An Illegitimate Child: Pt IV
by Dr. Henry Astarjian
http://www.asbarez.com/TARC/Astardjian4.htm
CULTURE (Literature, education, performing arts, creative arts, religion, cuisine): There isn’t a single Turkish writer or a poet who has contributed anything to world literature. Turkey does not have the Arab and Persian worlds’ Haafiz, Omar Khayyam, Khalil Jbraan, or Abul Alaa El-Ma’aari; Armenians do. When they came from Central Asia, they had a single string of cat gut stretched over a goat skin drum, and a bow of another cat gut which they rubbed against each other to create some kind of a sound, or is it noise, that was their musical instrument, “Rabbaba.” It later became “Cheufta Telli.” The rules and the basis of what is known as “Turkish music” were established by Armenians. Men like Kemani Tatiyos Asdghikzade Sebuh, Kanuni Artaki Terzian, Udi Arshak Chomlekchian, Levon Khanjian, Onnig Kazazian, Nigoghos Effendi, Asdik Agha, Hampartsum effendi, Ardaki Jandan, and Udi Hrant were the fathers of Ottoman Turkish music.
Turks have not written a single opera, what they perform is all European, and the undisputed father of this field is Dickran Chukhajian. Where is Turkey’s Khachaturian, Gomidas, Mardiros Sarian, Jansem, or Karzu? Those who established and developed theater were none other than Armenians, people like Mardiros Minakian, Hagop Vartovian (Gullu Agop), Bedros Atamian, Vahram Papazian, Verkine, Araxi, Nvart, Arusyag, Alexanian, and Shahinian.
EDUCATION: Their base was the Koran for Arabic, and a mixture of Farsi, Armenian, and Kurdish for language. Kemalism allowed European languages, and now the Turkish language is a bastardized version of Latin, French, German, and recently, of course, Americanese.
The Aq-Koyunlus, the Kara Koyunlus, the Seljuqs, and the Tatars had no letters, and no writings. They knew no math, geometry, astronomy, medicine, and had no type of educational background. The Armenians, the Arabs, and the Persians did.
Please tell me what are we going to learn from the ignorant, uneducated Turk who after 75 years of Kemalism has 60 percent illiteracy? Over 90 percent of Armenians are not only literate, but educated.
Some of the famous Armenians who led Ottoman educational system were Tovmas Terzian, Hagop Boyajian, Yervant Osgan, Hovsep Yusufian, Prof. Komurjian, and Arture Saraffian, to name a few. Today, thousands of schools in Anatolia and other parts of Turkey remain without teachers, and a vast majority of their children, especially girls remain totally illiterate. This is the future generation of Turkey with which our offspring is to do business, if left to the AAA and HoHoSha.
RELIGION: Turkic Central Asian tribes had no religion. The Khazars (Gezer: Turkish for wanderers), Turkic tribes of the 7th and 8th centuries, displaced by the Chinese, settled in the Volga River valley, and eventually converted to Judaism. “They constitute the cradle of Western Jewry,” wrote Arthur Koestler in The Thirteenth Tribe. They populated Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria, and eventually populated the present day Israel. Those who conquered Asia Minor converted to Islam.
Armenians are celebrating their 1700th anniversary of adopting Christianity. Religion should not be an issue, but in the eyes of the Ottomans, even in today’s Turkey, Armenians are “Giavours” (Infidels), and their killing is “Halaal.” More than 40 percent of Turks are Islamists (to be differentiated from Muslims). Armenians do very well in the rest of the Islamic world, e.g. Iran and the Arab world, but not Turkey.
CUISINE: Central Asian Turkic tribes discovered fire centuries after the rest of the world. They eventually figured out how to apply meat to fire, and voila, kebab was born. Today’s famous Turkish cuisine is Armenian and Greek. Like everything in our heritage they have confiscated and utilized this one too.
