Korkut
writes the following:
“During our childhood, there was a reading house called “Itimad
Kiraathanesi”(Trust Reading House) in Nicosia, which had a very big hall and
many members. This place was established under the guidance of Irik Dervish
Efendi[2],
who returned to his homecountry after fighting in the Ottoman-Russian War as an
army educated captain and who later inherited his house to the Lyceum. This
Reading House was situated in the place of today’s Dedezade Khan. In the first
years of the British occupation of 1878, it continued a few years more as an
institution of a good quality. But later many of its members left away, because
of the campaign against Dervish Efendi and it continued for a while in the Old
Police Street where the Mansion of Hadji Rifat Efendi was. (Today the
Misirlioglu Apartment exists in that place.)” [3]
The second institution which was
mentioned by Fadil Bey in his Memoirs is the “Kiraathane-i Osmani” (The Ottoman
Reading House). It was established in 1891 after the suggestion of Belig Pasha[4]
who was a Turkish Cypriot, serving in those years in Egypt as a high ranking
official. It was established only for the notables and it did not have any
constitution or executive committee. Someone appointed by Belig Pasha used to
collect the club membership dues and he
used to use this money for the expences of the club. Korkut writes:
“My brother Raik[5] had sent a letter to a newspaper called “Turk”, which was published in Egypt and suggested some reforms to be done in the religion of Islam. After this article was published, some of his friends did not want to accept him as a member of the Ottoman Reading House and the notables declared him as an infidel (non-believer in Islam), rejecting his membership. It was years later that the Ottoman Reading House turned into a real Club when new type of clubs were established.[6]
According to the information given by Hasan Saffet Hodjalar, among the members of this Club were the judges Münir Bey, Fuat Bey, Raif Bey and Koroglu Mehmetali. The club was supporting the British colonial government. But it did not last long and was closed after ten years.[7]
Salahattin Unlu writes that the Ottoman Reading House was established against the Greek Cypriot Reading House “Kypriakos Syllogos”.[8] Unlu states that the Ottoman Reading House had no constitution and no register of members. “It was a place, where a handful of Ottoman intellectuals, who started to worry about the future of the island, could come together and think what they could do.”[9]
One of the outstanding figures of
the Ottoman Reading House was Tuccarbashi Hadji Dervish[10]
who was an influential personality. He thought that it was not enough only to
talk and discuss with the friends in the Reading House against the ongoing
political situation and they decided to publish a newspaper. Hadji Dervish got
the necessary permission. There was no printing house where they could print
the newspaper. For this purpose they prepared receipts and collected money from
the people. A printing house was established in the Laleli Turkish Quarter of
Nicosia. The first issue of the weekly newspaper “Zaman” (Time) was printed in
this “Zaman Printing House” on 25 December 1891.[11]
A short while after the publication of the
Zaman newspaper, Mehmet Bey and Mustafa Bey applied to the Department of
Secretary-in-Chief of the Yildiz Palace in Istanbul and asked for financial
aid. The Ministry of Interior of the Istanbul Government decided in 1892 to
send 1,500 kurushes to the Zaman newspaper as an aid of the Sultan.[12]
Beria Remzi Ozoran writes the following:
“The post of editor-in-chief was given to Muzafferuddin Galip who was brought from Istanbul for this purpose. The newspaper was published for almost one year and later there was a conflict between Dervish Efendi and the members of the Ottoman Reading Club. Therefore Dervish Efendi published the newspaper in the second year on his own.
But Dervish Efendi was a half-illiterate and he could not write the articles himself and let the other people to do it. He wanted to serve as an obidient subject of Sultan Hamid, that’s why he insisted in publishing the newspaper. In fact, the policy of “Zaman” was to strangle the awakening new ideas in favour of constitutionalism and freedom!
