Turkistan Impressions (2)

We were ready early in the morning of April 17, 2019. While waiting for the vehicle that will take us to the Uzbekistan border gate, I went out to greet my teacher Ahmet Yesevi for the last time. Opposite the hotel is the Turkestan provincial administration building, the front is closed to traffic with cobblestones, ceremonies were held here. In fact, the Orkhon monument placed on a tortoise pedestal in one of the building's fronts, and on the other side the inscriptions in Göktürk Turkish, I asked God's permission from there, and I asked my teacher Yesevi for permission. Because it has undertaken the mission of establishing a new world and a new civilization by assuming a kind of "founder-nomadic" role of the Turkish Sufi mentality and metaphysics, which was founded as Yesevîlik.

If you remember what was written about Otrar/Farab in the first travel note, we said that there was a before and after Genghis Khan in Turkestan; there is a journey to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, which he has now plundered. Indeed, the importance of Yesevi stems from his contribution to the creation of a Turkish Metaphysics system by addressing the Turks, who were devastated, who lost their independence, who were in a kind of anarchy and who were in search of new places, in a way that they could understand the fiqh and theological data with the style of the period. We will also visit Shah-i Naqshbandi in Bukhara, who is a follower of the heartfelt person who brought Hanafi fiqh and Maturidi academy to the public.

If we do not clearly understand the historical foundations of the Turkish Sufi mentality, the stages it went through, and the change and transformation, it would be difficult to analyze the attitudes of the units claiming to be Sufi structures today, under the name of Sunnism, prioritizing the Arab mind and the Arab Muslim imagination. More precisely, if we do not reinterpret our Muslim vision in Turkestan according to today's conditions, the destruction of the Sunni-looking mentality that basically carries the Salafist mentality and makes Arabism in the name of Islamism will increase. Because if we overlook the fact that our scholars such as Maturidi, Serahsi and Yesevi, from whom we took our starting point, are the product of Karluk, Oghuz, Kipchak (Terekeme, Karakalpak / Karapapak) cultures, if we do not reinterpret the 13th century teaching that reveals a Turkish metaphysics and Muslim vision different from Persian and Arab Muslim conceptions. If we do not know that the Mongolian storm was effective in places ranging from Inner Asia to Front Asia, that is, to Anatolia and even to Eastern Europe, when the Mongolian storm was most intense, we would not know that the Seljuk State, which was made the regional power of the period by Tugrul Bey in terms of military and administrative, in 1092. If we forget that it was divided into Atabeyliks because of the conflicts, and if we ignore the political difficulties of the Turkish peoples who were stuck in Inner Asia with the destruction of the Karakhanids by the Harzemshahs state, the migrations were triggered, and the Buddhist, Zoroastrian and Ismaili religious conceptions pose a cultural threat, we cannot eliminate the dangers to the entire Turkish world today.

In order to avoid the misfortunes of undated readings, we should do our best to make field visits and increase cultural cooperation in addition to theoretical readings. I find this symposium important in this context. Reflecting the mausoleum of Ahmed Yesevi and the science and technology he achieved by having tremendous works built in Samarkand, Bukhara, and his respect for scholars, Emir Timur, whose grave is extremely modest and buried next to his teacher, would not have entered into a conflict that brought the Ottoman Empire into the interregnum in 1402, Kızılelma Istanbul, which was their target, could be conquered in a shorter time, Rome and Paris could be reached without returning from Vienna. Of course, as I said to our guide in Bukhara, it doesn't mean that the Ottomans and sultan Yıldırım Beyazıt had no faults, they both had different priorities, but they ate each other as in all Turkish history.

