Ataturk is the national hero of Turkey. He founded the modern Turkish Republic out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire; an empire that was seen as the sick man of Europe at the turn of the century. His modern perspective created a new nation and a country, and a secular state understanding different from most other Islamic countries was introduced by him. Once you step in Turkey, you will see his statues and the busts all over. One of the best books written about Ataturk from a foreigner’s point of view is the book titled ” The Rebirth of a Nation” by Lord Kinross.

He was born in the year 1881 in Thessaloniki, at that time, within the Ottoman Empire’s borders at that time, in Greece at present . His full name was Mustafa Kemal and the Ataturk surname, meaning the father of Turks, was given to him by the Turkish people (1934 November 24th.) in accordance with the reforms he introduced to create a modern Turkish country.

His background was military, and he served in various posts in the Ottoman army. During the First World War , he was the colonel in charge of Infantry at Gallipoli in 1915 and it was his genious defense tactics that prevented the allied forces ( British, French, Anzacs – Australians and New Zealenders and Senegalese) from capturing the Dardanelles and eventually Bosphorus.

His success and fast growing reputation disturbed the capital and to keep him under control he was promoted to Pasha ( General ). When the War ended the armies of the allied forces occupied nearly all corners of the country including Istanbul. Sultan and many of the people saw a hopeful future in the acceptance of either the British or American mandate. Ataturk, however, had a very different vision. He left Istanbul in a small boat, namely Bandirma ( a nice model of the boat may be seen at the Ataturk Museum in Ataturk’s Mausoleum, Ankara), going ashore at Samsun, a coastal town in the Black Sea, on the 19th. of May 1919 ( a date later to be presented by Ataturk to the Turkish Youth as the Turkish Youth Day), the day the War of Independence began. He wanted Independence.

First with skirmishes , in time with proper army troops, Ataturk and his army friends’ armies started fighting the enemy. Ankara was chosen to be Ataturk’s headquarter for its central location and the seeds of a new country were planted there. He and his friends wanted to replace the Monarchy with a Republic. The War of Independence took some three years and by the end of the year 1922, all of the invaders had left the country. The Ottoman Sultan fled in a British boat. The birth of a new nation had begun.

Ataturk’s Revolutions

Political Revolutions

The Sultanete was abolished in 1922, November 1st.
The Republic was declared in 1923, October 29th.
The Caliphship was abolished in 1924, March 3rd.

Social Reformations

The hat as opposed to fez was introduced. (1925)
The activities of religious sects were banned by law. ( 1925)
Western calender was introduced. ( 1925)
International numeric system was introduced. ( 1928)
The Metric system was introduced. ( 1931)
The nicknames and personal titles were abolished.  ( 1934)
Religious attire was prohibited in public ( 1934). According to this law, religious personalities, irrespective of the religious groups they belong were not to wear religious attire in public but only in their sanctuaries.
The surname law.( 1934)
The modern secular system of jurisprudence is instead of religious law is integrated.( 1926)
The liberation of the women of Turkey by giving them political and social rights.
a) Rights brought with medeni kanun ( 1926)
b) Rights for women to be elected for the parliment

Educational and Cultural Reformations

Unity in Education ( 1924 )
Introduction and the acceptance of the Roman alphabeth. ( 1928 )
The foundation of Turkish History Institution
The foundation of Turkish Language Institution

The Principles of Ataturk ( Kemalism)

The doctrines of Ataturk or Kemalism is a system of thought based on the facts of Turkey. It is shaped with the will of the Turkish nation through a long historical background. Above all, Kemalism  is the introduction and the rendering of the rights to the nation. It is the expression of the national sovereignity.It is an attempt to reach the level of the modern civilizations, it is westernization, modernization. It requires to experience a modern social life, to establish a secular state, and to govern with a positive science mentality.
The principles of Kemalism can be viewed in two groups: “The Basic Principles” and “The Complementary Principles”.

The definition of the principles as Ataturk has expressed them:

The Basic Principles

Republicanism
Nationalism
Popularism
Etatism
Secularism
Revolutionism

The Complementary Principles

National Sovereignity
National Independance
National Unitiy and Togetherness
Peace at home Peace abroad
Modernization
Scientificism and Rationalism
Humanitarianism

Ataturk’s Address to the Turkish Youth

Turkish youth!
Your first duty is to project and preserve the Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic forever . This is the very foundation of your existence and your future. This foundation is your most precious treasure. In the future, too, there may be malovelent people at home and abroad, who wish to deprive you of this treasure. If some day you are compelled to defend your independence and your republic, you must not tarry to weigh the possibilities and circumstances of the situation before taking up your duty. These possibilities and circumstances may turn out to be extremely unfavorable. The enemies conspiring against your independence and your Republic may have behind them a victory unprecedented in the annals of the world. By violence and ruse, all the fortresses of your beloved fatherland may be captured, all its shipyards occupied, all its armies dispersed and every part of the country invaved. And sadder and graver than all these circumstances, those who hold power within the country may be in error, misguided and may even be traitors. Furthermore, they may identify their personal interests with the political designs of the invaders. The country may be impoverished, ruined and exhausted.