Bodamyalizade Shevket Bey and Ahmet Tevfik Bey had just arrived at Nicosia from Istanbul where they graduated their higher studies and they started to write in “Zaman”. The head-master of the Secondary School “Rushtiye”, Ali Riza Bey, Mufti Ali Rifki, Judge Hilmi Bey were sending sometimes articles to the newspaper. Thus the level of the Zaman newspaper got better and the name of Dervish Efendi was echoed in Yildiz Palace and he was given the title of “Mir-i Miran” in 1894 and Hadji Dervish Efendi became Dervish Pasha.[13]
Since
the cultural level of Dervish Pasha did not increase with the title he
received, he was not able to control the articles which were criticizing the
authorities. Thus, some of the articles were against Memduh Pasha, the Minister
of Interior and Bahri Pasha, the Governor of Adana. Dervish Pasha could not see
that they could harm him one day. And finally Memduh Pasha got angry and
Dervish Pasha was reported to the Sultan and his “Pasha” title was withdrawn.
Dervish Efendi was very sad about this punishment and after some years, he
decided to stop publishing the newspaper
with its last issue of 2 September 1900, No.423.[14]
When
Hadji Dervish Efendi had started to intervene to the content of the articles of
the writers, who had sympathy with the popular pro-Young Turk movement, this
caused trouble in the Ottoman Reading House. Therefore these writers left Zaman
newspaper and started to publish another one with the name of “Yeni Zaman” (New
Times)
The first issue of this newspaper was published on 22.8.1892 by the Ottoman Reading House. The owner was Kufizade Asaf Bey. The slogan of this newspaper was “to serve for the education of the nation of Islam” and “to serve to the Sultan of that period.”[15]
Mrs. Ozoran writes: “The administration of the newspaper was given to the members of the Ottoman Reading House. It was published on Mondays as a weekly newspaper and Kaytazzade Nazim Efendi was one of its writers, who used to publish his articles on various subjects, his essays, translations, poems and novels. Although its editor-in-chief, Muzafferuddin Galip Bey left for Istanbul in the following September, the valuable publication of “Yeni Zaman” continued under the editorship of Faik Bey. The G/C newspaper “Foni dis Gipru” commented that after Galip Bey left, the Yeni Zaman newspaper would stop its publication, unless another writer would be brought from Constantinople. But the T/C intellectuals, especially Kaytazzade Nazim Bey helped a lot to keep the newspaper alive. From then on, the T/C journalism was a fact and took the task to be the tongue, eye and ear of the T/C community despite every kind of difficulty and danger.”[16]
The Yeni Zaman newspaper is remembered with its struggle against the G/C newspaper “Foni dis Gipru” which started its Enosis (union of Cyprus with Greece) campaign with its issue of 10 January 1893. Accordinng to the advocate Yorgo Shagalli, who was also a G/C member of the Legislative Council, the taxes collected then from the people of the island, to be paid by the British to the Ottoman Empire according to the Cyprus Convention were very heavy and the only way to get rid of this was Enosis. Shagalli wanted to give a conference to this effect, but it was blocked, because it would be contrary to the Article 42 of the G/C Reading House “Kipriagos Syllogos”.
The ”Yeni Zaman” newspaper in its issue of 16 January 1893 reproduced the news, letters and articles about this subject from the columns of the “Foni dis Gipru” newspaper and wrote that these publications were unimportant and did not cause any concern, however, it demanded from the government to stop this kind of publications. Yeni Zaman in its issue of 30 January 1893 reminded that the island of Cyprus was being governed by Britain temporarily and it was in vain for the Cypriot Christian citizens to hope that Enosis could be realized with the demonstrations they staged.[17]
Faik Bey for a while started to write against Memduh Pasha, but later one day he left Cyprus for Istanbul and never returned. With his absence, “Yeni Zaman” stopped its publication with its last issue of 27 February 1893 (No.28).
“KIBRIS”
NEWSPAPER
After “Yeni Zaman” was closed,
Kufizade Asaf Bey got the permission in one week to publish the “Kibris”
newspaper in his own name. Its first issue was dated 6 March 1893 and the
address of the administration of the newspaper was again “The Printing House of
the Ottoman Reading House in front of the Sher’i Court in the city of Nicosia
of the island of Cyprus.”
In the beginning, “Kibris” respected the principle of being loyal to the Sultan like “Zaman”, but later it adopted a policy sympathizing with the Young Turks and influenced the people in that direction. Although Mufti Ali Rifki[18] tried to reconcile the two conflicting parties, pro- and anti-Young Turks, by issuing a statement to this effect. But it was not possible to have a compromise between the old and new ideas and this situation continued many years long.
