 74 Turkish
officers arrived to test the boats.
During a trial run a short film
was made which has recently
been rediscovered in the
Rotterdam Municipal Archive.
The Turkish mariniers were
warmly welcomed and were
treated in a truly Dutch fashion
to a tram ride through the city
and a visit to the local zoo.
On 25th May, the submarines
left Rotterdam for Istanbul
where they arrived after 18 days
and 3,500 nautical miles.
 51

The Birinci Inönü and Ikinci The Turkish

Inönü were named after submarines on
a village near Eskisehir, arrival in Turkey
where in 1921 the Turks had
fought two battles against
the Greeks. The troops were
led by Ismet Pasha who later
even adopted Inönü as a
new surname. Ismet Inönü
became famous as the second
president of Turkey.

Photos: Marinemuseum, Den

Helder; Nederlands Instituut
voor Militaire Historie, Den
Haag

The Turkish President Kemal A new high point - and at the

Atatürk welcomed the new same time low point - for the
naval unit from his balcony in young Republic.
the Dolmabahçe Palace.
 Endangered
52
research

Ottoman Heritage
in the Balkans
The Netherlands Institute in Turkey
in action

In 1958, a dashing Prince
Bernhard (1911-2004), Queen
Juliana’s adventurous husband,
single-handedly flew his own
Dakota to Turkey. Under the
all-seeing Visnews cameras,
Turkey’s Prime Minister Adnan
Menderes and the well-dressed
prince - his outfit is extensively
described in the newspapers -
open the Netherlands Institute
in Turkey in Istanbul. In his
speech, the prince reminded the
audience of the longstanding
friendly ties that existed
between the two countries since
the first Dutch ambassador
Cornelis Haga landed in Istanbul
in 1612. He also pointed out
the importance of scientific
exchange. The new institute
was to become instrumental in
Dutch scientific and historical
research in Turkey. Since its
establishment, the institute,
now housed in a spacious
building in Beyoğlu in Istanbul,
has been doing substantial
archaeological fieldwork and
students and researchers from
53
Barcın Höyük
The Netherlands Institute
in Turkey is always actively
involved in new research
projects. One of their long-term
partnerships was launched over
25 years ago by the Netherlands
Institute for the Near East
(NINO). The excavations
around Barcın Höyük have
helped us to understand
more about the early farming
communities in the eastern
Marmara region.
The Douglas DC-3, better Left: Turkish
known as Dakota, with number newspaper with HRH
PH-PBA, was used by Prince Prince Bernhard
Bernhard for years. Before the and Prime Minister
opening of the Netherlands Menderes
Institute in Turkey, he flew to
Above: The Dakota
Istanbul and later on to Ankara.
of HRH Prince
On his return, he took foreign
Bernhard, now the
minister Fatin Rüştü Zorlu back
Prinses Amalia
to Istanbul.
The aircraft can still be flown
and is now managed by the
Dutch Dakota Association. The
name of the aircraft was recently
renamed Princess Amalia,
after Prince Bernhard’s great-
grandchild.
54 Turkey and the Netherlands
research

use the library and research

facilities of the institution.

One of the most striking

projects is the brainchild of
one of the former directors of
the institute, Prof.dr. Machiel
Kiel. Ever since the early 1960s,
Kiel has focussed on the study
of Ottoman monuments in the
Balkan countries. He wrote
more than 190 articles and 11
books about it.

Turkish mercenaries, who had

supported various warring
parties in the Balkans in the
14th century, decided in 1371
to take control themselves.
They became active builders
and soon developed their own
architectural style. By 1912,
towards the end of their rule
over the Balkans, there were
more than 20,000 buildings:
mosques, schools, bathhouses,
soup kitchens, monasteries,
monumental bridges and
impressive mausoleums for
military or spiritual leaders.

The Ottomans’ defeat was

followed by the rule of Christian
governments and an estimated
98% of the Ottoman heritage
disappeared. This large-scale
destruction of cultural heritage
hardly made the news in the
rest of Europe. Even today,
little research is being done and
this specific art and architecture
is barely taught and studied in
the Balkans.

Fourty years of fieldwork,

combined with research in
libraries in Europe and the
United States, and long years
of intensive research in the
Ottoman archives, have led to an

enormous wealth of knowledge
and documentation.
The inventory of the still
existing Ottoman monuments
in the Balkans is now largely
complete. The Netherlands
Institute in Turkey started
digitising and publishing
Kiel’s photographic archive in
September 2011.*
It was mostly created between
1960 and 1990 and contains
many photos and drawings
of monuments that have since
disappeared.
Kiel’s work serves as a
permanent reminder for cultural
tolerance and the importance
of shared history.
55
Eugène Antoine
Rottiers
In 1825, a beautifully decorated
royal decree (ferman) was given
to the Flemish army official
Eugène Antoine Rottiers
(1771-1857), which allowed him,
along with his wife, sons and
servants, to travel to Bursa,
Izmir and several other cities in
the Ottoman empire.
Rottiers was an avid collector
and intermediary. He laid
the foundation for his large
archaeological collection in
Turkey. The many artefacts
and objects are now part of the
National Museum of Antiquities
in Leiden, Netherlands.
Rottiers also published an
interesting and popular
journal of his travels through
Turkey: Itinéraire de Tiflis à
Constantinople (1829).
* Archive photos
made by Machiel
Kiel: nit-istanbul.
org/kielarchive
 All Aboard!
56
forgotten storıes

The story of the Karadeniz

Poster for the It is 1926. After a long and
Karadeniz turbulent period, the new
Turkish Republic is ready to
strengthen its ties with Europe.
She no longer wants to be known
as the ‘sick man of Europe’.
The new and secular state of
Turkey must make the world
forget the bad reputation of the
Ottoman Empire, which had
been such an influential power
in Europe for so many centuries.

Map of the Karadeniz’ journey through

Europe

Turkey is going through an

unprecedented change under
the leadership of Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk (1881-1938). There is an
official seperation of church and
state, women’s rights are secured,
the Arabic script is replaced by the
Latin script and the wearing of the
traditional fez is discouraged.

Turkey’s leadership intends to open

the doors and windows to Europe,
not only in cultural terms but also
in trade and industry. The new
Turkey is bursting with energy and
self-confidence but the Europeans
still need convincing that the new
Turkey is an important ally and
partner. A plan is hatched to start
a marketing campaign across

Europe, promoting the country
and its products.
To this end, the Turkish
government buys the Wilis, a
sturdy Dutch passenger vessel
that was built in 1905 at ‘De
Schelde’ shipyard in Vlissingen
for the shipping company
Rotterdamsche Lloyd. For
decades, the ship had sailed the
world’s
oceans, including to the
former Dutch East Indies (now
Indonesia). Moreover, beautiful
photos were made of the Wilis
sailing through the brand new
Panama Canal.
The captain of 57
the Karadeniz
and his team
The name Wilis is changed to Left: The Wilis in
the Panama Canal
Karadeniz (Black Sea) and the
A Wilis sailor’s
passenger ship is thoroughly registration diary
renovated and transformed
Right: President
into a floating exhibition ship Mustafa Kemal
and an alluring sales space. The Atatürk on board
of the Karadeniz
best and most beautiful of what
Turkey has to offer is brought on
board: angora wool, exotic herbs
and tobacco, paintings, inlaid
wood and carpets. Even the
58
forgotten storıes

Dutch newspaper on the arrival of the Karadeniz in Amsterdam

Below: The Turkish Chamber Orchestra in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam

The Steamship
Rindjani
The Rindjani was a sistership of the
Wilis, built for the shipping company
Rotterdamse Lloyd in 1907 and sold
to Turkey in 1926. The Rindjani was
then renamed the Ankara.

In the town of Mürefte on the

Marmara Sea, the Turkish Aker
family has been making wine in
the traditional way for more than
three generations. The fermentation
process takes place in stainless
steel drums and the process can be
monitored through windows that
look very much like portholes.
This is in fact accurate, because
these are the original portholes of
the steamship Rindjani.
When the Ankara was dismantled,
the Aker family bought the
waterproof portholes. History often Passport of the delegation leader
walks along unpredictable paths...

famous presidential symphony cultural ambassadors for the

orchestra is added to the crew.
The delegation itself is also
carefully selected, a modern
group of men and women,
Western-oriented and highly
educated, who can act like
new Republic. The film images
that exist of the voyage, paint a
beautiful black and white picture
of the daily atmosphere on board.
The ship itself, despite its name,
was painted completely white.

The Karadeniz sails from port to
port: Barcelona, London,
Amsterdam and even Leningrad
are on the list. The campaign is a
great success. Long lines of
visitors are waiting until they
are allowed on board. Can the
ship also change the old
prejudices against Turkey?
In the Vondelpark in Amsterdam,
for example, the modern Turkish
symphony orchestra plays a
medley of Western classical
music. The next day, however,
the Dutch newspapers claim that
the musicians were all wearing
a fez. Photos of the concert
clearly show that that was not the
case. Old prejudices make the
Dutch journalists see things that
were not there.
It is unclear whether the
Karadeniz’ voyage has had a
lasting economic consequence.
It is also unclear whether the
ship has been able to influence
European ideas on Turkey and the
Turks on a sufficient scale. The
story of the Karadeniz is not only
a lasting reminder of a special
promotion campaign but all the
photos and film material also give
us the opportunity, some 80 years
later, to share in the enthusiasm
of the visitors, the passengers and
the ship’s crew.
59
The Karadeniz
drawing large
crowds
Maritime
Connections
From the early 17th century, from
trade-missions to current tours
of duty, the more than 400 years
of naval history between the
Netherlands and Turkey has
always been based on mutual
respect and friendship. As both
countries are member of NATO,
Dutch marine vessels frequently
visit Turkish harbours.
HRH Willem Alexander,
King of the Netherlands (left)
aboard the Zr.Ms.De Ruyter, which
visited the city of Izmir in 2016.
60
lıvıng herıtage

Flourishing
Shared Heritage
A story of horse-chestnuts, tulips and coffee
 61

Carolus Clusius Ogier van Busbeke Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent

In 1561, Istanbul was in the grip
of the bubonic plague.
The capital of the Ottoman
Empire was reigned by fear
and death. Both the rich and
poor fled the city in panic and
spread the deadly disease far
beyond the ancient walls of the
metropolis. The Flemish doctor
Willem Quackelbeen, who was
the personal physician of Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent,
stayed at his post and worked
day and night to take care of
the desperate victims. Despite
all his knowledge of plants and
herbs, the 34-year-old doctor
was powerless. He soon became
infected himself and would
never see his homeland again.
His research, however, would
not be lost to the world.
into unknown plants and trees.
They had detailed drawings
made and sent seeds and fruit-
bearing branches to Western
Europe, including the hyacinth,
the gladiolus, the lilac, the
calamus and the plate tree.
Quackelbeen sent a branch of the
white horse-chestnut to doctor
Pietro Mattiolo, who lived in
Prague, thereby introducing the
tree into Western Europe.
After the death of his friend and
colleague, Van Busbeke made
sure that Quackelbeen’s work
was published in Europe. Van
Busbeke also sent tulip seeds
to Carolus Clusius, who was in
charge of the famous Hortus
Botanicus in Leiden, and in doing
so, unwittingly introduced a
national symbol from Turkey
into the Netherlands. The story
of the origins of the tulip is well-
known but not many people know
that the popular horse-chestnut
also arrived in the Netherlands
via the same route.
About 450 years after
Quackelbeen’s death, we are
standing in the shadow of a huge
tree in the Hortus Botanicus in
Leiden. The white horse-chestnut
(aesculus hippocastanum) can now

In the 16th century, Western

European researchers were
sent all over the continent to
gather new knowledge. Willem
Quackelbeen cooperated with
the Flemish scientist Ogier
van Busbeke who came to the
Ottoman Empire by order
of Archduke Ferdinand I of
Austria. Together they collected
a wealth of scientific texts and
manuscripts in Istanbul. Hortus in Leiden,
They also conducted research 1610
62
lıvıng herıtage

Arrival of
the horse and
carriage in
Rotterdam
A map of the
route of the
carriage across
Europe
The seeds
and bulbs
are officially
delivered at the
Hortus in Leiden.

The Dutch-Turkish Association (Nederlandsch-Turksche

Vereeniging) was established in 1934, an initiative of HRH
Wilhelmina, Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of
Turkey and its first President.
One of the more daring initiatives of the Dutch-Turkish
Association was for the 1960 Floriade. The Chairman of
the Association B. Stephan had an interesting idea:
a promotional tulip tour across Europe to celebrate and
commemorate the work of Ogier van Busbeke,
who had first introduced the tulip in the Netherlands in
1560. A traditional horse and carriage picked up tulip seeds
and bulbs from the Topkapı Palace, with Stephan dressed
up as Van Busbeke, and travelled all the way from Istanbul
to Rotterdam and the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden.
It was a great project, which was very much supported by
the Dutch and Turkish governments as well as the business
world in both countries.
 Left: Flowers 63
of the horse-
chestnut
Historical
illustration of a
horse-chestnut

be found everywhere in Europe
and the United States. All white
horse-chestnuts in Europe and
the United States are one way or
The Leiden horse-chestnut was Despite his short life, the The new
Hortus of
planted in 1608 and the current Flemish doctor and researcher
Ankara, the
trees in the Hortus are its direct Quackelbeen has had a lasting largest in the
descendants. It is an easy tree influence on the knowledge and world

another descendants of one tree
from the gardens of the Sultan in
Istanbul. This thin genetic basis
explains why the trees are quite
susceptible to diseases. The tree
in Leiden is also vulnerable.
to care for. It can live on lean
soil with little light or warmth.
In Istanbul, the chestnuts were
fed to horses suffering from
shortness of breath or worms,
hence the name.
distribution of plants and trees Nuts of the
horse-chestnut
from Turkey to the Netherlands
and to the rest of the world.
This shared heritage that is still
growing and flourishing.
64
lıvıng herıtage

Carolus Clusius Tulip

A quick word on tulips

In the Dutch public’s perception, tulips and the
Netherlands are forever linked. It is common knowledge
that the strong Dutch relationship with the tulip has its
origins in the Ottoman Empire of the 16th century.
The lale, the Turkish name for the tulip, was once, and
still is, a wild flower blossoming on the wide open steppes
of east Turkey and Central Asia. Through the Ottoman
court, it made its way to the Netherlands, to the Hortus of
the university of Leiden, where botanist Carolus Clusius
started to plant the bulbs for the first time. Tulips would
become a sensation in the Netherlands, even leading to
one of the world’s very first disastrous financial bubbles,
the Tulip Mania, in which speculation on the value of
exotic tulip bulbs went off the rails and a single specimen
could be worth a fortune. The market collapsed
completely in 1637. The enthusiasm for the rare varieties
of tulips was tempered temporarily but the Netherlands
and tulips would forever belong together.
Tulips today are colourful and delicate symbols of the
deep-rooted friendship existing between Turkey and the
Netherlands.

Van den Broecke,

painted by Frans Hals

Dutch tiles with tulip motives

 65

Louis XIV with a

Dutch coffee plant

Strong Coffee Van den

Broecke
Another great example of the important connections between the Ottoman arrested
Empire and the Dutch Republic is the story of coffee. It is an example of shared
history that has literally changed the world. It is almost unimaginable that there
was a moment in our history when there was no coffee. How did the ancient
Egyptians and the Romans ever get out of bed? The discovery of the drink is,
as it should be, shrouded in legends and myths. Perhaps it was an Ethiopian
farmer who saw how lively his goats were after eating the berries of the Buna
plant. The fact is that we owe coffee to the Ottoman Empire. The coffee seeds
were roasted and ground there for the first time in order to create a hot drink
(by the Sufis). Already in the 16th century, coffee was drunk throughout the
Ottoman Empire but the rest of the world had scant knowledge of the drink.
Moreover, the Ottomans closely guarded the secret of coffee. How did coffee end
up in the rest of the world? What was the decisive role of the Dutch? We have
to go back to the year 1616 when captain Pieter van den Broecke was one of the
first Europeans to drink a cup of coffee. Or, as he himself wrote: “A drink of small
ground beans that makes the water black and is drunk warm.”
He was in the city of Mocha, now in Yemen, then part of the Ottoman Empire.
After enjoying this strange, invigorating drink, he bought some bales of coffee
from the local ruler; but his ambitions went further. He wanted to secure the
plant itself. After some secret bargaining he managed to buy some living samples
and bring them to the island of Java in Indonesia. Later, the descendants of these
plants were brought to Amsterdam and from there to new coffee plantations in
Suriname and Brazil. Plants were also given to coffeeholic Louis XIV. These were
planted in all French colonies. Those few samples that Van den Broecke managed
to take from the Ottoman Empire are thus the beginning of our worldwide
obsession with coffee. The Dutch and Ottoman roles in the history of coffee is
barely known, neither in the Netherlands, nor in Turkey and not elsewhere
either. There are also many dark aspects to this history and it is important to
show these openly. These historical facts can easily be connected to sustainability
and fair trade discussions. The contemporary Dutch and Turkish coffee is (for the
most part) a modern and honest product that seamlessly connects the Ottoman
Empire with the Dutch Republic in four hundred years of coffee history.

Mocha in 1680
66
Constantinopel-Scheveningen:
forgotten storıes

Together for Charity

Destroyed ships at the beach in Scheveningen Topkapı walls after the
after the 22 December storm, 1894 earthquake of 1894

It was one of the most

destructive storms ever to
hit the Dutch coast. In 1894,
it raged across the North
Sea, wiping out a large part
of the Scheveningen fishing
fleet, which was pulled up on
the beach. That same year,
the city of Istanbul (then
Constantinople) was hit by
a devastating earthquake
in which 280 people lost
Above: Advertisement their lives. In 1895, both
for the book in a communities were still
Dutch newspaper
suffering the consequences of
The coat of arms
these disasters. A number of
of Sultan Abdül
Hamid II artists, writers and composers
joined hands under the
direction of publisher H.J.W.
Becht and published a book to
raise money.

The book is adorned with the

Left: The signature of gold-coloured coat of arms of
Saïd-Pasha, Turkish Sultan Abdül Hamid II and
Minister of Foreign
Affairs the signatures of the Dutch
ambassador to Istanbul,
The signature of
Mr. Van der Staal Van der Staal van Piershil
van Piershil, and Said-Pasha, the Turkish
Dutch attaché in
Constantinople Foreign Minister.
 67

The special book contains contributions

of many of the most famous artists
and authors from the Dutch and partly
Turkish community with work by Pierre
Loti, Albert Verwey, Princess Karadja,
Herman Heyermans Jr. and Lodewijk
van Deyssel with illustrations by Marius
Bauer, Jozef Israëls, Mesdag, Jan Toorop,
Breitner, Jacob Maris and even cat painter
Henriëtte Ronner-Knip.
 Egbert Adriaan Kreiken
68
astronomy

Pioneer of Turkish astronomy*

It may not be the most

Kreiken and his interesting place on the Moon,
wife Frances
Pape
but the Kreiken crater near the
equator is nevertheless a
permanent witness to the
extraordinary career of Dutch
professor Egbert Adriaan
Kreiken (1896-1964). Kreiken
stood at the cradle of Turkish
astronomy. He was director of
the Astronomical Institute

Kreiken crater on the moon

of the University of Ankara from

1954 until his death in 1964. In
2013, the observatory he
founded was 50 years old and in
2011, a biography was published
by his former student C. Gűner
Omay. How did this Dutch
professor end up at the
University of Ankara?
Why is the appreciation for him
so great that at his funeral a
Turkish flag was draped over the

* This article is based on information

provided by Juus Kreiken, Egbert Kreiken’s
nephew.

