A chair. Who would imagine that a chair could symbolize more than simply a place to rest? For most, a chair is an object to sit upon, a common piece of furniture found in almost every building, if not every room. However, prior to the mid-1800s in the Ottoman Empire, chairs, let alone couches or tables, were scarce, even nonexistent. Even the elaborately tiled rooms of Topkapi Palace, the palace of the sultan, lacked any such furniture; it simply was not a part of the Ottoman culture. So, when the construction of the new palace, Dolmabahce Palace, in the 1840s and 1850s, included not only tables and chairs but also European style decorations and architecture a statement was clearly being made. This was not just a change in style, but a proposed change in lifestyle. It was the rejection of the past Ottoman history, the previous Ottoman way of life, in order to adapt the ways of the newly powerful European nations. It was the sign of the fall of an empire and the rise of the West and the Ottoman acceptance and resistance of that shift.
This struggle between wishing to be part of and accepted by Europe and the Western world and maintaining its own individual Turkish identity and Ottoman history has been an almost constant characteristic of Turkey and continues even today. Though the drastic contrasts between the two palaces do illustrate this point quite plainly, this issue encompasses a far larger scope than just furniture and decorations. After the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and upon the creation of the Turkish Republic in the 1920s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk adamantly pressed the ideas of westernization and modernization on the new nation. The western ideas forced on the people were quickly embraced, from the alphabet to style of dress to houses that seemed to be “little museums designed to demonstrate to a hypothetical visitor that the householders were westernized” (Pamuk 2004: 10). Nevertheless, Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk claims that “as great the desire to westernize and modernize may have been, the more desperate wish was probably to be rid of all the bitter memories of the fallen empire” (Pamuk 2004: 29).
As the forth largest city in the world, Istanbul, Turkey is a completely modern and advanced city. Yet, its heritage and its history have never been forgotten. Turks still have their own unique culture, distinguishing them from any other westernized or European country. They are very proud of their country and their Ottoman past, symbols of which can be seen throughout the city, whether at the mosques, the bazaars, or just walking along the waterways. The walls of their fortresses still stand, their palaces some of the most visited sites in Turkey, all among the consumerism and capitalism of the western world. It seems more than a meeting of two cultures though, and more like a meeting of two separate times.
This drive to be westernized has also created some political conflicts for Turkey. In its effort to once again prove that it is a nation as great and as worthy as those in Europe, Turkey has applied to become a member of the European Union. If accepted, Turkey would be the second largest member of the EU, giving it great political sway in an organization that is not quite sure that they believe Turkey is actually European. In fact, the people of Turkey are not even sure if they want to be European; 60% of Turkish citizens claim that they do not want to be part of the European Union. This division caused by European Union demonstrates yet again Turkey’s desire to be part of the West while at the same time it holds on with pride to its individuality and its history.
This struggle between wishing to be part of and accepted by Europe and the Western world and maintaining its own individual Turkish identity and Ottoman history has been an almost constant characteristic of Turkey and continues even today. Though the drastic contrasts between the two palaces do illustrate this point quite plainly, this issue encompasses a far larger scope than just furniture and decorations. After the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and upon the creation of the Turkish Republic in the 1920s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk adamantly pressed the ideas of westernization and modernization on the new nation. The western ideas forced on the people were quickly embraced, from the alphabet to style of dress to houses that seemed to be “little museums designed to demonstrate to a hypothetical visitor that the householders were westernized” (Pamuk 2004: 10). Nevertheless, Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk claims that “as great the desire to westernize and modernize may have been, the more desperate wish was probably to be rid of all the bitter memories of the fallen empire” (Pamuk 2004: 29).
As the forth largest city in the world, Istanbul, Turkey is a completely modern and advanced city. Yet, its heritage and its history have never been forgotten. Turks still have their own unique culture, distinguishing them from any other westernized or European country. They are very proud of their country and their Ottoman past, symbols of which can be seen throughout the city, whether at the mosques, the bazaars, or just walking along the waterways. The walls of their fortresses still stand, their palaces some of the most visited sites in Turkey, all among the consumerism and capitalism of the western world. It seems more than a meeting of two cultures though, and more like a meeting of two separate times.
This drive to be westernized has also created some political conflicts for Turkey. In its effort to once again prove that it is a nation as great and as worthy as those in Europe, Turkey has applied to become a member of the European Union. If accepted, Turkey would be the second largest member of the EU, giving it great political sway in an organization that is not quite sure that they believe Turkey is actually European. In fact, the people of Turkey are not even sure if they want to be European; 60% of Turkish citizens claim that they do not want to be part of the European Union. This division caused by European Union demonstrates yet again Turkey’s desire to be part of the West while at the same time it holds on with pride to its individuality and its history.
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