You, the youth of Turkey’s future, even in such circumstances, it is your duty to save the Turkish independence and Republic. The strength you need is in your noble blood within your veins

About 450m (1,500 ft.) uphill from the Lascaux Caves, a minor road branches off and runs through a forest until it reaches the Site Préhistorique de Regourdou. Discovered in 1954, this site is believed to be a center for a prehistoric bear cult. Found at the site were the sepulcher and skeleton of a Neanderthal man, surrounded by the sepulcher and skeletons of several bears.

Also on the site is an archaeological museum, and about 20 semi-wild bears that roam around a naturalized habitat that’s barricaded against humans. The only way to experience this site (including the museum) is on a guided tour, conducted in both French and English. Tours depart frequently.

Quick Facts

Mount Sinai (also called Jebel Musa or Mount Moses) on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is the traditional site where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. There are some small chapels at the summit, from which there are spectacular sunrise views. The starting point for the climb, and an unmissable sight in itself, is St. Catherine’s Monastery at the base of the mountain.

In the Bible

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up…. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt…. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:1-14, NIV)

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very day—they came to theDesert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me….” (Exodus 19; the Ten Commandments are given at Exodus 20:1-17)

Authenticity

The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide variety of theories have been offered by scholars. No particular evidence supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as Mount Sinai. However, the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites is not without significance.

What to See

From St. Catherine’s Monastery, it is an uphill hike or camel ride to the summit of Mount Sinai (2285m). This is identified as the mountain where Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God. The main route to the summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic: Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is lined with remains of various chapels. This is a very popular place from which to watch the sunrise, which is spectacular.

There is both a mosque and a chapel at the summit of Mount Moses. The Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 using the remains of the chapel built by Justinian in the 6th century. Justinian’s chapel itself replaced an earlier chapel, built in 363.

Clearly visible from the mountain is the village of St. Catherine, located some distance from the Monastery on the El Raha plain. It is an old settlement that has received considerable development in recent years.

The twin towers of the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady) have been Munich’s major landmark since they were added in 1525. The church is the largest in Munich and one of largest Gothic buildings in southern Germany.

History

The site of the Frauenkirche was originally occupied by a 13th-century Marian chapel. Two hundred years later, Prince Sigismund ordered a new, much bigger church to be built on the site. Designed by Jörg von Halspach and Lukas Rottaler, the Frauenkirche was completed in 1488. The towers, topped by distinctive copper onion domes, were not added until 1525.

Only a fragile shell of the soaring Gothic structure remained after the bombings of World War II, but the beloved Frauenkirche was soon rebuilt using the rubble that remained.

What to See

The exterior of the rebuilt Frauenkirche is strikingly simple, yet dignified. Instead of the typical flying buttresses, huge props on the inside support the edifice and separate the side chapels. Twenty-two simple octagonal pillars support the Gothic vaulting over the nave and chancel.

Inside, the church at first seems to have no windows — except for the tall chancel window, the windows are all hidden by the enormous pillars. According to legend, the devil was so delighted at the notion of hidden windows and stamped in glee at the stupidity of the architect — look for the strange footlike mark called “the devil’s step” in the entrance hall.

In the chapel directly behind the high altar is the cathedral’s most interesting painting: The Protecting Cloak, a 1510 work by Jan Polack, showing the Virgin holding out her majestic robes to shelter all humankind. The collection of tiny figures beneath the cloak includes everyone from the pope to peasants.

Other treasures that survived the 1945 bombings inlcude the altar of St. Andrew in St. Sebastian’s chapel and the monumental tomb of Emperor Ludwig IV of Bavaria built between 1619 and 1622.

The pyramids of Giza are the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the modern world. They are some of the oldest sacred sites in our index and certainly among of the most impressive. (TheGreat Sphinx of Giza has a separate article.)

Although it is clear the pyramids were used for the burial of pharaohs, the construction, date, and possible symbolism of the Giza pyramids are still not entirely understood.