coffin and the Turkish national
anthem was played?
Before Kreiken ended up in
Turkey, he had already led quite
an adventurous life. He studied
astronomy at the University of
Groningen in the north of the
Netherlands and had worked at
various institutes as a teacher.
At the age of 32, he got the
chance to be a real pioneer in
the Dutch East Indies (now
Indonesia) at the new Bosscha
Observatory. World War II,
however, soon put a spanner
in the works.
Kreiken ended up in a Japanese
concentration camp. His
wife was taken away and he
would never see her again.
After being transferred to five
different camps in three and
a half year, he ended up in a
hospital in Batavia. There he
was “witnessing one of the worst
dead marches.” Many people
died. When he was released, his
weight had dropped from
69
The observatory is
almost 13 stone to less than built on an empty hill
6 stone. These terrible Kreiken, his wife, his
experiences gave his life co-workers and his
dog Karabaş
a certain urgency. He was
convinced that he had to bring
out the best in himself and
improve the world.
He was committed to “doing
as much good as possible.”
After the war, he remained in
the Dutch East Indies, even
after its independence in 1949.
Thanks to his efforts, UNESCO
decided in 1948 to pay for the
optical components for the new
71-centimeter Schmidt telescope
for the Bosscha Observatory.
The international community
of astronomers was small and
Kreiken was in contact with
legendary astronomers such as
Minnaert, Pannekoek and
Oort (who provided the first
evidence of ‘dark matter’ and
discovered the Oort cloud of
comets). They all had great
respect and appreciation for
Kreiken. Oort ends his letter
of 11 August 1947 with: “I don’t
want to fail to tell you that I
respect your energy to do so much
astronomical work. I hardly
understand how you were able to
do this. Had you already worked
on it in the camp or only after the
liberation?”
70
astronomy
The Observatory When Kreiken finally returned
today
to the Netherlands, after he had
remarried in the United States,
UNESCO had a new task in mind
for him: Professor of Physics
at the University of Liberia in
Monrovia in West Africa. With
his Pontiac Torpedo, the then
55-year-old travelled with his
new wife Frances Pape across the
Sahara as ‘astronomical nomads,’
as they called themselves.
Two years later, UNESCO
nominated him for the post
of professor-director of the
Astronomical Institute of the
University of Ankara. The
President of Turkey Celal Bayar
and his entire Cabinet signed the
permission and Kreiken could
start working from 5 December
1953. Kreiken always wanted
to devote himself entirely to
astronomy and this was his
chance. Turkey had just joined
NATO and with funds from
the Marshall Plan there were
ample resources available for
developing scientific research.
Kreiken dreamt of a big
observatory. He made optimal
use of the financial funding
possibilities and with the support
of the university Kreiken found
the perfect location to realise
his dream. Just 18 kilometers
from Ankara, in the Ahlatlibel
area, was a plateau at an altitude
of 1250 metres with 300 clear
nights a year and virtually no
light pollution. The land was
purchased and the construction
work prepared, and in 1959 it
was ready. Kreiken, always more
the teacher than the researcher,
recognised that the main
purpose of the observatory was
to teach students astronomical
skills so that they could also
work for larger observatories
abroad. When Kreiken smartly
proposed to the Turkish army to
train young soldiers to become
scientists, the generals convinced
NATO to financially lend a
hand in the construction of the
observatory.
The first instruments were
constructed from spare parts from
the Netherlands. Kreiken used his
contacts to get better equipment
from Ankara. The large main
building of the observatory was
erected by the Faculty of Science
of the University of Ankara in
collaboration with the Middle
East Technical University from
the same city. By working in
cooperation, the observatory
was the result of a form of shared
responsibility, and it has always
remained that way. The domes
also had a Dutch touch because
they were partially constructed
by the Royal Dutch Company for
Port Works in Mersin.
 71

The official opening took place The Kreiken Museum

of the University of
on 26 August 1963. To mark Ankara
this, Kreiken had organised an
Kreiken sculpture at the
international summer school University of Ankara
with top teachers from all over
the world. In this way, Kreiken
ensured that the Ankara
observatory was put on the map
and was able to make contact
with foreign observatories
and institutions, essential for
the further development of
astronomy in Turkey. His plan
was to invite foreign astronomers
to come and teach in Ankara,
so that the students’ education at the University of Ankara The International Astronomical Union
could reach a high international emerged from this initiative. honoured Kreiken with its own lunar
level. He wanted to transform his crater and the University of Ankara
faculty in Ankara into a centre In 1964, he and his wife were named its 40-centimeter mirror
where young scientists were not briefly back in the Netherlands. telescope of the observatory after him.
only trained in astronomy but He became seriously ill and died
also in closely related sciences a short time later, when he was Kreiken is still honoured in Turkey
such as space sciences, applied 67 years old. At his cremation, as a pioneer of science education.
mathematics and theoretical a Turkish flag was draped over He may not be well known in the
physics. The Department of his coffin and the Turkish Netherlands, but he has left a lasting
Astronomy and Space Sciences national anthem was played. legacy in Turkey.
 Dudok
72
archıtecture

in Turkey
An Architect’s
Lost Dream

City Hall in The new and impressive exhibition hall of Ankara was a delicate white
Hilversum,
Netherlands by W.M. structure with high windows and a slender tower. Designed in 1933 by architect
Dudok
Şevki Balmumcu, it signalled the arrival of modern architecture in Turkey.
* High resolution The press was enthusiastic and applauded the building as the beginning of a
photos and more
information on new era. The exhibition hall quickly became a symbol of the ‘can do’ mentality
the subject and
participants of the young Turkish Republic. Turkish architects no longer looked back to the
can be found at
dudokinturkey.com past for inspiration, but instead focused on a bright and prosperous future.
 73

The style of the building

seemed familiar to the Dutch.
Balmumcu admired the works of
Dutch architect Willem Marinus
Dudok (1884-1974). Dudok
never fitted official categories.
Hallway in the City
He developed his own Hall
distinctive style. He combined
different Dutch modernist
traditions into something
unique and recognisable.
He is still regarded as one of
the most important Dutch
architects. He is best known
for his revolutionary design of
74
archıtecture

Above: Exhibition hall

(Sergi Evi) in Ankara
by Turkish architect
Şevki Balmumcu
Right: Dudok with
Turkish architects
(from left to right)
Harbi Hotan, Dudok,
Kemal Ahmet Aru and
Riza Askan
Poster to welcome
tourists to Izmir

the town hall of the Dutch city of
Hilversum (1928-31).
He also created 75 different
designs for a large variety
of buildings in his urban
development plan of this fast
growing city. Dudok received
worldwide recognition for
his work. In Turkey he would
influence a new generation of
architects.
Dudok visited Turkey for the first
time in 1938 as a jury member for
the design of the new parliament
building in Ankara. At the time,
Turkish media called him one of
the best architects in the world.
 75

Above: Konak
Square in the
1890s
Left: Willem
Marinus Dudok
as a young man
Ottoman house
drawn by Dudok

In the 1940s, Dudok was asked
to teach at the University of
Ankara, but he was unable to
leave the Netherlands due to
the war. He finally returned to
Turkey in 1949, once again as
a jury member.
In 1954, he was asked by the
mayor of Izmir, Rauf Onursal,
to build a new town hall and a
new cultural centre and theatre
on Konak Square in the heart of
the city. Dudok was almost 70 at
the time. He was very honoured
and enthusiastic about this new
assignment. It would give him
one more chance to leave his
mark on the world. During his
visit, he became fascinated by
the ancient harbour city and even
marked the area of his future
76 Design for the
theatre
archıtecture

Above: Map of Izmir

with the building area designs on a simple tourist
for the theatre and the map. He drew Ottoman houses
city hall marked out
by Dudok
and spent his days making
rough sketches and drawings
Right: The original
drawings and of the possible designs. Later,
documents in the back home in the Netherlands,
Dutch architectural
archives of Het he developed these designs
Nieuwe Instituut further. At first, he felt he had to
in Rotterdam,
somehow capture the Ottoman
Netherlands
history but after consultations
with his Turkish partners
he adapted his drawings and
created a truly modern vision
for Izmir. The city would have
looked very differently today
if Dudok’s theatre and city deputy after the parliamentary Dudok was very disappointed
hall would have been built. elections. Another enthusiastic and would never visit Turkey
Due to various circumstances, supporter of the project, again. He kept working as an
however, the plans were never governor Muzaffer Göksenin, architect until the end of his life.
executed. In 1954, Dudok’s was appointed ambassador His buildings managed to find
friend and supporter, mayor to Baghdad. The new mayor an attractive balance between
Rauf Onursal, moved to and governor decided not to tradition and modernism. His
Ankara as a parliamentary continue with the projects. work still appeals today to
 77
Architect Murat
Tabanlıoğlu during
his presentation at the
conference in Izmir

professionals as well as to the Exhibition

on Konak
general public. Square in
2017
The only evidence of Dudok’s
ambitious project in Izmir are the
drawings, sketches and letters in
the Dutch archives. In October
2017, an exhibition and two day
symposium - supported by Dutch
and Turkish partners - were
organised in Izmir to show
Dudok’s unrealised designs to
the world for the first time.
In a special collaboration between
Bilkent University in Ankara and
Delft University of Technology, a
3-D reconstruction of the theatre
was developed. On 13 October
2017, on Konak Square in Izmir, a
special outdoor exhibition with
large-scale models of Dudok’s
designs was opened by Izmir’s
deputy mayor and architect
Muzaffer Tuçağ and the Dutch
cultural attaché Quirine van der
Hoeven.