Kibris newspaper was published until 1898 and one day suddenly it stopped its publication. A close relative of Kufizade Asaf Bey informed Remzi Okan, (who was the owner of the newspaper “Soz” and wrote “A Short Story of T/C Journalism”[19]) that Asaf Bey was in correspondence with Memduh Pasha, the Minister of Interior, and he closed his newspaper on the request of the Minister. He even accepted to receive 500 kurushes monthly as a token to his loyalty and he kept on receiving this until the proclamation of the constitutional government in 1908.[20]
ANOTHER YOUNG TURK: AHMET TEVFIK EFENDI
Ahmet Tevfik Efendi, who was born in Rhodes, came to Cyprus after his education in Istanbul and started to work in the “Zaman” newspaper of Hadji Dervish Efendi. When he had a disagreement with Hadji Dervish Efendi, he left “Zaman” and started to publish a fortnightly satirical newspaper called “Kokonoz”, first number being on 27 November 1896.
According to Sukru Hanioglu, Kokonoz had more than 100 subscribers and it was making fun of Muftu’s anti-Young Turk campaign[21] Kokonoz was banned to be imported into the Ottoman Empire[22], thus its publication was stopped after its 22nd issue. Starting from 17 September 1897, “Kokonoz” changed its name into “Akbaba”(Condor), which was now critizing the Sultan Abdulhamit openly and supporting the Young Turks movement. The number of its subscribers reduced and it was impossible for Ahmet Tevfik Efendi to enter the Empire, because he was convicted to death sentence by Abdulhamit.
Akbaba, too, had to stop its publication with its last 23rd issue of 19 August 1898, but Ahmet Tevfik Efendi managed to publish a weekly newspaper after two years under the name of “Mir’at-i Zaman” (Mirror of Time). This was a serious newspaper and a mouthpiece of the Young Turks. The first issue came out on 3.3.1900, lasting until 11.4.1910 (No.367), with some intervals.
Another pro-Young Turk newspaper, published fortnightly, was “Feryad” (Cry), owned by Hodjazade Osman Enveri Efendi. Its first issue came out on 11 December 1899 as the organ of the “Ittihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti” (Unity and Progress Association) in Cyprus. “Feryad” started to serialize the booklets of the “Cemiyet”, but had to stop its publication after the fourth issue. The owner was put on a salary of 300 kurushes by the Ottoman government.[23]
When the first congress of the Young Turks convened in Paris on 4 Februray 1902, there were participants from Cyprus too.[24]
TURK TEAVUN CEMIYETI
“Mir’at-i Zaman” newspaper reports that in 1908, like the Ottoman Kiraathanesi in Nicosia, there were similar reading houses in Scala[25] and Famagusta[26]
The famous T/C Printer M.Akif
mentions in one of his articles that an association called “Turk Teavun
Cemiyeti” (Turkish Charity Association) was established in the last days of the
despotism in 1908, by Hafız Ahmet Raik, Mustafa Naim and Fadil Niyazi. Here it
must be stressed that the Ottoman Moslem citizens living in Cyprus established
for the first time an association with the word “Turkish” in it. Akif again
writes that this association staged many theatrical plays until 1914.[27]
Fadil Niyazi gives us the following information about this association:
“After the “freedom”, an association called “Turk Teavun Cemiyeti” was established in Nicosia. The members of this association used to meet in private houses and think about the ways of serving to this country. In the meanwhile, they performed some plays for the benefit of the Nicosia Girls’ School and presented to the school sewing machines, benches and some other material.
