Who are the Gagauz? What Do Kemal's Teachers Mean?

Article by Necip Hablemitoğlu titled 'Kemal's Teachers':

I wrote this article in memory of Necip Hablemitoğlu, a historian, researcher and writer who was martyred 20 years ago. Based on an article written by Hablemitoğlu called "Kemal's Teachers", I started to research the front, back, right and left of the subject. As always, I have mentioned the sources I researched at the end of my article. I hope the patriotic writer Hablemitoğlu, who inspired me to write this article, once again rest in peace and rest in heaven.

After making such an introduction to our research topic, let's start explaining our topic now. It is about 900 km from Istanbul, where I also live. I will tell you about the teachers who were sent to Gagauzia or Gagauzeli Autonomous Republic, which is connected to Moldova, at a distance. I became aware of the existence of the Gagauz Turks thanks to reading the writings of the late Hablemitoğlu. Before moving on to Kemal's Teachers, I would like to give some information about our blood brothers and sisters.

Origin of Gagauz:

Gagauz people of Oghuz origin continue their existence in Gagauz Autonomous Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Lithuania and Estonia. The Gagauz, who were in Edirne Havsa before the exchange, unfortunately had to migrate to Orestiada, Greece, just across the border, as a result of the exchange. Although the total population of Gagauz people is not known today, there are official records that approximately 300 thousand people live in Gagauz. Gagauz are ethnic Turks of Orthodox Christian faith.

There are many opinions about the origin of the name Gagauz. It is often repeated that it comes from the name Gök Oğuz. Since the word Uz is often used as an abbreviation of the word Oguz, it is also said to mean Gaga (Aga in Anatolia) and Brother Oguz when considered as Uz. According to these views, the Gagauz people settled in Dobruca by using the north of the Black Sea from Central Asia.

Etymology of the word Gagauz:

According to the prevailing view, the word Gagauz comes from the Anatolian Seljuk Ruler Izzettin Keykavus. Apart from the similarity between Keykavus and Gagavuz (or Gagavuz), let's briefly talk about the basis of this view. Keykavus Christian. When his opponent, supported by the Mongols, was defeated, he took refuge in the Emperor of Nicaea and demanded land from him. 8. Mihail Paleolog allows him to go to Dobruja and establish a state there. Keykavus takes 40 Turkmen tribes with him, consisting of approximately 12.000 families. After the death of Keykavus, some of them return to Kayseri. The remaining majority is called Gagauz based on the name Keykavus. Gagauz lived in Dobruja until 1770. The Dobrudja region is within the borders of both Romania and Bulgaria today... Since this date, they have migrated to Moldovan lands. Here they settled around Bucak (Basarabya). The region that is called Gagauzia today is this region. When the Socialist Republic of Moldova was established in 1940, Gagauz lands were divided into two. Some of the lands remained in Moldova, while some remained in Ukraine.

Gagauz Autonomous Republic:

The Gagauz Autonomous Republic was established on April 23, 1994. Its capital is the city of Comrat. In the Gagauz dialect, the words "Uşak", "Haçan" and "Bıldır", which are frequently used in the Eastern Black Sea today, draw attention. They use the kemençe, bagpipe, and kaval as musical instruments. The most popular folk dance they play is "Horu" and flat horu is Moldovan horus. Gagauz people, whose instruments are similar to our kemençe and tulum and their dances are similar to horon, attach great importance to their culture and mother tongue.

Customs and Traditions of Gagauz:

Gagauz, who still keep the oldest Turkish customs alive, were also influenced by their Muslim Turkish neighbors when they lived in Anatolia. Despite not having a place in their religion, Gagauz people sacrifice sacrifices and distribute it to their relatives and the poor, and they also donate money to their brothers in need. Hosting guests and riding horses are among the things they care about. Wine is also very important for Gagauz people. You can see one of the famous wine flasks with "May God Bless" on it when you travel here. A Turkish teacher is buried in the Orthodox cemetery of the town of Bolgrad, on the border with Moldova, in the Gagauz region of Ukraine. Although this tomb is forgotten, overgrown and neglected, it is an example of unconditional patriotism.