The opening was followed by a

two-day symposium From Dudok
to the 21st Century: Redesigning
the City* in the Izmir Chamber of
Architects with the collaboration
of scientists and architects from
the Netherlands and Turkey and
hundreds of interested parties.
78
Hr.Ms.Gelderland
forgotten storıes

in Istanbul

The Dutch
Red Cross
in Istanbul*
* Some facts from this article come from the thesis by Bas Plaatsman entitled
Commemorative Dutch Red Cross Ambulance in the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War
booklet (between 1912 and 13), RUU, 2007

Only four people died in the five
months when, in 1912, the Dutch
Red Cross ran a city hospital
service in Constantinople
(now Istanbul). Even the
Sultan was very satisfied with
their professionalism and
commitment.
The Dutch were able to operate -
both literally and figuratively -
almost without outside help and
were so successful in their work
that all employees received an
official thank-you certificate and
a medal from the Sultan. How and
why were Dutch aid workers
needed in the Ottoman Empire?
The First Balkan War (1912-1913),
in which the Balkan countries
tore themselves away from the
Ottoman Empire, created an
avalanche of refugees and a wave
of sick and wounded people.
The sheer mass of the necessary
support was overwhelming.
Other countries stepped in to
help. Across the continent,
collection campaigns were
organised to raise money.
In the Netherlands, the Red Cross
collected 250,000 guilders for an
urgent mission in Greece.
Just before the Red Cross workers
left for the Greek capital,
Hr.Ms.Gelderland
in Istanbul
79
Hr.Ms.Gelderland first
visited Izmir
the Turkish government also
asked the Netherlands for
assistance. The Turkish Red
Crescent and the Turkish
government could no longer
handle the amount of injured
people admitted to the hospitals.
At first, the plee of the Turkish
ambassador Aristarchi Bey fell on
deaf ears. The Dutch did not want
to help an Islamic country that
was at war with Christian
opponents. Only when the
diplomat subtly pointed out that
the Kingdom of the Netherlands
was in fact the largest Islamic
country in the world (the Dutch
East Indies were still part of the
Kingdom), did the board of the
Dutch Red Cross agree.
They immediately provided
emergency aid and started a new
call for funds in the Dutch East
Indies which generated
substantial support for a mission.
80
forgotten storıes

Above: Newspaper
photo of the Dutch The Turkish government
team in the hospital specifically asked the Dutch
Mission leader to help with an emergency
Dr. Lingbeek in the
situation in Constantinople.
operating theatre
After the team was assembled,
they were first received by
Queen Wilhelmina and Prince
Hendrik, who was chairman
of the Red Cross. Famous
Dutch politicians
Abraham Kuyper and
Hendrik Colijn came
to the train station
to wish the team a
safe journey.

The naval ship

Hr.Ms.Gelderland
was already in the port
of Constantinople. It
provided assistance to Dutch
Ship’s doctor
diplomats and residents who
L.J.Büller
had to be evacuated due to the
war. The city was filled with
desperate refugees clogging
the streets with their carts
and ox wagons. The mosques
and churches were all filled
by wounded and displaced
men, women and children, and
alternative locations had to be
made ready. The medical officer
of the Gelderland, L.J. Büller,
who helped the injured in the
children’s hospital in Şisli, was
able to find his way around in
the city. As soon as the Dutch
Red Cross team arrived, he put
himself at their disposal and
they started to work.
The military academy in the
Harbiye district of Istanbul
- where the later founder of the
Turkish Republic Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk had received his
training - was hastily

transformed to serve as an
emergency hospital. The leader
of the mission, Dr. Lingbeek,
agreed with the Turkish Red
Crescent that the Dutch would
take responsibility for a
hundred wounded. The team
worked under difficult
circumstances and under the
constant threat of cholera and
other infectious diseases.
Fortunately, some of the doctors
and nurses were experienced in
performing operations under
primitive conditions. The Dutch
were mainly concerned with
infections, inflammations,
fractures and amputations and
had great success.
Military Museum 81
The doctors and organisers all
received medals for their hard work
from Sultan Mehmed V
This was primarily due to
meticulous nursing, but
according to Dr. Lingbeek also to
the “strong, healthy and tough
constitution of the Turkish soldier
from Asia and his patience and
docility in his suffering.”
He is far less enthusiastic
about their smoking habits.
“Until just before their last There was a special
breath, sometimes during the medal for the nurses
most terrible sufferings, they
still smoke; and, notwithstanding
the constant airing, there is The emergency hospital
always a noticeable tobacco and former military
smoke in the rooms.” academy in the Harbiye
district, where the Dutch
The Red Cross mission returned worked for five months, is
to the Netherlands on April 18, now a monument and an
1913 and was festively welcomed important military museum
at Hollands Spoor Station in with one of the largest
The Hague. collections in the world.
82
Panorama Ankara
treasure
View of Ankara The Chamber of Levant Trade
(collection
Rijksmuseum - the business office for Dutch
Amsterdam) traders with the Ottoman
Empire - was located in the
stately city hall of Amsterdam
(now the Royal Palace). The
work and reception rooms were
richly decorated and adorned
with beautiful paintings.
One of those large paintings
shows not only an impressive
cityscape but also details of the
production process of angora
wool, one of the most important
merchandise of the Ottomans.
The city of Angora (present-day
Ankara) was the centre of the
trade of mohair, the sought-after
wool of the angora goat.
The client for the painting was
most probably Justinus
Johannes Leidstar (1708-83),
who was setting up a new agency
in Ankara after his bankruptcy
in Constantinople. For centuries
the Dutch Republic was an
important trading country for
angora wool. The painting was
made in the mid-18th century.
It is very detailed but also quite
primitive in style. It is divided
into three separate parts. In the
foreground we see the wool
production process in the setting
of a open-air market; in the
middle part we see a caravan
with bales of wool passing by;
and in the background we see a
panorama of the city of Ankara.
For a long time, it was
considered to be a painting of
Aleppo. It has now been
established that it is a rare
panoramic view of 18th-century
Ankara. One of the most famous
sights of the city is still the
column of the Roman emperor

Julian, who visited the city in
362. The column can be easily
recognized on the left side of the
cityscape. The L-shaped Hacı
Bayram mosque and the
neighbouring temple of
Augustus are clearly visible just
behind the column.
On the right side, in the
foreground we see goat herders
shearing their animals. The wool
is then washed, woven, dyed and
weighed. The market square is
full of men and women, many
of whom are in possession of a
package of wool. In the distance
we see a caravan with bales of
wool which are probably being
transported to the port city of
Smyrna (now Izmir) for further
shipment to Europe. The unique
painting is in the possession
of the Rijksmuseum - which
received all the paintings when
the Chamber of Levant Trade
was dissolved - but it is now on
temporary loan to the Rahmi M.
Koç Museum in Ankara.
There were also Ottoman wool
traders living in Amsterdam,
Detail:the 83
Hacı Bayram
mosque and
the Column of
Julian
Column of
Julian
Detail: Angora goats
Angora goat
Armenians who had settled in Detail: castle of
Ankara
the city around 1627. The priest
View on the castle of
John di Minas of Amasia even Ankara
had his own church built, which
was in use until 1806. At the
beginning of the 19th century,
the wool trade collapsed and
many Armenians returned
home. In the 1980s, the church
was bought back by the
Armenian community and is
still in use today.
84
treasure

Dutch Tiles in
Aalmis tiles in
the Surp Krikor
Lusavorich church

Istanbul
The Church of Gregory the Illuminator
(Surp Krikor Lusavorich) is the oldest
Armenian church in Istanbul, originally
built in 1431. Gregory the Illuminator
(239-325) is the most important
Armenian saint. He was instrumental
in making Armenia the first country in
Surp Krikor the world to turn Christianity into a
Lusavorich
Armenian
state religion.
Gregorian church

The church has a long history of
renovations and restorations.
When the Galata district of
Istanbul went up in flames
in 1731, the church burned
down to the ground. With the
permission of Sultan Mahmut
I, the church was restored and
handed back to the Armenian
community. During one of the
later restorations, Dutch tile
panels were added to the crypt:
a wonderful example of the
less formal cultural exchange
between the Netherlands and
Turkey. The tiles were baked
between 1800 and 1865 in the tile
factory De Bloempot, owned by
the Aalmis family from the city
of Rotterdam. The company logo
can be seen on the back of some
unused tiles.
We see two different motifs in the
crypt: Winged Leaf and Lapwing
Eggs. The Lapwing Egg motif
was very popular in the Ottoman
Empire because it appears to
have a carnation and a tulip on
it. In reality, it is an image of the
Snake’s Head flower, which in
Dutch is known as the Lapwing
Flower (Kievitsbloem) somewhat
resembling a tulip. The Turks call
this flower, which is on the list
of protected plant species, the
‘upside down tulip,’ because the
petals bend downwards.
In the archive of the church
we can discover six other types
of Dutch tiles with themes such
as Bouquet or Cartouche, which
are not used in the tile panels.
Many of these tiles are broken or
there is only one copy. The
Aalmis factory no longer exists
and the tiles in the crypt of the
church are therefore a unique
part of Dutch earthenware
history. The church is still an
important centre for the
Aalmis tiles from 85
Rotterdam
Snake’s head
fritillary
Aalmis tiles in
the Topkapı
palace in Istanbul
Armenian community in Istanbul
and services are held weekly.
Rotterdam tiles can also be found
in other places in the city.
One of the most striking
examples are perhaps the tile
panels in the so-called Imperial
Hall of the Topkapı Palace in
Istanbul, originally built in 1583.
This magnificent reception area
was restored in the mid-18th
century by order of Sultan Osman
III and it is an educated guess
that the Rotterdam tiles date
from the same time. Most have
flowing, stylised flower motifs.
They are a highlight in a room
that is a highlight in itself.
86
treasure

The Peace Palace

today (photo by
kasteelbeer)

