OUR LEGENDS

1.

The Turkish Legend of Derivation

This is the first major legend and one of the traditionally

most famous among Turks. While the legend describes how the Great

Turkish Empire succeeded to the highest position in the World, it also

explains how the creation of their descendance came about. It had

reinforced the belief among all Turkish clans that their descent arose from

a divine source. The epic story is believed to have originated from the

eight century, perpetuated by oral tradition up to the fifteenth century

before being written down.

The Legend

One of the biggest Turkish emperors had two daughters and they were

both extremely beautiful. They were so beautiful that people believed

these two daughters could only marry beings with supernatural powers

and that these women were not created for humans.

As the emperor believed this same idea, he searched for ways of keeping

his daughters away from people. In the farthest point of his land, a place

where no man had neither walked nor seen before, he built a tall tower

and locked his two daughters into this tower. He then prayed and begged

so adamantly that the god who he believed in could not resist. The god

came down to earth, took the form of a greywolf, and married the

daughters of the emperor. Nine children were born after this marriage;

They were named the Nine "Oguz" (meaning a good-hearted decent) and

their voices resembled that of a greywolf.

In the end, these children all carried the spirit of the Greywolf, their

population grew and thus the Turks embody characteristics such as great

strength, great courage, and great agility.

2.

LEGEND OF FISH LAKE in URFA

Nemrut is a ruler who spreads terror and fear all around. One

night he asks for an interpretation of his dream. He learns one

of the children born that year will kill him and commands that

all the children born be killed. Sara, mother of the Prophet

Abraham, gives birth to her child in a cave, leaves him there

and goes home. A gazelle nurses the baby. After awhile,

soldiers find Abraham in the cave. Nemrut, who never had a

child, decides to take care of Abraham. Witnessing the horror

of Nemrut forcing his people to worship statues, when

everyone leaves for a ceremony, Ibrahim enters the area of

statues in the palace and breaks all the statues with an axe,

finally leaving the axe in the hands of the largest statue.

During his trial, Abraham protests his innocence, saying ?You

see the axe is in the hands of the big statue; probably he is the

one who did it.? Furious, Nemrut shouts, ?How can a piece of

stone take an axe and do this?? Ibrahim replies; ?If he is a real

God, why can?t he do it?? Infuriated, Nemrut commands

Abraham to be thrown into the fire. Although Zeliha, daughter

of Nemrut, begs for mercy, she can?t convince her dad.

Wood is piled up in the area of ?Halil-ul Rahman Lake? and

the fire is set. The place where the Prophet Abraham fell into

the fire becomes a lake and a rose garden and the woods

become fishes. Zeliha throws herself into the fire after

Abraham and the place becomes known as ?Aynzeliha Lake.?

3.

The Gallipoli Battle

The Legend of February 1915 - January 1916

The World War I, also known as the Great War, was going to define the fate of

many nations. The Ottoman Empire now engaged for a fight for its life was fighting on many fronts against the Allies in the Caucasus in the east, in the

Middle East in the south, and in the Aegean region and the Thrace in the West.

When in early 1915 Russia found itself threatened by the Turks, Czar asked for

help from the British. The government of London in return assembled a mighty navy comprised of the British, the French, and the Anzacs. It was the largest

force of its time. The goal was simple. The Allies were to penetrate through the

Turkish straits starting at the Dardanelles and then capture Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Subsequently, they hoped to take the Turks out of the

war and join their forces with the Russians. But, they did not count on one

military commander; Mustafa Kemal Pasha of the Ottoman Empire.

MUSTAFA KEMAL PASHA

The Turks were prepared to face the Allied navy at the Dardanelles. Finally, the naval attack began on February 19, 1915 but the landing did not occur until

April 25, 1915. The Allied troops found fierce resistance on the ground against

the Turks. With fewer supplies but with more determination, Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers did not give up their fight to defend their land against all odds. At a

moment of despair, Mustafa Kemal Pasha gave his famous command, “I did not

command you to fight but to die (for your country).” A great motivator and a military strategist he managed to push back the Allied troops on the ground. His

successful military campaigns leading the 19th division of the 5th army, Mustafa

Kemal became a national hero and earned the respect of his enemies. At the end,

the Allies faced a disastrous defeat while Mustafa Kemal became the Legend of the Battle of Gallipoli.