It should be noted that Ankara Esenboğa airport is known by all, and this name is actually a symbol of keeping the Timur-Beyazit conflict up to date. Esenboğa” is the modern way of saying “Isen Buga”, who commanded the soldiers in Timur’s army, where there were the famous elephants that destroyed us. In fact, I said that the main reason for the Russians in the region to cease to be a tribal state and become a world power is that they destroyed the Golden Horde state. In other words, it is Emir Timur who made Russia a world power, which kept you under its colony for nearly 80 years and made all Turkish tribes opposed to each other trying to change your language, customs and culture. When he said that today's states cannot produce a policy without Russia, he said, "For the first time, I have seen a Turkish person who criticizes both sides in a balanced way." One side of the guide is Tajik, he also speaks Farsi. Look, Persians, Turks and Russians are playmakers in this geography, other global powers create a state of constant instability by using their apparatus here, and religious conceptions are the most important factor here. I couldn't say that the Shiite-Salafi tension is moving here from the Middle East, it's worth being careful, because I know the situation there.

It was not possible to examine the Islamization process of Persians and Turks with generally accepted expressions without establishing a connection between ideas and events.

For example, in the period of Abbasid caliphs al-Muktafi (902-908) and al-Muqtadir (908-932), Iranian nationalists in the title of Gulat-i shia, wealthy Iranian financiers (ibn al-furat) and Iranian Zoroastrians formed serious opposition movements. Zoroastrians believed that they would take power in Persia in 928. The Persians formed Jafari and Ismaili teachings (sects) based on the data of the ancient Sassanid tradition. Those who adopted the Ismaili doctrine (Alawites) occupied the main cities of Khorasan in 920. Like the Qarmatians, Zoroastrians believed that a Sahibu'z-zaman would appear. When we consider the attempted coups in Turkish history and the concept and functionality of the imam of the universe in the coup attempt, which was last attempted on July 15, 2016, we see that the Shiite-Sunni differentiation has also blurred. When we consider the imagination of mahdi and gavs in the sects and that sheikhs try to activate social units with dreams, it is a fact that this blur intensifies.

If we go back to understanding the region in the light of historical data, it is necessary to rethink whether it is primarily to spread the religion of Islam, as it is claimed in the Islamization of Turkistan, or to collect booty. Because it is known that the taxes and tributes levied on the basis of sending a caravan of five hundred camels to Arabia before the year of the appointed governor reached unbearable proportions. The local Muslim people, Eşres b. Abdullah (727-729), but Kutayba b. The political and cultural complexity of the geography is better understood when we consider that he rebelled against the people due to heavy pressures and taxes that amounted to ruthlessness and persecution from the time of Muslim' (/86705).

Actually, nowadays, the names are different, but the same mindsets collide, I told my friends. This is exactly why we should pay attention to the active role of Ceyhun, who turned into Sirderya after Islam, in the Iran-Turan conflict, based on my teacher ZVTogan, who is one of the active theorists of the history of Turkish thought. I reminded you that you said it was more convenient. My teacher Esat Arslan, whom I met on this trip, gave detailed information on this issue with his Turkish History and International Relations lecturer experience. I can say that the conversation I had with him for about 5 hours, first from Yesi to the Kazakhstan border gate, and then from Bukhara to Khiva, was one of my most productive meetings in recent years. So much so that I could not even understand how a part of the Karakum desert ended.

We greeted my teacher Yesevi and the journey started, we passed through Shymkent and came to the Uzbekistan border gate. Here, we unloaded the suitcases and walked to Uzbekistan. We got on our bus and went straight to Tashkent. All friends who saw the plates were very relieved, because they could read, as it is known, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are the countries that have the first Latin letters. After stopping and eating at a nice restaurant, he set out for Samarkand. When I was crossing to Sirderya, I was suddenly excited because there are vast and lush fields, planted and water channels. It is not possible to understand the historical basis of their political and economic conflicts without seeing these places, because there was great wealth on the way from the Mediterranean via Baghdad, Tabriz, Rey, Nishapur, Transoxiana to Beijing, and to India, Russia and Siberia.

These roads were completely under the control of the Turks at that time.