This mystery only adds to the attractiveness of these ancient wonders and many modern people still regard Giza as a spiritual place. A number of fascinating theories have been offered to explain the “mystery of the pyramids,” one of which is summarized below.

Giza is the most important site on earth for many New Age followers, who are drawn by the pyramids’ mysteries and ancient origins. Since 1990, private groups have been allowed into the Great Pyramid, and the majority of these have been seekers of the mystical aspects of the site. But even the most skeptical visitor cannot help but be awed by the great age, grand scale and harmonic mathematics of the pyramids of Giza.

History

The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest single building ever constructed. Originally 479 ft (146 m) in height, it still stands at an awe-inspiring 449 ft (137 m). Most of its height loss is due to the stripping of its original smooth limestone casing.

When the Greek historian Herodotus visited Giza in about 450 BC, he was told by Egyptian priests that the Great Pyramid had been built for the pharaoh Khufu (Cheops to the Greeks), who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty (c.2575–c. 2465 BC).

The priests told Herodotus that the Great Pyramid had taken 400,000 men 20 years to build, working in three-month shifts of 100,000 men at a time. This is not implausible, but archaeologists now tend to believe a more limited workforce may have occupied the site without the need for shifts. Perhaps as few as 20,000 workers, with an accompanying support staff (bakers, physicians, priests, etc.), would have been adequate to the task.

The Great Pyramid was made of 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing from 2 to 15 tons each. When completed, the Great Pyramid of Khufu weighed 6 million tons, the weight of all Europe’s cathedrals put together! The pyramid was also thetallest structure in the world for thousands of years, until it was surpassed by the spires of England’s Lincoln Cathedral around 1300 AD.

The second-largest pyramid of Giza was built for Khufu’s son Khafre (Chephren), who became the fourth king of the Fourth Dynasty after the death of his short-lived elder brother and died c.2532 BC. Although many of his relatives were hastily buried in cheap tombs, the Pyramid of Khafre is almost as vast as the Great Pyramid of his father.

Khafre’s pyramid actually looks taller than the Great Pyramid of Khufu because it stands on a slightly higher part of the plateau, it has a steeper angle, and it is the only one with a smooth limestone cap. Khafre’s pyramid measures 707 ft (216 m) on each side and was originally 471 ft (143 m) high; its limestone and granite blocks weigh about 2.5 tons each.

Like the Great Pyramid, Khafre’s Pyramid included five boat pits (with no boats), together with mortuary and valley temples and a connecting causeway some 430 yards long carved out of the living rock. The burial chamber, which is underground, contains a red granite sarcophagus with its lid. Next to this is a square cavity that presumably once held the chest containing the pharaoh’s insides. The Great Sphinx, near Khafre’s pyramid, is believed to be a royal portrait of Khafre.

The southernmost and last of the pyramids to be built was the Pyramid of Menkaure (Mycerinus), son of Khafre and the fifth king of the Fourth Dynasty. Each side measures 356 ft (109 m), and the structure’s completed height was 218 ft (66 m).

In addition to these three monuments, small pyramids were built for three of Khufu’s wives and a series of flat-topped pyramids for the remains of his favorite children. At the end of a long causeway lined with minor tombs of court officials, amortuary temple was built just to mummify the pharoah’s body.

Like all pharonic tombs, the burial chambers of the pyramids were packed with all the necessities for the next life: furniture, statues of servants (to be enlivened by an incantation when needed), and boats.

The question of how the pyramids were built has not yet found a definitive answer. Herodotus reported that the base was laid, then the great blocks (each weighing about seven tons) were levered into place, a step at a time up all 203 steps. But this cannot be done, as demonstrated by a Japanese attempt at a duplicate in the 1980s. The most plausible explanation is that the Egyptians employed a sloping and encircling embankment of brick, earth, and sand, which was increased in height and in length as the pyramid rose; stone blocks were hauled up the ramp by means of sledges, rollers, and levers.

The pyramids have impressively withstood the ravages of time, but not of grave robbers. They emptied the pyramids of their valuables in ancient times. In 1818 an Italian entered the burial chamber of Khafre with a hydraulic ram, but the gold and other treasures were long gone.

A Gateway to the Stars?

The positioning of the three pyramids of Giza is a bit surprising. They are not quite in a straight line, clustered around the largest one, or grouped in any kind of expected symmetrical way. The proposed explanation of most Egyptologists is that this had something to do with the terrain at Giza or it was simply the way the construction worked out.