It was stated in the “Mir’at-ı
Zaman” newspaper that a branch of the Turk Teavun Cemiyeti was established in
Limassol in 1909 and preparations were made to stage the theatre-play
“Gulnihal” of Namik Kemal for the benefit of the Limasolian Turkish schools.[28]
As we read again from the “Mir’at-i
Zaman” newspaper, a theatre-play called “Young Turk” was staged in the
Karavyodi Theatrehouse in Larnaca on the evening of 6th March 1909,
by the young members of the “Ahrar Kiraathanesi” (Free-Persons’ Reading House)
from Scala of Tuzla, featuring an Armenian woman (Miss Stananyan) in the
leading role. Together with the Mohammedans, some British and many Greek
Cypriot citizens and their spouses had watched the play which was for the
benefit of Girl Schools of Scala and Tuzla.[29]
On the occasion of the declaration
of Constitutional Government in Istanbul in 1908, the intellectuals of the
Cypriot Mohammedans organized an entertainment in the Ottoman Reading House and
cannons were exploded.[30]
Fadil Niyazi Bey writes the following, different than his account above, in his “Memoirs”:
“After
the news that “Freedom” was declared in Turkey came to Cyprus, the youth made a
march in the evening through the streets of Nicosia, shouting the verses from
Namik Kemal “Our aim and objective is the future of our home-country”. I was
among the crowd together with other civil servants like me. Those people, who
used to be pro-Abdulhamit until that day, joined us to sing our song. One day
later, we saw that the whole people of Cyprus was now in favour of a
constitutional government. After constitutionalism, we observed that political
clubs were established in Turkey. We, as members of the “Turk Teavun Cemiyeti”,
my brother Raik and the teacher Niyazi Efendi[31],
decided to establish a new type of club and we established the first club under
the name of “Terakki Kulubu” (The Progress Club). This club was in the
Medjidiye Street, in the building of Salim Aziz’s home of today. Many youth,
who were not members of the “Turk Teavun Cemiyeti”, joined this club. My brother
Raik was elected as the secretary of the club. (Shevki Ishin was among the
founders and later he was influential in uniting the Terakki and Hurriyet
Clubs.[32])
The
pro-Evkaf people did not look upon the unity of the youth with a good eye.
Because all the youth in this association were against the policies of Evkaf.
Maybe that’s why they enrolled some pro-Evkaf personalities to the Terakki
Kulubu, like Fadil Niyazi’s bigger brother Djemal, Kufizade Asaf Bey[33]
and finally Irfan Bey[34],
the Turkish Delegate of Evkaf. They were able to turn the “Terakki Kulubu” into
a pro-Evkaf Club. Fadil Niyazi and his friends, together with some merchants
and shopkeepers had to establish another club under the name of “Hurriyet Club”
which organized the anti-Evkaf youth. [35]
Fadil
Bey tells us in his “Memoirs” that he visited the Numan Efendi, who was the
Kadi of Cyprus, head of the Moslem Sher’i Courts and protested many times the
British colonial government, which did not support the rights of the Turkish
Cypriots in the Evkaf. Fadil Bey complained that some influential personalities
like his brother Raik Bey, who was the secretary of the Terakki Kulubu and
Veysi Bey[36], who
was one of the founders of the Hurriyet Kulubu, were resisting to the
unification of the two clubs. Numan Efendi who was respected by both of them
were able to convince them separately and the two clubs united under the name
“Hurriyet ve Terakki Kulubu” (Freedom and Progress Club) in 1910.[37]
The “Turk Teavun Cemiyeti” was active within this new formation too where it
staged a few theatre-plays, collecting for example, on the evening of 2 May
1914, 26 pounds, 8 shillings from a play, staged by the club in Nicosia. But
the most successful activity was the organization of the “Exhibition for the
Benefit of the Ottoman Fleet”.[38]
Fadil Bey gives a detailed report of their theatre activities in the hall, made
available by Belig Pasha between 1910 and 1914.
The revenues of these activities were sent to the Fund of “National
Solidarity with the Ottoman Fleet” in Istanbul. Thus the “Hurriyet ve Terakki
Kulubu” was awarded a medal and a certificate by the Sultan Reshid. The
activities had to be stopped by the begin of the First World War.