This is the road that brought life to Great and Central Asia, XVI. century suddenly ceased to work. Because China had been reached by sea, America had been discovered. He traveled from Africa to India. The English, Dutch, Spaniards and French came here. In short, the change in the trade routes known as the Silk Road, which is in the hands of the Turks, first negatively affects the future of Asia; It brought the future of Europe to an advanced stage economically and politically. Now these regions have started to be active again and this is the reason why I have constantly emphasized since I observed in the Yemeni Arab Spring experience that there is a constant attempt to create a state of instability through religious structures.

We passed Ceyhun/Sirderya, which flows from the Farab/Otrar region of the Turkestan province, and reached Samarkand in the evening. We settled in the hotel and ate at a nearby place. When we said a twelve-hour journey, customs clearance, the people retired to their rooms. But we decided to visit the Emir Timur statue and the Uluğ Bey Tomb next to it, which we saw on our way with my teacher Aygun. While we were walking on the road by putting signs in our minds, we also saw some friends from the convoy. As I have said before, night visits give a different feeling, quiet and calm places speak to us.

Samarkand

A city of the same age as Rome, it was captured by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan in history, but gained its artistic beauty when it became the capital of Emir Timur. If we remember that Babur, who founded the Turkish-Mongol empire, came from Timur on his father's side and Genghis Khan on his mother's side, he was the political leader of the region.

We can also see the degree of kinship between them. In fact, the widespread use of the names Cengiz and Timur in Anatolia may indicate that they are related communities. As a matter of fact, it is known that Genghis Khan also spoke both Turkish and Mongolian, and that there were many Turkish tribes in his army.

Zeki Velidi Togan, our famous historian, whom we rediscovered in his graduate class with my teacher Nalan Veli, states that Cengiz was one of the Castle Turks in his book "Mongols, Cengiz and Turkishness" published in 1941. The family title, Börçegin, is the Mongolian pronunciation of Börü Tegin. The word Cengiz is the Mongolian equivalent of the word Tengiz, that is, Deniz. The reason why I say this is that Samarkand lies at the heart of the Taj Mahal being a wonder of the world, of course, the contribution of Ottoman architects should not be forgotten.

The intersection of East and West, it has been the most important trade center of the Silk Road for centuries. It is one of the world's favorites because it is located on the line of Khwarezm, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Khorasan. It fell into the hands of the Turks during the time of the commander, whose name is Efrasiyap, mentioned in the line "Is Alper Tunga dead or deserted?" Omar Khayyam and Edgar Allan Poe mentioned in his poems that the sunrise is another beautiful thing. “…And now cast your gaze over Samarkand! Isn't she the queen of the earth? Doesn't he hold the fate of all cities in his hands?"

Emir Timur

It is a place to say that Emir Timur covered all sides with madrasahs/universities and mosques to show how far they have gone in the field of architecture and fine arts, as well as his military genius.

After a short walk at night, we came to the giant statue of Emir Timur, we greeted him. We went to him. After wandering around, we returned to the hotel, because we are road tired.

By the way, a friend of mine is good, but what you said with the adjective "Emir" is not very consistent, because Timur, who speaks Turkish and is a Turk, also said that he was a descendant of Cengiz, hence the title of Emir. He said that his wife, Bibi Hanım, was also Mongolian and therefore used the title of groom (horn horn). Thus, I learned a different view, my dear. But it is worth mentioning that I have difficulty in understanding why this great genius always fought against the Turks, that he had no struggle against the Europeans outside of Izmir, and the great disruption he caused to the Ottoman Empire.

Since we see the Crusades as a religious covering of economic-political wars, it is true that those who resisted the Western colonial powers were the states founded by the Oghuz tribes Kınık (Seljuk) and Kayı (Ottoman). The fact that Timur's state, which took over almost half of the ancient world, was not long-term, was a tradition of inheritance and sharing his country with his children. In fact, this was like the common system of all Turkish tribes who received blessings from God, as seen in the Orkhon Monuments, that is, when the successful father passed away, the country was divided. Although the first child was the head of the system in the Oghuz Turks, the other brothers who had the Congress and the capital could also be obeyed, because which child received "kut" from God was measured by his success.