Where The Past Meets

The Future
The Restoration of the Peace
Palace Hereke Carpet

The idea that peace was possible
between the countries of Europe
finally got a foothold at the end
of the 19th century. Civil society
movements for the advancement
of peace were starting to gain
momentum. This time, the
Europeans would not be taken
by surprise by yet another war.
This time, the problem would
be studied and discussed and
an international solution would
be found. This time, bloodshed
and destruction would be
avoided. The threat of a new
potential disastrous conflict
made European leaders and
activists realise that a new war
87
would be even more destructive Above: The design
of the Peace Palace
and complicated and would by French architect
have even global repercussions. Louis Cordonnier
Something needed to be done to Financial sponsor
neutralise the many threats to Andrew Carnegie
with guests during
peace. One of the most striking the opening in 1913
examples of these efforts by
the international community
was the construction of the
Peace Palace in the Dutch city
of The Hague. Unfortunately,
we now know that they were
unsuccessful and the world
suffered through two World
Wars and countless conflicts
once again. At the time,
however, the Peace Palace
seemed to signal a new hope
and a new period of cooperation
between nations.
88
treasure
The idea first gained ground in
1899, during the first The Hague
Peace Conference, an initiative
of Czar Nicholas II of Russia.
An unprecedented 26 countries
were represented to discuss
disarmament and the possibility
of some form of international
jurisdiction and arbitration.
The meeting of minds led to the
establishment of the Permanent
Court of Arbitration. In 1907, a
second peace conference was
organized in The Hague, now
with 44 countries. As the result
of these conferences it became
clear that the world needed an
impressive international court
building, a true palace of peace
in the heart of the city of The
Hague. An international
Inside of Peace
Palace (photo by
Shutterstock)
architecture competition was
launched and the organisation
received 216 contributions from
across the globe. The design of
French architect Louis
Cordonnier, inspired by
retrospective architecture, won
the competition. The final
building was a simplified
version of the exuberant original
drawings. The designs had
to be toned down to meet the
relatively modest budget of
1.5 million dollars provided
by its financial sponsor
Andrew Carnegie.
Some of the participating
countries donated precious
building materials such as
wood and marble while others

donated works by artists and
artisans such as expensive
paintings, silk wall tapestries,
and impressive vases. The
style of the interior became
as diverse as the exterior, a
surprising international mix
of colours and shapes. Some
felt the neo-renaissance design
was somewhat eclectic, but
the universality of it made the
concept very appealing.
During the second Peace
Conference, the first stone
of the palace was laid in the
presence of the Dutch royal
family, sponsor Andrew
Carnegie and an international
group of jurists, politicians,
and pacifists. The building
was finished and the key of
the Peace Palace presented
to the Permanent Court of
Arbitration on 28 August 1913,
sadly exactly 11 months before
the outbreak of the Great War,
now known as World War I.
One of the beautiful gifts the
Peace Palace received was a
huge carpet from the Ottoman
Empire. The magnificent
Hereke carpet is one the largest
ever made and has been part
of its interior since the Palace
was first opened in 1913. The
Turkish carpet is a central
element of the Japanese Room
with its beautiful thematic silk
tapestries on the walls.
Now, more than a century
later, the carpet is in need
of repair and restoration.
Small restorations have
89
been executed after a fire in Historical photograph
of carpet weavers in
the room, but a thorough Aksaray
restoration has to be done as Historical photograph
soon as possible to save this of a meeting in the
Japanese room with
unique and magnificent carpet
the Hereke carpet
for posterity.
Original letters
concerning the gift of
Discussions have been taking the carpet to the Peace
Palace
place over the last couple of
years between the Carnegie The Hereke carpet in
the Peace Palace today
Foundation, the Dutch
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Turkish government
to find the best way to go about
this complicated restoration.
This process will be fully
documented and it is expected
that the carpet will retake
its rightful place within a
few years.
90
Turkey’s First Dam
ındustrıal herıtage
Nowadays the dam The Dutch brothers Herman en
is closed for heavy Anton Waldorp, both engineers,
traffic (photo by
Noumenon) had been working in the Ottoman
Empire for quite some time. They
Aerial view of the
dam in the 1960s had worked on the harbour of
Very early Haidar Pasha at the southern
photograph with entrance to the Bosphorus in
camels walking over
the dam
the early 1900s and were still
employed by the “Chemin de Fer
Mehmed Ferid Pasha,
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman d’Anatolie” (Ottoman
Ottoman Empire Anatolian Railways). They had
also worked on the modernisation
of the Zonguldak harbour in
the heart of the coal mining
industry on the Black Sea coast.
Now they were approached for
a really daunting assignment,
which would test their abilities as
engineers; to create the first real
A pioneering project by
two Dutch engineers
dam in Beyşehir in the Akdeniz
region of the Konya Province.
The weather on the Konya Plains
can be dry, wet and unpredictable
and creating a continuous water
supply for the farmers had been
a wish for literally thousands of
years. Over the centuries, the local
population had been creative in
finding ways to irrigate their crops
but now more drastic measures
were required. Heavy rains had
caused dramatic flooding of
Lake Beyşehir and the harvest
yield had been disappointing.
The Ottoman Empire was taking
steps to modernise the country
and agriculture was high on the
agenda. The food production had to
increase and this fertile district of
the Konya Province was destined to
become a granary for the country, if
only a regular and dependable water
supply could be secured.
The new dam for Beyşehir was
commissioned by Mehmed Ferid
Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman
Empire. The brothers’ first step
towards a design for the stone bridge
dam or Taşköprü in Beyşehir was to
conduct a thorough investigation.
One of the brothers travelled all
the way to Egypt to study water
regulations and both brothers made
a superficial survey of the irrigation
area in order to issue their advice
and make a rough budget.

It was then that the real work
started. The old damaged bridge
was demolished and the new
Taşköprü was built over the canal
at the entrance of Lake Beyşehir.
The sturdy masonry dam was 42
metres in length and 6.35 metres
wide with two levels of 15 arches
and floodgates. The elegant design
had a double function as a dam and
a bridge for cars and carriages.
The brothers themselves had
years of experience working in the
Ottoman Empire but the young
engineers from the Netherlands
they had hired, did not always
adapt easily to the local situation.
Twenty years later, the former
head of construction remembered
his time in Beyşehir in a lecture in
the Netherlands, in the presence of
the Turkish delegate B. Nuri Batu.
He complained about the fact that
Konya was not within easy reach of
Istanbul. The train could take up to
26 hours and then you were obliged
to stay overnight in Eskisehir in
order to continue on the Baghdad
railway. Arriving in Konya, the
Dutch engineer was also not
impressed by the town: “The
centre of this so-called city, with bad
pavements, is where all shops are
concentrated. The rest of streets do
not deserve that name; they are mud
pools if it rains and dusty when the
sun is shining.” He also did not like
the local dogs, complaining that
they were dangerous animals that
looked like wolves which “could
easily tear a stranger apart.”
The brothers Waldorp obviously
did not feel the same way. Even
though the Ottoman Empire in
this period was often in turmoil,
the Dutch engineers worked
steadily from 1908 to 1914, despite
the difficult circumstances and
the unclear and volatile political
situation. The constant changes
in government resulted in
continuous visits of new ministers
91
and officials, which put additional Original drawings of
the dam
pressure on the project. The local
Irrigation map of the
farmers who needed to irrigate area
their fields became increasingly
The dam today (photo
impatient. Nevertheless, the by Noumenon)
Waldorp brothers made a very good
impression on all the different
officials as well as on the local
population. Unfortunately, the
older brother Herman would not
see the project completed. He died
in Paris in 1913 from a disease that
had only worsened during the dam
project. In 1914, younger brother
Anton Waldorp received the Order
of Osmanieh Grand Officer’s
Cross and was asked to head the
department of public works within
the ministry, a job he accepted. The
reputation of the brothers Waldorp
also contributed to the fact that
when the Turkish Republic was
established, the government once
again hired many of its engineers
from the Netherlands.
Nowadays, the Taşköprü has
become one the city’s most
beloved heritage treasures and
is a registered and protected
monument. The bridge is no longer
open to motorised traffic and is
used as a pedestrian bridge only.
More than a 100 years after the
brothers Waldorp finished their
project, the Taşköprü is not merely
a beautiful example of early The Order of
Osmanieh Grand
20 century engineering but also
th
Officer’s Cross
of shared industrial heritage.
92
Fokker 27 of Turkish
avıatıon

Airlines flies over

Istanbul

Legendary Flights:
Turkish Airlines and KLM
TURKISH AIRLINES: THE FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT IN A DUTCH
FOKKER AIRCRAFT

Turkish Airlines is high on the official ranking of the best

airlines in the world. The company operates flights to
hundreds of different destinations around the globe and
employs tens of thousands of employees. In short, it is
one of the very big players in aviation. Not many could
or would have predicted that a few decades ago though.
Fokker 27
 Advertisement 93
Although Turkish Airlines from 1937
started in 1933, at a time when
many national airlines were first
established, the airline had not
seriously spread its wings to the
rest of the world. The focus was
foremost on domestic flights.
Transatlantic flights were
certainly not on the agenda.

That all changed in the

President Atatürk and
beginning of the 1960s when later President İnönü
the urgent need for manual on the airport in 1936
labour and manpower in the
Netherlands and other countries
in Western Europe skyrocketed.
All of a sudden, Turks were
invited to come live and work
outside of Turkey. Most arrived
by train or by bus but some
travelled by plane.