SEYiT ONBASHI

There were many individuals who made sacrifices for their country. The Anzacs

and the Turks fought the battle courageously. Many died. The Allies have lost

approximately 200,000 men while the Turks lost about 300,000. The heroes

were everywhere. Another Turkish hero, Seyit Onbashi was in charge of shooting the Allied ships with his cannon at the Medjidie Fort. When the lift for

the shells was damaged due to the heavy bombardment of the Allied ships, Seyit

took upon himself to lift one of the shells that weighed approximately 275 kilograms. The shell that he carried is said to have mortally damaged the HMS

Ocean (March 18), which finally sank when it hit the mine set by the minelayer

Nusret. Seyit died in 1939.

4.

Nasreddin Hodja

Tales of the Turkish Trickster

About Nasreddin Hodja

Nasreddin Hodja is Turkey's (and perhaps all of Islam's) best-known trickster.

His legendary wit and droll trickery were possibly based on the exploits and

words of a historical imam. Nasreddin reputedly was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the

Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed

to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or

scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.

The many spelling variations for Nasreddin include: Nasreddin, Nasrettin,

Nasrudin, Nasr-id-deen, Nasr Eddin, Nasr-eddin, Nasirud-din, Nasr-ud-Din, Nasr-Eddin, and Nasr-Ed-Dine.

The many spelling variations for Hodja include: Hodja, Hodscha, Hoca, Chotza,

Cogia, Khodja, and Khoja.

Everyone Is Right

Once when Nasreddin Hodja was serving as qadi, one of his neighbors came to

him with a complaint against a fellow neighbor.

The Hodja listened to the charges carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear

neighbor, you are quite right."

Then the other neighbor came to him. The Hodja listened to his defense carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear neighbor, you are quite right."

The Hodja's wife, having listened in on the entire proceeding, said to him,

"Husband, both men cannot be right."

The Hodja answered, "Yes, dear wife, you are quite right."

5.

The Şahmaran Legend

There are many interesting stories to be found relating to Tarsus; of

these, the ones concerning Şahmaran are the most interesting . It has

become the best-known and most retold tale in the city and its

environs. The story relates the events of a young man by the name of

Camsab and Şahmaran the king of the snakes, a creature with a

human head and a snake’s body. The tale is a story of close

friendship, a deep secret and betrayel that ends in death .

The story begins when Cansab the wood cutter is lowered into a well

by a group of friends to get honey. Thus, he finds himself in

Şahmaran’s underground world where he is destined to stay due to

his friends abandoning him. Snakes capture him and he appears

before Şahmaran himself. Cansab explained how he came to be there

upon which Şahmaran shares a secret with the young man. Cansab is

then forced to stay for fear that the secret would be told to those

living above. After very long period of time Şahmaran gives in to the

pleadings of the young man to released back to his own world. He is

advised not to tell of what he has seen or to go to the baths. It was

said that if he should enter the baths his skin would turn to snake

scales.

Cansab returns to his own world and for many years tells no one of

the events that took place. However the countries ruler become ill

and Şahmaran is blamed for the illness. Soldiers begin to look for

anyone who has seen Şahmaran. The rulers men begin to take people

one by one to the baths where they are to wash themselves in order to

see who knows more than what they are telling. Cansab hides for fear

of this test but is ultimately captured and returned to the city. When

he washes in the baths, his skin turns to snakes scales and the secret

is thus brought to light. The man is then persuaded to reveal how to

get to Şahmaran’s hiding place. The king of snakes is captured very

quickly, taken to the baths, cut into three pieces and sent to the ruler.

Upon beign cured the ruler makes Cansab grand vizier and as result

all the snakes of the world became the mortal enemies of mankind.