Those who argue religiously that this system was changed by Mehmed the Conqueror and that he should take the appropriate view for fratricide, forget how the great states established by the Turks in the world fell apart in a short time. The fact that the Ottoman Empire was the longest-lived state with a single dynasty in history is that Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who provided the Turkish Union in Anatolia and connected other principalities to the Ottoman Empire, partially changed the traditional Turkish political succession system. With the Fatih Complex and Sahn-ı Seman that he opened, it seems to me that we owe his progress in science and fine arts to his vast knowledge of history.

The next day (18.4.2019) after breakfast, our first place to visit was this mausoleum made of blue, dark blue and green glazed stones, which consists of a mosque, madrasah and tomb. Its dome is covered with turquoise tiles and it looks magnificent with its mosaic minarets. Actually, there is cheers but there is no more, maybe I shouldn't find it weird, I don't know, my art history knowledge is also insufficient. There is also a painting in the tomb. Emir Timur, with his advisers, lies here under a modest jade sarcophagus, buried at the foot of his teacher. This shows his respect for scholars. The tombstones in the hall are symbolic, the actual tombs, namely the tombs of Timur, his two sons, two grandchildren (one of them is Uluğ Bey) and his teacher Seyyid Bereke, 7 meters below, the sarcophagus here was made of marble, but only protocol could enter. It is worth noting that the throne exhibited in the courtyard is also stone.

Imam Maturidi

After Emir Timur's visit, we walked to visit the mausoleum of our Akaid Imam, Abu Mansur Muhammad bin Mohammed bin Mahmud al-Maturidi es-Samarkand, it's close. Here we recited prayers, made a short film why does it matter?

We have made explanations about us. Because Necmeddin en-Nesefi, who grew up here, Abdullah b. There are many other famous Islamic scholars such as Abdurrahman ed-Dârimî, İbn Hibbân, Ebü'l-Leys es-Samarkandî. Maturidi's tomb is a new and rather simple monument compared to the others. The area, which was actually a cemetery, was covered with concrete during the Soviet Union, so the granite tombstones of other scholars lying in that area were placed next to the tomb of Maturidi, which was made of marble. We left praying. We took the buses next to the Ğür Emir Tomb and came to the famous Registan Square, which is also close.

Ulugh Beg Madrasa

The place called Registan was actually the science and administration center of Samarkand. Because in addition to the magnificent university built by Uluğ Bey, Timur's grandson, there are two more madrasas in this square. When Registan said what it means, the guide said it was "Sandy Place". This place was already on the agenda of Turkey with the picture of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and Head of Myth Hakan Fidan. When looking at the square where the three universities are located, it is possible to observe the immense knowledge, art and aesthetics. Actually, you have to see this place at night.

Uluğ Bey madrasah, which is entered through a huge door made of glazed bricks covered with blue and green tiles on the left side of the square/west, was built between 1417-1420. Uluğ Bey, who is both a manager and a scientist, gave lessons in mathematics and astronomy, and we later went to his observatory, a little far from the city. The ten stars on the 15-meter Giant Gate symbolize space, and the geometric patterns refer to its scientific aspect.

The Sirdar Madrasa was similar to this one and was also called the "Aslanli Madrasa". Because “the sun” and “the gazelle hunt of the lions” are embroidered on its magnificent door. 3. The name of the madrasah is Tillakari. Given for using gold plating technique. We traveled a lot here, but unfortunately we always went fast, then we went to the Bibi Hanım Mosque. The famous Samarkand market is right next to it.