Turkish Airlines started to

operate special flights from
Turkey to Schiphol Airport
in 1964 to transport Turkish
workers seeking temporary
employment in the Netherlands.
These flights had a big impact on
the workers who had often been
recruited in the countryside.
Former migrant worker Osman
Kaya remembers those days
clearly. “None of us had ever
been on a plane before and we
were all nervous. There was a lot
of laughter, just pretending we
were certain of things.
We were on our way to work
in a country we knew virtually
nothing about. We wanted to
earn money and build a good
future, but none of us felt that
we would stay for a long time.
Now, over 50 years later, I still
live in the Netherlands. I feel
at home there, but it is not my Turkish workers
mother country. And Turkey is getting ready
to fly to the
not the country that I once left. Netherlands in
I sometimes joke to my wife that 1964
it is only here, flying between
94 Turkey and the Netherlands, that European turboprop passenger
avıatıon

I am truly at ease. Whenever I aircraft in aviation history.

board a Turkish Airlines aircraft,
it feels like coming home.”
The first regular, scheduled
Turkish Airlines flights to the
Netherlands started on 4 July
1965 and the rest is, as the
saying goes, history.
What history does not tell
us, however, is that a Turkish
Airlines had already landed
in Schiphol in 1961 and it was
The Turkish government
sent Captain Nurettin Gürün
and Captain Zihni Barın to
the United States to collect
two Fokker Friendships and
prepare for the first Turkish
transatlantic flight.
The captains arrived at the
small airport in Hagerstown,
Maryland, where they
immediately began their
training. The new planes were

painted in the Turkish Airlines via Greenland and Iceland to

Advertisements for not just any flight. It was the
Turkish Airlines from
1946 and the 1960s
country’s very first transatlantic
flight, conducted in a Dutch
Turkish Airlines
stewardess aircraft. It is a forgotten story of
shared Dutch-Turkish history.
The Dutch Fokker Friendship
F27 aircraft, a sturdy plane
designed to carry about 40
passengers, was made under
license in the United States.
It was a popular aircraft because
it was able to land on small
unpaved runways. In total, 786
planes would be built, making
it the most successful West
colours and were ready to go.
After a few months of practice,
the time had finally come;
the first transatlantic flight of
Turkish Airlines in their own
aircraft. The pilots, as they
would later admit, were not
only very enthusiastic, but also
nervous. They had to fly over
30 hours and no Turkish pilot
had ever flown that far and for
that long.
The first stop was Montreal
in Canada for refueling. They
then continued via the northern
route to Europe, made two
more stops in the north of the
American continent and then
England. It was an exciting
journey under sometimes
difficult circumstances, but they
made good progress and they did
not encounter any problems.
When they arrived at Schiphol,
it was a special moment,
not only because the pilots felt
they had made it back to the
European mainland but also
because they were back in the
country which had designed the
planes. The flight continued
to Rome and that same day the
navigators reached the airport in
Yesilkoy near Istanbul. Only on
arrival did the pilots realise that
they had made history. “We were

so happy. I cannot describe to you
how much joy we felt at the time,”
explained Captain Zihni Barın in
a newspaper interview.
KLM: THE FIRST FLIGHT TO
ISTANBUL
A photo from 1924 shows a
group of people next to a KLM
aircraft, a Fokker VII (H-NACC).
Dignitaries are talking to the
pilots and the mechanical
engineer who have just landed
in Istanbul. It had been a tough
journey. The first flight from the
Netherlands to the former Dutch
East Indies went according to
plan until Belgrade, but on the
way to Istanbul, Captain Van
der Hoop noticed a problem
with the engine. He made an
emergency landing on a grass
field in Bulgaria. A wheel
broke off and the engine was
irreparably damaged. A quick
KLM plane 95
arrives in
Istanbul with on
the left Frans and
Ida van ‘t Hooft
campaign in the Netherlands
among the readers of the
magazine Het Leven raised
enough money to transport a
new Rolls-Royce aircraft engine
to Bulgaria. With a month delay,
the aircraft arrived in Istanbul on Commemorative
stamp
2 November. It was the first ever
KLM flight to land in Turkey. Frans van ‘t
Hooft as a grown-
up in Istanbul
On the left in the photo a boy
looks into the camera and a girl
is standing with her back to us.
They are the children of Dutch
pioneers who went to Turkey
to build a new future. The boy
Frans van ‘t Hooft and his
older sister Ida would always
remember this special day of
the first flight between the
96
The new engine
avıatıon
arrives in Bulgaria
Fokker F VII
Turkish newspaper
Netherlands and Turkey.
The event left such
an impression that it
fundamentally affected their
lives. Ida became one of the
first KLM flight attendants,
as can be seen in a photo from
1948. Frans was the founder of
TURHOL, the first travel agency
to specialise in travel between
the two countries.
Frans van ‘t Hooft (1918-1990)
entrusted his memory of that
day to paper: “I was just a child,
but I still remember that day
in 1924 well. I believe it was a
Sunday and our whole house was
filled with people. The reason was
that the entire Dutch community
in Istanbul had come to our house
before going to the airstrip where
the KLM aircraft would land.
We lived in Yesilkoy, a village
close the airport. It was the first
time in history that an airline had
dared to risk flying the distance
of more than 9,500 miles from
Amsterdam to Jakarta.
The experimental flight was
en route to us and all Dutch
people in Istanbul were excited
in anticipation of the events.
Captain Van der
Hoop, co-pilot Van
Weerden Poelman
and mechanical
engineer Van den
Broeke
Although the plane was not
expected until the afternoon, some
of the families had decided to
come early in the morning, so they
all stayed unexpectedly for lunch
and that meant a lot of extra work
for my family. When it was time,
we left the house in small groups.
My mother held my hand and
my sisters led the way with large
bouquets of flowers.”
“The Fokker VII (H-NACC)
under the command of Captain
Van Der Hoop, co-pilot Van
Weerden Poelman and mechanic
Van den Broeke would arrive
from Sofia early in the afternoon.
Due to engine trouble, the
aircraft had been forced to land
somewhere in Bulgaria. It is
 Ida van ‘t Hooft 97
impossible to say how many hours in 1924 (on the
we had to wait, but we were used left)
to waiting in those days without
telephone or communication.
Waiting was the only option.”

“Suddenly someone shouted

that the plane was coming ...
and the people came running
while journalists, officials,
photographers, bystanders and
curious people started to scan the
skies. Everywhere people shouted:
‘There it is! Yes! Now! Look at
that dark point there! In the
clouds! He flies very high. I do not
see it! Maybe 3,000 meters high!
Gentlemen, that’s a seagull.’
And so on. Opinions were divided.
But what people thought they
saw, or what they could not see,
appeared and disappeared again
among the clouds, and a long, long
time later, with a deafening engine
noise and with cries of joy, the
plane came into view. Everyone
waved their hands and hats.
An officer ran to a number of Ida van ‘t
Hooft als KLM
wooden planks, poured gas over it,
stewardess
and set them on fire. The reason?
Very easy! So the pilot knew where a lot of manpower was needed. engine trouble after taking off. The
to land. I must add that in the early The fuel was supplied by the aircraft crashed in a wooded area
days of the 20th century, Istanbul military authorities. They rolled in a military zone, about 60 km
airport was a lawn - with barracks the barrels out of the shed and outside of Istanbul. Fortunately,
and a hangar - and you could pushed them further with their only the plane was damaged and
hardly make it out from the air.” feet. At the aircraft, the fuel was the crew was saved. The schedule
then poured into buckets, which was suspended when the Turkish
“The big bird landed and stopped were then lifted onto the wings government decided to cancel
right in front of us. The crowd and emptied into the tanks.” the permits. The flights had to go
cheered and everyone hurried to ahead at all costs, with the result
congratulate the crew. Flowers “This was in 1924. I was six years that KLM decided to re-route
were given. I saw the joy in the old. Other test flights were made via Athens, Cairo and Baghdad,
eyes of the crew, but also their later. My father became a KLM which meant that the number of
great tiredness. The next stop on agent in Istanbul. From 1929 kilometers increased considerably.
the route was now reached, but onwards, regular bi-weekly flights I was disappointed that I could
most of what was the longest air were made between Amsterdam no longer see the yellow wings of
connection in the world was still and Jakarta. The new Fokker the Amsterdam - Jakarta plane fly
ahead of them. Nobody at the aircraft were able to reach Jakarta through the blue skies of Turkey.
time knew anything about what in just two weeks. This schedule From then on, I would no longer
we now call ‘handling’. Refueling was in effect for a few months but be able to meet all these pioneers of
the aircraft was very simple and then one day one of the planes got KLM’s intercontinental flights.”
98
trade

Dutch Consul

Family Business
Daniël Jan, Baron de
Hochepied (1657-1723)
officially welcomed in
Izmir

Izmir is a city of trade with many

Dutch connections
Izmir is a modern metropolis
with a long and turbulent
history. The city, historically
known as Smyrna, has been a
centre for trade for thousands
of years. It was here that the
heavily loaded caravans from
the Far East arrived with exotic
goods for Europe and the New
World. Salt and silk, cotton and
the famous Angora wool from
Ankara, olive oils, Arabic gum
Dutch etching from 1709 and a large variety of dyes and
paint products; in old Smyrna
everything was traded and
resold. Some of the merchandise
was completely legal then, but
not so legal now, such as opium.
Especially in the 17th century,
after strong diplomatic ties
between the Ottoman Empire
and the Dutch Republic were
established (see also the story in
this magazine on Cornelis Haga,
the first Dutch ambassador),
Dutch traders started successful
businesses in Izmir. Many

brought their families with
them. In a short period of time
more than 15 trading houses
were established. The Dutch
community was growing so fast
that more official steps needed
to be taken. By 1656, the first
Consul was officially appointed.
He was not only the direct link
to the Dutch government, he
also had jurisdiction over the
Dutch community in Smyrna.
The Ottoman Empire was very
keen on trade, but not always
keen on the traders. The
international businessmen and
their families therefore lived in a
special section of town, the
so-called Franken district, an
expat community, as we would
call it today. The Europeans had
their own shops and their own
bars. They had their own
theatres, hospitals, churches
and even listened to opera
performances. In a very real
sense, it was a miniature version
Permission to a Dutch trader to grow
grapes for wine
of Europe, ‘little Europe’.
There was religious freedom, as
long as the practices took place
behind closed doors.
Some of the descendants of
these trading families still live in
Izmir today and, although they
are fully integrated into Turkish
society, some still feel connected
to the Dutch culture of their
ancestors. One of the most
Dutch trader in 99
Izmir: David Georg
van Lennep (1712-
1797) and his family
The Dutch
– Turkish
Association
The Dutch – Turkish
Association (Nederlandsch-
Turksche Vereeniging) was
established in 1934, an
initiative of Her Majesty
Queen Wilhelmina of the
Netherlands and Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk, the founder of
the Republic of Turkey and its
first President.
For many years this
association did excellent work
to bring the two countries
together: they organised
business meetings, organised
art exhibitions and exchanges
and, in the period when
many Turkish men came to
work in the Netherlands in
the 1960s, promoted mutual
understanding between the
two cultures. In recent years
various initiatives have
been launched to bring the
positive cooperation of this
organisation into the 21st
century.
100 Interior of the church
trade

Above: The Dutch there from a small Dutch village.