Tomb of Kemal's Teacher:

An old Gagauz about this tomb belonging to Ali Kantarelli says: "Here lies Kemal's producer (teacher)". Gagauz Turks have managed to preserve their mother tongue for centuries. They have a clearer language than Turkey Turkish, by not allowing any language to be influenced by it. Of course, it would not be correct to describe it as a separate language. It is a more accurate description to say that they use another dialect of Turkish.

Gagauz Alphabet:

The reason why we cannot reach historical texts about Gagauz people is that they cannot create literary or historical texts because they do not have an alphabet of their own. In 1995, a project supported by the United Nations was initiated for the transition of Gagauz Turks to the Latin Alphabet. One of the names involved in this project is Necip Hablemitoğlu, who was martyred in 2002. Hablemitoğlu, in his impressions during this project, says that intelligence officials from America, Russia, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria and even Norway, Baha'i, Protestant and priest missionaries carry out projects on Gagauz people. While these states, which have no ties with the Gagauz except for their political and economic interests, were there, unfortunately there were no Turkish intelligence officers in the region in those days. Moreover, despite the fact that the Gagauz shout to the world that they are Turkish at every opportunity.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on the other hand, took forward-looking steps to stand by his Turkish brothers and put Turkey's weight in the region 85 years ago. Atatürk sent 80 primary school teachers who knew Russian and Romanian to the Gagauz. Kemal's Teachers continued their duties for years, showing an example of unconditional patriotism. Today, I would like to express that I can't help but ask if the Republic of Turkey has one primary school teacher who speaks Russian and Romanian languages.

Here, it is useful to remind Atatürk's policy towards Foreign Turks about foreign Turkish communities.

Atatürk's Foreign Politics of Turks:

The only example of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's rational policies that put the interests of the Republic of Turkey above everything else is the teacher and book support he sent to the Gagauz. According to Mustafa Kemal's foreign policy of Turks, emigration to Turkey is never a solution. Atatürk's words on this subject are as follows: "External Turks must reach equal and comfortable living conditions in the countries they live in, by preserving their national identity, preserving and developing their cultural structures. Turkey has to produce policies that support this. The prerequisite for being a friend of the Republic of Turkey is the They give importance to Turkish minorities."

As a result of the exchange; Most of the Orthodox Turks in Anatolia migrated to Greece as a result of their religious affiliation, since they did not have the consciousness of being Turkish. These are the Karaman Turks, the root of my family tree, of which I am always proud to be a member. In addition, our Gagauz citizens living around Edirne Havsa also went to Orestiada, Greece, due to the population exchange in a very wrong way. Although late, attempts have been made to prevent the departure of these citizens. Atatürk had the Turkish Orthodox Church founded by the Karaman Turkish Pope Eftim. In Atatürk's words, Pope Eftim, who helped the National Struggle as much as an army, made a speech in support of the National Forces in front of the Turkish National Assembly. This church has defended the interests of Turkey and foreign Turks in all Orthodox centers. Gagauz also took part in the religious administration of this church. What needs to be done today is to ensure the de facto and official connections of the Orthodox among all outside Turks with this church. From 1918 to 1939, Romania and Moldova continued to exist as a single country under the name of "Greater Romania".

Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver Ambassador of Romania:

Mustafa Kemal appointed Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver as the Romanian Ambassador. Tanrıöver visited all Gagauz villages and towns and selected the embassy staff from Gagauz people. He gave priority to the children of the leaders among the Gagauz and provided education to more than 200 students in Turkey. Some of these students returned to Gagauzia and contributed to the development of the society and the riveting of the consciousness of Turkishness. Some of them chose to stay in Turkey and serve the motherland in their own words. Tanrıöver also helped the Muslim Turkish minority in Romania to help the Gagauz. In addition to the 80 teachers sent from Turkey, teacher support was provided from this minority. Kemal's Teachers II. They carried out their duties against their Gagauz brothers until the beginning of World War II. While some of them returned to Turkey due to the war, those who said that their duty was not over continued their service. After the Soviet occupation, all teachers who continued their duties were qualified as Turkish spies and were sent to Siberia with 25 years of heavy imprisonment. Although Khrushchev was amnesty after Stalin died, only one teacher was able to return: Ali Kantarelli!

Teacher Ali Kantarelli:

Ali Kantarelli continued his service in Gagauzia until his death. He continued to instill the consciousness of Turkishness as Kemal's Teacher, while he married a widowed Gagauz woman. Gagauz had great admiration and love for him.

Kemal's Teachers went to the Turkish country without blinking an eye and served their Gagauz brothers by disregarding their lives. Today, we owe a debt of gratitude to Kemal's Teachers, whose graves and names are lost. They don't expect to be remembered or taken care of. Let's listen to the reason from Necip Hablemitoğlu:

“Because they have reached the highest level of serving Turkishness. But still, close your eyes and imagine. Imagine a tomb with a cross on its head in an ice-cold country. Wish eternal mercy from the Almighty God to our martyrs who lay there! And a tear filled with love and gratitude that will flow from the fountains of your heart and spill through your heart's eye! That's all!”

I very much want my path to fall into Gagauz Place one day. If your path falls before me, you can hear the pure Turkish of our Gagauz brothers and witness their emotional closeness in the cities of Çadır-Lunga, Vulkaneşti, Taraklı, and in many villages such as Kıpçak, Baurçi, Tomay. You see that Kemal's teachers served here. If you go around Kemal's Teachers in Comrat, you will see the Gagauz people who do not speak their mother tongue and were greatly influenced by Russia, and you will better understand and appreciate why Mustafa Kemal wanted to support them 85 years ago. His foresight creates feelings of gratitude and admiration. Finally, I would like to share a part of Yaşar Nabi Nayır's 1936 work entitled Balkans and Turkishness, which he wrote by walking in the footsteps of the Turks in the Balkans. Let's listen to a Gagauz intellectual who tells the thoughts of Gagauz about Turkey and Turkishness:

“If God wills, make the Gagauzes happy, we can all go to our homeland and learn to speak well, read well and write well among our blood brothers. Ah, if you only knew what I wanted to say. Last year, our eyes were opened when a Turk called us as my brothers. We were orphans until we heard him that day. Now we can raise our chests and shout to the whole world: We are Turks, We are Turks, We are Turks! We Gagauz are not orphans! We have our mom and dad too! Ataturk is Turkey, our mother and father! There are millions of Turkish brothers and sisters in Turkey. Long live Ataturk! Long live the Great Turkey resurrected by Atatürk”

Conclusion:

Although the Gagauz people, who are a part of our history, are not within the borders of our country, they are a part of our culture. They should be seen to us as relics of our Father. Due to the geography they are in, Russia on the one hand and the European Union on the other continue to exert cultural pressure on the Gagauz people. Our cultural ties with Gagauz people are very strong. Although they currently live in an autonomous republic, the establishment of a fully independent Gagauz State in Europe in the future is exciting. Hodja Ahmet Yesevi says, "Religion is Choice, Turkishness is Destiny!" Then all we have to do is to protect our history and roots. Just like Atatürk did.

"How happy is the one who says I am a Turk!"

Respectfully.

References:

Kemal's Teachers: The Country in the Claw of Sharia Terror and the West Turkey - Necip Hablemitoğlu

The History of the Basarabian Gagauz - Mihail Çakır

The Balkans and Turkishness - Yaşar Nabi Nayır

With the Gagauz - Ali Tanyıldız

Gagauz: Christian Turks - Atanas Manov