Bibi Hanım Mosque

The mosque built by Timur's wife of Mongolian origin, whom he loved very much, is the largest in the world. The architectural genius dome, also called the Heavenly Dome, was actually 60 meters, but it is seen as 30 meters. The original dome at its height collapsed in the 17th century. The dome today was only 30 meters. At the foot of a large plane tree, there is a large marble lectern, on which there were once Qurans. The mausoleum of Bibi Hanım is right across the mosque.

Martyrs' Cemetery

Shah-i Zinde: Shah-i Zinde, which includes the tomb of Companion Kusama Ibn Abbas, that is, we reached the place that we can call the place of eternal martyrs, based on the verse "Don't say you died for them". There are many tombs thought to belong to Timur's family here and are located on both sides of a relatively narrow street. We went to the place where the grave of the Companions was located and conveyed our prayers to our Lord.

Ulugh Beg Observatory

These are all close to each other, but the observatory is a little farther away, we went about 3 km to the place built at the top of a hill. The wise-philosopher ruler Ulugh bey is the eldest son of Timur's son Shahrur and his name is Muhammed Taragay. He is perhaps the only person in the world to work in the university and observatory he founded. The head of the madrasah he founded was Kadızade Rumi. Gıyaseddin Cemşid and Ali Kuşçu are his other colleagues. A copy of the masterpiece known as Zîc-i Uluğ Bey is exhibited here. Rumi and Cemşid passed away during 12 years of observation. He is one of the leading figures in the history of world science in terms of the determinations he made long before Galileo and Copernicus. As it is known, he was killed by his son on the grounds that he was not interested in state affairs. However, it is known that he organized an expedition against the Mongols and was successful. Just like in the Ottoman Empire, the observatory was demolished here. His student Ali Kuşcu took refuge in the Ottoman Empire and continued his studies there.

Imam Buhari Complex

This place is relatively far from Samarkand, we traveled 25 km, thank God we reached here before it closed. If it is asked why he is not in Bukhara, Abu Abdillâh Muhammed bin İsmâîl bin İbrahim al-Cu'fî al-Bukhari' who migrated to Samarkand and died here due to the pressures on scholars in every period. We pass through a wooden door in an iwan with a dome decorated with wonderful blue tiles and into the courtyard where there is a large pool in the middle. It is surrounded by magnificent green heavily embroidered porches. A fountain with a fountain, this courtyard full of trees, giving people refreshment and sitting areas. Buhari lies in his open, domeless tomb, surrounded by marbles higher than human height and under the shadow of a large mulberry tree. The mausoleum surrounding it actually lies in the "zîr-i zemîn", or underground burial chamber, in accordance with the new, old Turkish burial tradition. A marble sarcophagus was placed on the place that hits the top of the tomb directly.

When we prayed in the masjid here and went out, I saw that soldiers were filling the grave and someone was chatting with them. It seems that moral values ​​are given to the soldiers in the orientation training, which is quite consistent.

When he saw that I was shooting, a gentleman in sweatpants wanted to take my picture. Among the visitors full of traditional clothes, only this young man is walking around with his mobile phone in his hand in sweatpants! I introduced Meryem, I said my wife/madam, she took our photo; When he asked me to take a picture of you, he laughed, and said of course. This is the situation of knowing the region a little bit, I will say that I do not carry the surname awake for nothing, but as I discovered those who made me sleepy and the hypocrites approaching me on the basis of basic concepts that I care about, I thought that my awake surname weighed heavily on me.

I pay attention to visiting such places individually, once I saw that there is no one, where is this nation, my teacher İclal said at the Buhari research center next to the mausoleum, I came together with my teacher Aygün and Meryem, we went there quickly, we caught the last part of the meeting.

And we set off again, reached Bukhara around ten o'clock at night, our guide met us at the restaurant near the giant castle, then we went to the hotel. Again, a thousand thanks for the opportunity to see these places and for making our history comrades with their distinguished intelligence.

(To be continued)