Protestant church in
The site contains a large
Izmir
collection of tombstones, a
Right: Tombstones
in the garden of the reflection of the European
church community that lived and
worked here. Once there was a
cemetery for foreigners nearby.
The bodies were buried
elsewhere, but the monumental
stones somehow ended up in the
garden of the Dutch Protestant
church. What looks like a
cemetery is therefore actually,
disrespectfully said, a storage
facility. It is fascinating to walk
along the stones and imagine the
fascinating Dutch places in absence of Protestants, on loan life of the Dutch who have found
Izmir is the 17th century Dutch to the Greek Orthodox their final resting place in Izmir,
Protestant church. It is still community. The building looks so far from home. Captain
Dutch property, but, in the like it has been transported Cornelia Teves from the

Inside the Dutch
Protestant church
Dutch-Frisian town of Akkrum
for example, who with his brig
Johanna sailed the world’s
oceans. Or the Rotterdam-born
Guillaume Hoeting, born in 1755,
who earned his living as a
tradesman here. A young
woman who died immediately
after arrival, a child who
succumbed to a disease;
hundreds of life stories,
forgotten tears and hopeful
dreams, forever captured in this
green oasis in the middle of a
modern, bustling city. The
originally sober church is now a
lot more colourful due to the
Greek Orthodox elements that
were added by the faithful. In
the neighbourhood we also find
101
other churches, which are still in
use. The oldest is the Saint
Polycarp Church which dates
from 1620.
Izmir is still one of the most
important international trading
cities of Turkey and the Dutch
are still as closely connected to
this ancient metropolis as in the
last four centuries. The city has mini-shops offers hours of Children on an empty
stone sarcophagus
a dynamic atmosphere. walking pleasure.
The promenades and old The city has an official Dutch
harbour have been transformed Honorary Consul and new
into a series of walking and business opportunities are
cycling paths, restaurants and high on the list. There are
shops. The famous clock tower many organisations that are
is a meeting place for young and established to facilitate the
old in the evening. The old town business community such as the
with its narrow streets and Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
102
forgotten storıes
Grand Rue de Pera, in
a photo from the late
19th century
Johannes Botter (1845-1917)
Dutch tailor of the Ottoman court
In 1901, Dutch tailor Johannes
Botter’s luxury boutique for
gentlemen opened its doors in the
Grande Rue de Pera (today İstiklal
Caddesi). It was a magnificent
seven story building and it was
a showcase for all Botter had
accomplished in the Ottoman
Empire. Johannes Botter was 40
at the time and looked back at a
successful and eventful career.
Botter was born in Harderwijk,
an old harbour city in the centre
of the Netherlands. He had a
knack for clothing from a young
age and he followed his dream, to
London, to Paris and eventually
to Constantinople. At that time in
the Ottoman Empire, the elite
looked to Western Europe for
inspiration in the field of fashion.
A clothing label
of J. Botter Botter quickly stood out as a
tailor of the highest quality and
integrity. It also helped that he
was fluent in French, the lingua
franca of high society in
Constantinople, a language most
of his English colleagues could
not speak. Botter’s fame soon
began to spread to the highest
circles of government and he
became the favourite tailor of
the Ottoman court and especially
of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. In the
1890s he became the terzi başı,
the head tailor of the court and
with it came the right to use the
imperial seal of approval,
the tuğra, and the official title
Tailleur de Sa Majesté Impériale
le Sultan.
In 1900, the Sultan permitted
Botter to build his own fashion
house on the main street, close
to the Dutch, Swedish and
Russian embassies. Another
court favourite, Italian architect
Ricardo Tommaso d’Aranco was
asked to design the building.
It was to be the very first example
of the Art Nouveau style in the
district of Beyoglu, with flower
motives, stained glass windows
and beautifully crafted cast
iron ornaments and balconies.
Johannes Botter, also known
as Jean and John Botter, not
only created a lavish shop on
the ground floor, he also lived
with wife and children in a large
apartment upstairs.
 A drawing of
the Botter-
house
The situation for the successful
tailor would change dramatically
due to World War I. The Imperial
Tailleur lost his job when the
Ottoman Empire started to
collapse. The reputation of his
craftsmanship, however, survived
the political upheaval and he even
designed a woolen vest for the
man who would later become the
founder of the Turkish Republic,
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Due to
the war and the political situation,
the atmosphere in Istanbul,
however, was no longer suited
for fashion and luxury goods
and for Botter and many of
his colleagues the commercial
opportunities dried up.
Botter became ill and died in 1917,
in a Swiss hospital. His wife and
later his son-in-law continued the
Botter company as well as they
could until the late 1930s. The
Botter-house had already been
sold, first to a member of the
imperial household and later it
Abdul Hamid
changed hands again and became
a bank building.
Today, the Botter-house is
abandoned. It has been in a
derelict state for quite some time.
The lime stone facade has suffered
from serious deterioration.
The main structure of the house
has survived to this day.
Plans are being developed to restore
the building to its former glory so
it can retake its central position on
İstiklal Caddesi, one of the busiest
shopping streets in the world.
Sultan 103
The building today
The front door
today
As many of their contemporaries,
the Botter family also invested in a
series of summer houses.
The Jean Botter Mansion with
several adjacent houses for family
members was constructed on the
Anatolian side of the Bosphorus.
Some of the buildings have survived
to the present day. The wooden
pavilions were probably designed by
Ricardo Tommaso d’Aranco.
The location still offers a
magnificent view of the city. When
Botter left for Europe, some of
his family members stayed in
Constantinople. His daughter
Josephine lived in her cottage until
1929 when she moved to the UK.
The remaining buildings are under
threat, due to the development of a
series of apartment buildings.
104
ındustrıal herıtage
The First Turkish
Television Broadcast
Many Dutch companies have
found a home in Turkey.
From the bustling city of
Istanbul to the quiet streets of
Mardin, Dutch businessmen and
women have found partnerships
and opportunities across the
country. Many Dutch people of
Turkish descent have used their
* advertisements and
logo courtesy of Philips
bilingual and cross-cultural
Company Archives skills to create new concepts and
start new enterprises. Likewise
many Turkish companies have
firmly rooted themselves in the
Netherlands and in the Dutch
economy.
Dutch trading companies had
been active in Turkey from the
early 17th century onwards but
the activities increased since
the founding of the Turkish
Republic. More and more
companies, such as Unilever
and KLM, opened trading
offices in Turkey. Dutch
electronics company Philips
even played a decisive
role in the development of
Turkish television, a story
of a pioneering, technical
cooperation, which is all but
forgotten today.
 105

The Turkish delegate Nury
Batu already visited the Philips
factories in the Netherlands
in 1934. A newspaper article
mentioned that he and his
colleague Mr. Menan were
accompanied by Baron Testa,
advisor of the Vereeniging
Nederland-Turkije (the Dutch-
Turkish Association).
They were met by dr. A. F.
Philips who showed them
the light bulb factory and an
assembly line of that exciting
mass-medium, the radio.
States and was skilled in the
technical aspects of television.
He knew exactly what he
needed to start a broadcasting
experiment and in 1948,
he started to travel around
Western Europe to learn as
much as he could about this
new phenomenon. He probably
visited the Philips factories in
Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
His assistant, professor Adnan
Ataman had also been educated
in the United States and, together
with his wife, had even lived in
the Netherlands for some time.
Although the Philips archives
have no direct proof of their visits
to the Philips factories, Philips
equipment would play a large role
in those first pioneering years of
Turkish television.

In the 1940s, television began

its spectacular rise around
the globe. Turkish scientists
began to seriously research the
possibility of establishing their
own television network. Mustafa
Santur was the Dean of the
Faculty of Electricity of İstanbul Fatih Pasiner
(standing) and Adnan
Technical University. Santur Ataman (behind the
had been educated in the United camera)
106
ındustrıal herıtage
Back in Istanbul, Santur and
Ataman set up a television
laboratory in three rooms in the
University in late 1951.
They turned to Philips to acquire
all the necessary equipment: the
transmitters, the sound engines,
and the cameras. Legend has it
that the equipment was a
donation by Philips to the
University to avoid the embargo
of technical equipment which
was put in place in 1952.
The Philips archives, however,
tell a slightly different chain of
events. The necessary Philips
equipment was imported already
in December 1951 and installed in
the first week of 1952. The import
of transmitters was forbidden
from the 1st of January 1952.
So the delivery was just in time to
avoid the embargo. It is probable
that the order was paid for and
not a donation. The shipment
was done in parts as the import
taxes on components were much
lower (20%) than on an end
product (a staggering 65%).
The 100 watt Philips transmitter of the technical equipment.
and other broadcasting machinery The Dutch newspapers hailed
were assembled step by step and the business opportunities
tested in the University’s in Turkey and in 1954 Philips
laboratory. Turkey’s first built a radio factory in Istanbul.
television director Santur and (Unilever had already opened
Turkey’s first camera man a factory with 160 employees
Ataman were ready for their in 1953.) By 1959, a 500 Philips
close-up and their first step into watt transmitter was installed to
broadcasting history. broaden the İTÜ TV antenna’s
reach. In 1962, Philips even
Under the name of İstanbul tried, unsuccessfully, to convince
Teknik Üniversitesi TV or İTÜ the Turkish government to
TV, the first official broadcast
took place on 9 July 1952.
The backdrop was just a gray
curtain. The first newsreader and
television presenter was Fatih
Pasiner. The 100 watt Philips
transmitter broadcasts two hours
a day but the audience impact was
limited. By 1957, there were still
only 200 televisions in Turkey,
so instead of broadcasting, the
term “narrow casting” might be
more appropriate.
Philips’ history with Turkey was
not over in 1952 after the delivery

grant them the licenses to start
commercial television stations in
Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
In a sense, Turkish television
remained in an experimental
phase until the late 1960s.
It was then that national
broadcaster TRT started
broadcasting, on 31 January 1968.
Their transmitter could reach up
to 75 kilometres. By that time,
there were 7,000 television sets
in Turkish homes and families
to view what the new television
station had to offer. In that
107
Philips
employees
working in the
Istanbul branche
in 1953
same year, the Philips factory
in Turkey started to make
televisions on a large scale.
Today, Turkey has one of the
most active television markets
of the world. Turkish television
series are sold across the globe.
108
forgotten storıes

A Marriage
Between
East and West
The early 20th-century story about the
romantic love between a Dutch woman
from the city of Bergen op Zoom and
the talented son of the Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire reads like a fairytale.