But we learn from the “Dogruyol” newspaper that the “Hurriyet ve Terakki Kulubu” was still active, staging theatre-plays until the end of 1920, for example one was performed on the evening of 25 March 1920, for the benefit of the victims of the earthquake in Izmir, where Miss Katina played the role of Dilruba without asking for any money in the play “Akif Bey”.[39]
“TURK OCAGI”
Fadil Bey writes in the chapter “Turkish hearth in Cyprus” in his “Memoirs” that when the “Türk Ocağı” (Turkish Hearth) was established in Istanbul, Dr.Pertev, Dr.Shevki and Dr.Kufi were students at the Faculty of Medicine there and they became members of this club and followers of the idea of “Turkish youth”. When they came to Cyprus during the summer holiday in 1913, the Cyprus branch of the Turkish Hearth was opened after consultations with Istanbul and Fadil Bey’s brother Djemal was elected as its first secretary. After a while he resigned and Fadil Bey was elected as the secretary until the First World War began. In 1914 he was accused as a sympathizer of the Ottomans and he was appointed to Paphos where he stayed 4 years until the beginning of the war. Later he went to Istanbul in order to study Law.[40]
FIRST NICOSIA TURKISH FOOTBALL CLUB
After the British came to Cyprus in 1878, football was started to be played in the schools and the first football team was formed in 1902 at the Idadi (Moslem Secondary School) by Mr.Thompson, a teacher of English language[41] and the first T/C footbal club was established in 1910 under the name of “Lefkosa Turk Futbol Ocagi” (Nicosia Turkish Football Hearth).[42] This first Turkish Cypriot football club had members of Turkish Cypriot secondary school students, the policemen and the civil servants with the support of the respected personalities like Ahmet Raik Bey and advocate Ahmet Djemal Efendi who were members of the “Hurriyet Kulubu”.[43]
(This footbal club was closed in 1922 and the same football players formed the “Lefkosa Türk Spor Kulubu” (Nicosia Turkish Sport Club), which was one of the co-founders of the Cyprus Footbal Federation (KOP) in 1934 and the only T/C club which was represented in the First League of Cyprus. It merged later with Cetinkaya Turkish Sport Club in 1949 to establish today’s “Cetinkaya Turk Spor Birliği”.)
In the old says, the football clubs used to stage theatre-plays. For example the “Soz” newspaper of 3 February 1937 (No.1130) reports that the Nicosia Turkish Sport Club was preparing for a performance during the Kurban Bairam, the play “The Forgotten Man” under the directorship of advocate Fadil Korkut. The same football club staged the play “Venetian Merchant” in February 1938 in the Papadopullos Cinema.[44]
The only Turkish Cypriot theatre hall in Nicosia which was built by Belig Pasha in 1920 was closed after a while, because it was not built according the official regulations. The Soz newspaper of 22 January 1938 (No.1119) urged Behiye Hanım, the daughter of Belig Pasha, to renovate this cinema which in fact she did in the same year and this Belig Pasha Cinema was used by the Turkish Cypriot for cultural and social meetings until 1953 when it was destroyed by a fire.
“BİRLİK OCAĞI”
We
continue with the account of Fadil Bey from the Birlik newspaper. He writes
that the activities of the “Hurriyet ve Terakki Kulubu” came to an end with the
onset of the First World War in 1914. Gambling started there and it turned into
a bar, after getting permission to sell alcohol.