In the early 1990s, Belgian engineer Robert Bauval noticed that the odd arrangement of the Giza pyramids is remarkably similar to that of the three stars of Orion’s belt in the well-known constellation. This seemed to Bauval to be more than a coincidence, in light of the fact that the constellation Orion was sacred to the Egyptians. They believed it to be the home of the god Osiris and thought the shape of the constellation resembled him.

Among the many fascinating features of the Giza pyramids are the four airshaftsin the north and south faces of the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid, and the two in the Queen’s Chamber beneath it. Bauval calculated that in 2500 BC, the southern vent would have pointed directly at Orion and the southern airshaft in the Queen’s Chamber would have pointed at the star Sirius, which was sacred to Osiris’ consort Isis.

Bauval theorized that the vent was intended to be a channel to direct thepharaoh’s soul to Orion, where he would become a god. Many scientists have dismissed Bauval’s ideas, yet they certainly remain intriguing and continue to generate a great deal of discusssion. You can read more about it in the links listed at the end of this article.

Another interesting observation is that the Great Pyramid is perfectly aligned totrue north, south, east and west. This has led to speculation about an astrological meaning to its position. A number of theories have been advanced concerning occult meanings, secret codes or prophecies derived from the pyramid’s dimensions.

Called the “spiritual center of Central America” by Pope John Paul II, the Basilica of Esquipulas attracts many pilgrims to its miraculous statue of the Black Christcarved in 1595.

History

The statue of the Black Christ (El Cristo Negro) was comissioned by Spanish conquistadors for a church in Esquipulas. It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. By 1603, a miracle had already been attributed to the icon, and it attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims over the years.

The history of the Basilica begins in 1735, when a priest named Father Pedro Pardo de Figueroa experienced a miraculous cure after praying before the statue. When he became Archbishop of Guatemala, he commissioned a beautiful basilica to properly shelter the beloved statue. The church was completed in1759.

In 2009, celebrations were held to mark 250 years since the basilica’s construction.

What to See

The town of Esquipulas is located in southeast Guatemala near the borders with Honduras and El Salvador, at a lofty altitude of 3,018 feet (920) meters. A lovely Baroque structure painted a gleaming white, the basilica dominates the town’s skyline. Remarkably, it has survived many earthquakes over the centuries with little damage.

The Black Christ, named for the dark wood from which it was carved, is housed in a glass case on the altar at the east end of the basilica. A large statue that depicts Christ suffering on the cross, it is part of a Crucifixion group with Mary Magdalene and St. John.

Pilgrims stand in line along the west side of the church to see El Cristo Negro up close, sometimes waiting for over an hour. After viewing the statue and saying their prayers, pilgrims back away from it on the other side, believing it an offense to turn their back on the holy image.

Festivals and Events

Special processions and services are held on the Festival of the Black Christ (January 15), July 21-27, and during Holy Week each year. The basilica is crowded with Guatemalan pilgrims on these days.

Getting There

Located 80 miles east of Guatemala City, Esquipulas can be reached by air or car.

Quick Fact

The Prytaneion was one of the most important public buildings in ancientEphesus. Dedicated to the goddess Hestia, it contained the sacred flame of the city that was never allowed to go out. The Prytaneion was also the place where official visitors were received by dignitaries and where two important statues of the Ephesian Artemis were found.

History

In Hellenistic and Roman times, Hestia (a.k.a. Vesta), the sister of Zeus and Hera, was honored not just in temples but in every home, as she was goddess of the hearth (the center of domestic worship).

Hestia’s sacred fire in the Prytaneion was never allowed to go out, and it was the job of the priests there to tend it. In addition to its religious purpose, the Prytaneion was an important civic building and it was where official guests to Ephesus were received by the religious and civic leaders of the city.

A building existed on this site from the refoundation of Ephesus by Lysimachus in the 3rd century BC, but the structure that can be seen in ruins today dates from thereign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). The cult of Hestia Boulaea was abandoned in the 4th century AD.

What to See

The Prytaneion was a large temple-like hall fronted by a Doric courtyardsurrounded on three sides by a colonnade. The courtyard was paved with amosaic depicting the shields of Amazons against a decorative background.

Two of the pillars that have been re-erected bear inscriptions with the names of the Curetes. Scholastica took columns and other materials from the Prytaneion for the construction of her baths on Curetes Street in the 4th century.

Two statues of the Ephesian Artemis were discovered in the Prytaneion and are now displayed in the Ephesus Museum. The larger statue, dating from the 1st century AD, was in the hall. The other, dating from about 50 years later, had been carefully buried in a small room in the sanctuary.

Quick Facts