LAW: Koranic law aside, civil and criminal laws were written and taught by Armenians. The undisputed father of Turkish law is none other than Professor Krikor Zohrab, who educated hundreds of Turks to become lawyers, only to be killed with his friend—another member of the Turkish “Parliament”—Vartkes, on orders of Ittihad ve Terraqi, by Cherkez Ahmed and Nazem Bey.
ARCHITECTURE: The one and only Turkish claim to fame in this field is “Mi’mar Sinan” who is Armenian and his name is Sinanian. Shamelessly, the Turks presented him to the world as a Turk (Such as they did in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, a few years ago prompting Armenian demonstrations). Other giants in architecture are the Balyan family; Krikor, Garabed, Nigoghos. Kutahian, world famous and much sought after pottery and ceramics are pure Armenian art and creation. Only a few years ago some were auctioned off at Sotheby’s in London. They claim that to be Turkish creation too!
MEDICINE: Armenians educated the invading Turks not to use dead mice as a poltice on a wound. They taught them modern medicine, and the Turkish elite trusted the Armenian rather than the incompetent untrustworthy Turkish doctor who might have an eye on their women. Doctors like Boghos Sasian, Manuel Sasian, Kaspar Sinanian, Kapriel ***** Seryan, Hagop Davidian, Mgrdich *****, Dickran Ajemian, and Michael Horasanji, served the Ottoman Courts and the Sultans. The nations military powder mills were trusted to the Dadians, Ohannes and Boghos; the nations Treasury to Hagop Kazazian *****.
The next item is BUSINESS: Despite the embargo, Armenia, including Karabagh, is full of Turkish goods. Turkish songs and audio tapes sell like hot cakes in Armenia. Even Turkish songs like “Salla, salla mendilimi” together with a minimum of 10 songs have changed their lyrics into Armenian and are being played constantly in Armenia, and now in weddings in the Diaspora. Does Turkey import a single recording of Armenian songs?
Don’t be ridiculous!
What Armenia can export to Turkey is beyond me. Oops! I made a mistake: Armenia exports busloads of girls to Erzrum and Kars, some of whom reach Istanbul. They earn valuable Turkish lira (1,500,000 to a US dollar) catering to Turkish men. That much for Armenia’s gains from TARC lovy-dovy in the field of business.
Next on TARC’s agenda is TOURISM: Please tell me how many Turks will come to see Etchmiadzin, Khor Virab, the monuments of Sardarabad, Kharakilisa, Bash Abaran, or the Yerevan Opera, and the Madenataran? How many of them will visit the home and museum of Barouyr Sevag or Avedis Isahagian? Counter this with the number of Armenians who will go to Ani, see Ararat from the other side, go to visit Aghtamar in Van, and other sacred Armenian historic land and die of anger and hatred. Here, too, Armenians are the suckers.
What will the Turks get? Hegemony in the region. A new market for their products, highway access to Central Asia and Azerbaijan, and implementation of their pan-Turkic, Turanian schemes. All this without even raising a finger to address the issues of lifting the embargo, accepting the Genocide, opening the borders, or establishing diplomatic ties with Armenia.
So, what do Armenians get out of this TARC, nerve soothing cultural and business intercourse? Absolutely ZILCH.
One can shoot down every single item on TARC’s agenda if one approaches it with shrewdness and wisdom, rather than stupidity and naiveté. Armenian Assembly’s and HoHoSha’s exercise is nothing but stupid and naive. It is motivated by the same psychology, which eventually binds the prisoner with his jailer. It is obvious and clear that the Armenian Assembly, headed by the Genocide revisionist and doubter Hrair Hovnanian, and his lackey “Sayin” Van, is doing State Department’s dirty work at the expense of the Armenian Nation, and that’s a pity. Should we negotiate with the Turks? Of course we should. Stay tuned!
Source: The Armenian Weekly,
August 18, 2001
http://www.asbarez.com/TARC/Astardjian4.htm