When
Fadil Bey came from Istanbul at the end of 1922, the club was almost inactive
in a building in the back street of the post-office. The social clubs in
Nicosia were more than enough and he proposed the merger of “Hurriyet ve
Terakki Kulubu” with the “Turk Dernegi”, but the members of the “Turk Dernegi”
rejected it. The club as a social institution should be re-structured and
turned into an association which would serve to the benefit of the country
under the slogan of “for the people”. The club moved into the big coffee-house
at the Asmaalti Square. Some changes were made in its constitution and it
turned into a philantropic institution, away from internal and external
politics. The name of “Ittihat ve Terakki Kulubu” was changed into “Birlik
Ocağı” (Unity Hearth) on 1 November 1923.[45]
Fadil
Bey was elected as its first secretary. The tradition of the previous club for
staging theatre-plays started again. The first theatre-play was staged on 27
July 1923 for the benefit of the Charity Fund of the Club in the open-air
cinema, where the post-office is today and the play was called “Yavuklunun
mendili” (Handkerchief of the lover), written by Fadil Bey, The same play was
staged later by the Limassolian youth. The hall of the new building was
suitable for small scaled evening programmes and some short plays were staged
there. After the club changed its name into Hearth, the play called “Sultan
Djem” was staged on 1 February 1924. Three conferences were given during the
month of Ramadan and an exhibition of
national industry was organized. 15 pounds were lended to a ironmonger
and a student was sent to Istanbul for learning a skilled job.[46]
The other important activity of the “Birlik Ocağı” was to publish a newspaper under the name of “Birlik” (Unity) for propagating the aims of the Hearth. When the “Birlik” newspaper was published its first issue on 4 January 1924, the Lausanne Agreement was already signed which gave the Turkish Cypriots the right to keep their Turkish citizenship. Mehmet Remzi’s Soz newspaper was campaigning for a mass emigration to Turkey, whereas Birlik published a series of articles by Fadil Bey and Osman Nuri Bey against this so-called “national cause”. The Birlik newspaper was for a while the mouthpiece of the “Birlik Ocağı”, but later its administration was handed over to Hadji Bulgurzade Ahmet Hulusi Efendi.[47]
The theatre branch of the “Birlik Ocagı” was most successful after the Hearth was moved to Sarayonu Square (upper part of the Vatan Pharmacy), performing the Turkish theatre play “Akin” and the Shakespeare classics “Venetian Merchant” and “Othello”, all directed by Fadil Bey. In one occasion, he was congratulated by the British governor Storrs that the performance was successful.”[48]
“BİRLİK OCAGI” TURNS INTO “KARDESH OCAGI”
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the British occupation of the island on 9 July 1928, there was a campaign to make celebrations, but the T/C were against it, because the Ottoman flag was pulled down on that day. Advocate Fadil Niyazi, Dr.Pertev, Necmi Avkiran and Shevket Bahcheli were members of the Nicosia Municipal Council and they published a statement protesting against the Governor Storrs’ campaign that the Turkish Cypriots should mourn, instead of celebrating the day.
Mr.Storrs phoned Munir Bey, the Turkish Cypriot delegate of Evkaf and later a great majority of the Turkish Cypriot civil servants were forced to resign from the “Birlik Ocagı”, which had Fadil Bey as its President. Only a few free professionals and 20-30 shop-keepers were left and they wanted to change the name of the hearth and have a new President. Fadil Bey resigned from the presidency and the name was changed into “Kardesh Ocagı” (Brother’s Hearth) in January 1931.[49]
Fadil Bey comments that maybe Mr.Storrrs had understood a secret meaning of “Unity”! Misirlizade Mehmet Nedjati was already active in politics and he collected signatures on a paper from the people who were against the statement of the Turkish Cypriot councillors. Who adviced this to him was not known, but after a while he was confronted with Mr.Storrs in the elections of 1930.[50]
THE CYPRUS BRANCH OF “ITTIHAT VE TERAKKI CEMIYETI”
Zihni Imamzade gives us the
following information about the activities of the “Ittihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti”
(ITC) (Unity and Progress Association) of the Ottoman Empire in Cyprus: “The first activity on the island was
the inauguration of the “Ittihat ve Terakki Kulubu” (The Unity and Progress
Club) in 1909 in Paphos. Djemal Has Bey, originally a native of Paphos who
emigrated to Istanbul when he was young and who was a Financial Inspector in
Istanbul, kept his contact with his friends back in Paphos and registered his
fellow townsmen to this organization when they came to Istanbul for higher
education. He helped the university students to establish a branch of the
Association in Paphos with the support of the pro-ITC teachers.[51]
Among the founders of the club, which started its activities in 1909 in Paphos in a room on the second floor of a shop of a G/C, named Yerui, were Hafuz Ramadan, Dr.Eyyup Necmeddin and advocate Hulus Bey who later became a judge. The Paphos Club had 27 official members and in the Scala branch, the Kenan brothers, Orundalizade and a lot of other personalities from Tuzla were members. Among the members of the Club opened in Nicosia were Advocate Hafiz Djemal, Shevki Bey from Famagusta, Hasan Hamit, Huseyin Bey, Fadil Korkut and Raik Bey.[52]
Ahmet Raik Bey, brother of Fadil Bey and one of the founders of the Nicosia Terakki Club, spoke on a literary evening on 21 August 1909, citing the constitution of the club which said: “The reason why we established this club under the name of Progress was to work for the enlightenment of our community by publishing and disseminating the progressive ideas.”