Prince
Burhaneddin
 Lady Sholto 109
East and West are united in a Douglas
symbolic story of shared heritage. Mosselmans
The story of Lady Sholto Douglas
Mosselmans (1879-1969) and
Prince Mehmed Burhaneddin
(1885-1949), however, has more
twists and turns than one could
ever imagine. It draws us deeply
into the history of the Roaring
Twenties and into the middle of
international events. It was a new
world, in which the balance of
power changed rapidly. War,
conflict and rebellion had
weakened the European
establishment and shaped a
different society with different
rules and different rulers.
Ancient noble families were made
destitute overnight, and the
nouveau riche, who had earned
their money in trade and
commerce, claimed their place at
the table where the decisions
were being made. The German
Emperor was deposed and the
Russian Tsar was killed.
The Ottoman Sultans were
literally put on the train to misfortune by lace making, common as work. Prince
Europe without much money cleaning or by selling their Burhaneddin, the favourite son
or possessions. jewellery. For the men, of the famous Sultan Abdul
adaptating to this new life of Hamid II, also had trouble in
Cities such as Monte Carlo, hardship was even more dealing with the new realities of
London and Paris were flooded challenging. Raised in a world life but one day in 1924, when he
with impoverished aristocrats where they lacked nothing, the suffered heavy losses at the Lady Sholto Douglas
defends her fortune
from the expelled royal houses. privileged now had to get their roulette table in Monte Carlo, against her many
Most of them had little hands dirty for the first time in the saying “unlucky in games, husbands. Cartoon by
Carlos M. Sanchez,
experience in earning money. generations. Many were clueless lucky in love” became true, at published 19 August
The women survived their as to how to do anything as least for a little while. 1928
110
forgotten storıes
The Rudolf Spring A young millionaire, the Dutch
in Marienbad
heiress with assets worth more
(Mariánské Lázně,
Czech Republic) in the than 40 million dollars, came to
early 20th century his rescue. Georgina
Mosselmans, who was known by
the name of her second husband
Lady Sholto Douglas, was always
keen to get her name in the
newspapers. Perhaps she can
best be described as an early
version of Paris Hilton. She had
just gone through a rough couple
of years. Her husband Lord
Douglas was no stranger to
marital infidelities and he
partied the nights away at her
expense. When he sent her the
bill for a 5-star hotel suite where
he had spent a week with a
blonde mistress, she had had
enough. Lord Douglas lost his
riches and Lady Sholto Douglas
was free. All of a sudden,
a handsome Turkish prince who
claimed to be the heir to the
Ottoman throne and to hold the
rights to oilwells in present-day
Iraq appeared before her.
It was a perfect match. It was
exactly what she needed to hold
the attention of the gossipy
newspapers and glossies,
which were becoming very
fashionable in the 1920s.
“I did not meet my sheikh in
the desert as you might expect,
but it is real love this time,” the
jet-jetter - who was said to have

the smallest feet in Europe -
explained to the world press,
while softy stroking his face.
“Despite all the gossip about the
incompatibility of East and West,
I am sure we will be happy.
There is just that little bit of
tension and danger that makes
life exciting: the glamour of a
great romance that is necessary to
make our love perfect. Whatever
destiny has in store for us, we will
face it without hesitation.”
When she was asked whether
she expected problems if she,
as a Western woman, were
to become the princess of an
Islamic state, she laughed:
“Such ideas do not exist in
modern Turkey. The position of
women in the Muslim world is no
less than in the West, sometimes
even better, so I’m not afraid of
that.” The prince added:
“If I have to choose between the
throne and love, I choose love.”
The couple moved to the
romantic city of Mariënbad (now
in the Czech Republic) where
the wedding was performed
by an Islamic clergyman in
the presence of Prince Johann
of Liechtenstein and Count
Karl Romer, among others.
Unfortunately,
the fairytale marriage was
Lady Sholto 111
Douglas
with friends
on the
beach
Lady Sholto
Douglas
dissolved less than six months
later, again in an Islamic way.
The prince said ‘I want a divorce’
three times in the presence of
witnesses and that was that.
Subsequently, Lady Sholto was
denied entry to their house in
Vienna, a villa she had financed.
She was forced to sleep in a
hotel. The prince also refused
to repay a loan. She was furious
and sued him for cheating. In
the end, the case was settled out
of court, most of the money was
repaid and an Austrian court
issued official divorce papers.
In 1933, Burhaneddin moved
away and ended up in the United
States to start a new life.
Lady Sholto was a romantic at
heart and shortly thereafter
married a French count. The relationship between the
The marriage lasted one night Dutch Georgina Mosselmans
and he claimed, without success, and the Turkish prince
half of her fortune. Then she Burhaneddin may not have
married an American and went ended well but their short-lived
to Hollywood to become a star. romance gives us a glimpse
Her official entree-papers are a into the social and political
testimony to her adventurous changes between the two
life: Lady Georgina Leonora World Wars. Two interesting,
Sholto Douglas, nee flawed individuals were not
Mosselmans, also known as afraid of taking a risk. Their
Mrs. Barnard, Princess Mehmed life stories read like the script
Burhaneddin, Comtesse of an American movie and it
Ferdinand Bertier de Sauvigny is perhaps no coincidence that
and the Honourable Mrs. both eventually died in New
Georgina Leonora Beresford. York, he in 1949 and she in 1969.
112
treasure

The Oldest Church

in the World
On the trail of the apostles and the crusaders
 113
Saint Peter’s
Church in Antioch
(Antakya)

Although there are other churches The altar of the

that claim the title of ‘oldest church church (photo by
Memorino)
in the world,’ the Saint Peter’s
Church near Antioch (Antakya)
has outstanding credentials.
In this stony rock chapel, the
apostle Peter is said to have
addressed the first Christian
4th century images
community in Antioch. It was here
of Saint Peter and
Saint Paul that they first called themselves
Christians. Later, the apostle Paul
also preached here. The church is
located in the middle of the ancient
city and has become increasingly
important for the Roman Catholic
faith. Almost two millennia of
legends and myths may have
dissolved the hard historical facts
in the mists of time but the simple
cave has nonetheless a magical
atmosphere and a deep majestic
grace. If we discuss the origins of
Christianity this may not be the
114 spot marked ‘X’ but it is certainly
Interior of
treasure

the church the place where a small group of

believers developed into a real
religious movement. Apostle
Peter would later became the first
Pope in history.

The oldest parts of the current

church building probably date to
the 4th century. There are traces
of mosaics and frescoes. The
water that seeps along the rocks
was once used for drinking water
but modern pilgrims believe that
the water is medicinal.
This symbolic place, which is on
the tentative list of UNESCO’s
World Heritage, also connects
Turkey with the Netherlands.
It is a forgotten story about a
son’s love for his mother.

The Dutch Countess Sophia of

Salm Rheineck (± 1110-1176) went
on a pilgrimage to the holy city
of Jerusalem during the Second
Crusade. It was most probably
her second visit to the Holy Land.
She had visited the city with her
husband more than thirty years
beforehand. This time, the fragile
Countess did not make it back
home. At the age of 66, she died
in Jerusalem. She was buried on
the spot.

Her son Floris III, Count of

Holland, was saddened by the
fact that he had not been able
to say goodbye to his mother
and decided to visit her final
resting place with his two young
sons. Under the leadership of
Emperor Frederik Barbarossa,
he participated in the Third
Crusade (1189-92) to recapture
the Holy Land from the leader
of the Muslims, Sultan Saladin.
Floris distinguished himself by
his bravery in the conquest of
Iconium (present-day Konya).

But then disaster struck.
Emperor Barbarossa, who had led
his powerful army right through
the plains of Anatolia, drowned
in the Saleph River (now the
Göksu) as the result of what can
only be described as a stupid
accident. The story goes that he
became impatient by the slow
progress of the army crossing a
bridge. He led his horse into the
waters of the deep, stony river
and was immediately swept away
by the strong current. His body
was recovered and was kept by
his soldiers in a barrel with a
vinegar solution to be able to
safely transport his remains to
Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the
improvised technique utterly
failed and the Emperor’s body
disintegrated.
The bones and the heart of
Barbarossa were taken to
Jerusalem but the rest of his
Etching from 115
1882 depicting
the death of
Floris III in
Antioch
Left: Floris III
body was buried in the Saint
Peter’s church in Antioch. One of the earliest
frescoes of Saint
The ancient city had already Peter in the
been taken by the Crusaders and catacombs of Santa
Tecla in Rome
they had extended and rebuilt
the holy church. The ill-fated
emperor was not the only one
who found his final resting place
in the oldest church. Floris III
would never reach his mother’s
grave in Jerusalem. The bubonic
plague had broken out and the
Count of Holland, who was
weakened by the long journey
and the battles, succumbed to
the disease on August 1, 1190.
He too was buried in St. Peter’s
Church.
Many fighters of the Third
Crusade returned home in
disappointment. Jerusalem was
not retaken and stayed firmly in
the hands of Saladin even though
the Sultan had been weakened by
the Crusade. As a gesture of good
will, Saladin allowed unarmed
pilgrims and merchants to visit
the holy city from then on.
116 Published by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Production
the Netherlands in Ankara, Turkey MYRA, Istanbul, Turkiye
treasure

January 2020 Design Supervisor

ISBN: 978-90-820971-5-3 Rauf Kösemen

Editor in Chief Coordination

Wolter Braamhorst Damla Özlüer

Concept Periodical Design

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