According to Imamzade, one of the objectives of the ITC was to prepare rebellions and revolts on the lost Ottoman territories and to make a policy of regaining these territories back to the Ottoman Empire. The education of cadres and disseminating them among the old subjects of the empire were their aim. That’s why the teachers, who were ITC members, were sent to Cyprus from Turkey to teach at the only Turkish Cypriot secondary school in Nicosia.
Among them who were head-masters of the Lycee, were Semsettin Gunaltay (from 1907 to 1909 in Cyprus, who later became Prime Minister of Turkey), Mucteba Oktem (1912-1924), Hikmet Ertaylan, Shevket Sureyya Aytach and Kazim Nami Duru (1925-1928, who one of the founders of the Ottoman Freedom Association established in Tsalonika in September 1906).
These educators were using the same Anatolian cirricula used in the Ottoman Empire in the Turkish Cypriot schools in Cyprus. They were able to bring books from Turkey even during the First World War.
W.W.Weir, who made a research on the history of education in Cyprus, writes that as he learned in an interview with Muderris M.Hulusi of Larnaca, “some rebels escaped before the revolution of 1909 to Cyprus where they could easily disseminate their reformist ideas to the people in a more secure atmosphere under the British Administration. One of these men became a teacher in Cyprus and at the end of the year, he was expelled together with his friends by the conservative pro-British Mohammedans.”[53]
Imamzade gives this example of Shemsettin Gunaltay who came to Cyprus as a teacher in 1901 and organized the Turkish Cypriots in the branches of the ITC in Cyprus. But he was caught and expelled from Cyprus by the British Colonial Administration. He also tells that according to the British Law of Education from 1905, the elementary school teachers were recruited from Cyprus and the secondary school teachers were brought to Cyprus through the Ministry of Education of Turkey. They had to be members of ITC and supporters of the “Turk Ocağı” (Turkish Hearth).[54]
The other Turkish Cypriot newspapers which were supporting the policy of ITC after the revolution of 1908 were Sunuhat (1906-1912) and Seyf (1912-1914).
Milyalizade M.Zeki whose father was a T/C Young Turk, Milyali Ahmet Lutfu, gives us some names of mainland Young Turks who had been in Cyprus: Serezli Hoca Muhiddin, Captain Saffet, Dr. Behaeddin, Dr. Galip, Vizeli Hoca Riza, Poet Eshref from Izmir, Dr. Nihat Reshat and many other Turkish intellectuals. Those who were local supporters were his brother Pharmacist Asim, Ahmet Remzi, Hafiz Mulazim, Akçali Raif, Jon Rifat and many others.[55]
[1] Ahmet An, Kıbrıs’ın yetiştirdiği degerler
(1782-1899), Ankara 2002, p.362
[2] see ibid, p.118
[3] Fadıl Niyazi Korkut, Hatiralar, Gazimagusa 2000, p.59
[4] see A.An, ibid, p.128
[5] Ahmet Raik Caglar, see Ahmet An, agy, p.345
[6] The first building of the Ottoman reading Club was in front of the
today’s Evkaf Building where the Arif Kufi Pharmacy used to be. Later it moved
to the building built in 1919 and used later as Sarayonu Branch of the Barclays
Bank (Today’s Nicosia Branch of the Vakiflar Bank).
[7] Ortam, 8 April 1993
[8] Rolandos Katsiaunis writes that the Kypriakos Syllagos was
established on 21 May 1879 in Nicosia after the merger of four G/C clubs called
Solon, Zenon, Omonia and Elpis. Only the notables could become members of this
club. (Labour, Society and Poltics in Cyprus, Nicosia 1996, p.78. The “Agabi du
Lau”(Love of the People) was established in February 1891 as a club open for
all and it accepted its second constitution on 29 December 1892. It also
decided to open a library. (p.164) This club, contrary to the Kypriakos
Syllogos, started to celebrate the Day of Independence of Greece on 25 March
and in 1896 voted the nationalist katalanos, instead of Liassides. (p.216)
[9] Kibrıs’ta Basin Olayi (1878-1981), Ankara 1981, p.17
[10] see, A.An, ibid, p.85
[11] Although “Saded” (The Subject), as the first T/C newspaper, was
published in Nicosia, but it did not have an influential organization behind it
and after four months it had to close. Ahmet Emin Efendi was Director of
Properties in Limassol and after he retired on 1 April 1889, he published on 11
July 1889 the first issue of the “Saded”. This weekly newspaper could only be
published only 16 issues and its last number was dated 14 November 1889.
Unfortunately not a single copy of this newspaper survived to our day.
[12] ibid, p.64-65
[13] See M.H.Altan, ibid, p.68-69
[14] İngiliz Gecici İdaresi Devrinde Kibris’ta Türk Gazeteciligi, Turk
Kulturu, Ankara, Sayi:471-472, Mart 1966
[15] B.R.Ozoran, ibid
[16] Kibris Postasi, Yeni Yil ve Ethem Onur Ozel Sayisi, Ankara, Ocak
1980
[17] S.Unlu, ibid, p.23-25
[18] see A.An, ibid, p.120
[19] Soz, Nicosia, 20 July-17 August 1933
[20] B.R. Ozoran, ibid. Mehmet Demiryurek documented that the Kibris
newspaper of 11 April 1898 was prohibited to enter the Ottoman Empire. (see
Kibris Turk Basini ve Turkiye Hukumetleri I (Osmanlı donemi) (1878-1910),
Ankara Universitesi, Turk Inkilap Tarihi Enstitüsü Dergisi, Sayı:25-26,
Mayis-Kasim 2000)
[21] The Young Turks in Opposition, Oxford University Press, 1985, p.
109
[22] M.Demiryurek, ibid
[23] B.R.Ozoran, ibid
[24] Sina Aksin, Jon Turkler ve Ittihad ve Terakki, İstanbul 1987, p.43
[25] 7 December 1908
[26] 9 March 1908
[27] Halkin Sesi, 12 February 1952 and 18 January 1944
[28] 15 November 1909 (No.351), see Harid Fedai, ibid, 5 September 1993
[29] 1 and 15 March 1909 (No.321 and No.323)
[30] 3 August 1908 and 14 September 1908
[31] A.An, ibid, p.342
[32] A.An, ibid, p.380
[33] A.An, ibid, p.157
[34] A.An, ibid, p.195
[35] M.Akif, Halkin Sesi, 24 January 1953. See Mir’at-i Zaman, 20 Eylül
1909, news about the establishment of the Hurriyet Kulubu. See also for a different
account in “Open letter to the owner of Soz newspaper, Mehmet Remzi, by Fadil
Niyazi, Birlik, 29 August 1924, No.32, (Harid Fedai, Eski Basinimizdan, Kibris,
25 December 2000)
[36] A.An, ibid, p.286
[37] F.N. Korkut, ibid, p.59-61
[38] ibid, p.63
[39] Dogruyol, 29 March 1920 (No.27), 6 December 1920,
[40] F.N.Korkut, ibid, p.63
[41] Kibris Erkek Lisesi Mecmuasi 1933-1934 Yilliği
[42] Information given by Recai Turan in Kaynak Kultur ve Arastirma
Dergisi, Mart 1977, No.2, p.67
[43] ibid
[44] Soz, 19 February 1938, No.1130
[45] Birlik, 29 August 1924, No.32
[46] ibid. See also F.N.Korkut,
Hatiralar, the chapter of “Return to the life of clubs”
[47] A.An, p.311
[48] F.N.Korkut, ibid, p.48-49
[49] See more information about the new constitution of “Kardesh Ocagı”, Ali Nesim, Yeni Kibris
dergisi, August-September 1986
[50] ibid, p.36 and p.68
[51] see Ulus Irkad, Ittihat ve Terakki, Ortam, 10 April 1993
[52] ibid, 12 April 1993
[53] Education in Cyprus, p.76
[54] Ortam, 13 April 1993
[55] Emekçi, 2 Kasim 1948, No.138
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