Message of Takahito Mikasa for “Three Great Civilizations in Turkey”
 “Three Great Civilizations in Turkey- the Hittite Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire-“exhibition was held in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Osaka to mark NHK's 50th anniversary of broadcasting, and to commemorate 2003 - The Turkish Year in Japan festivities.
The exhibition offered the rare opportunity to see first hand great cultural treasures, which normally would not be allowed to leave Turkey, but were made available by the exceptional generosity of the Turkish Government and museums, who graciously responded to our ardent requests. To these parties I extend my heartfelt appreciation and to the Japanese public I hope you will take note of this unparalleled collaboration.
The radiance and dazzle of the exhibition treasure will be sufficiently elaborated within the pages of its catalogue, so instead I choose to give insight to the historical background which created the foundation of these glorious exhibits.
Let me begin with the Hittite Civilizations. Who were the Hittites? They were an Indo-European tribe from the north who migrated south to settle in the Middle East region and established kingdoms in Anatolia (Asia Minor, present day Turkey ). Their origin differed from the Sumerians, who created the oldest civilization in Mesopotamia and from Acadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who were Semitic tribes from the south. However, there is no doubt that the Hittites were influenced by the Mesopotamia civilization through Assyrian trade colonies, which were established in Anatolia from circa 1800 B.C. At the same time to the south, the Hittites had to deal with rivaling power struggles with the Egyptian Kingdom. It is a noteworthy fact that the Hittites originally invented and later monopolized the technique of making iron. The whole area of the ancient Orient entered the Iron Age only after the after the fall of the Hittites around 1200 B.C.
During the same epoch, in the east Mediterranean Sea flourished the Aegean civilization (circa 1900 B.C. to 1100 B.C.), its center situated on the island of Crete where the famous Palace of Knossos stands. Completely unlike the Mesopotamian civilization, which evolved in the dry wilderness, there existed an oceanic civilization that developed a more florid yet realistic style. It is quite natural to conceive that such aspects had also disseminated into the Hittite culture.
It brings us to the conclusion that Anatolia, and the Hittite Kingdoms which flourished there, evolved under the influences of cultures from east to west and south to north. Indeed, without a doubt it deserves the title “Crossroad of Civilizations.”
Next is the Byzantine Civilization. The stage of our topic ranges from antiquity to the middle ages, as we begin from after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Octavian (63 B.C.-14 A.D.), from Greece, declared himself Caesar's successor (posthumous adoption) and organized a triumvirate. After conquering Egypt, Octavian returned to Rome and received from the Senate the title Augustus, “venerable one”, and became the first Roman Emperor. Time passed and under the reign of Constantine I Christianity became authorized and in 336 A.D. and the capital was moved from Rome to Byzantium and renamed Constantinople, present day Istanbul. Constantine I was also responsible for building in circa 360 A.D. the first Hagia Sophia (Divine wisdom) church. In 395 A.D. Theodosius I divided the empire in two for each of his sons to rule. This marked the beginning of the West Roman Empire and the East Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire).
The Byzantine Emperor held the highest authority over politics and religion in the vast empire, which stretched from the Balkans, to Anatolia, Syria, Palestine and as far as Egypt. Constantinople was the center for world trade throughout the Middle Ages.
As for arts and culture, Byzantine developed its own unique style although Greek culture and Greek Orthodox played a pivotal role. The domes and mosaics of the period offer good examples of the distinctive aspect of Byzantine architecture, which were applied to the Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia) church when Justinians rebuilt it in circa 530 A.D. Unlike the Latin style of western European culture, Byzantine preserved the cultural heritage of classical antiquity, which some scholars attribute to influencing the flowering of the Renaissance in later years.
The Byzantine Empire had been troubled by surrounding tribes but the most serious impact came with the uprise of Islam in the 7th century and the Arab invasions. Meanwhile the Turks from Central Asia advanced westward and reached Anatolia. In 1701, the army of the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine army and took captive their emperor, Romanus. A new chapter of history in the land of Anatolia was about to begin and it was to be written by the Turks. The Turks occupied the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and Aegean Sea, and attempted to advance toward Constantinople but were met with the fierce opposition by the Crusaders. This period of turmoil was followed by the onslaught of the Mongols, who though fleetingly, succeeded in occupying the entire region of Anatolia during the great Seljuk dynasty (1077-1308) under the rule of Rum. Anatolia began its inevitable decline and during there existed a period of constant clashes between smaller Turkish principalities.
Lastly, we come to the Ottoman Civilization. The world “Ottoman” comes from the name of a Turk chieftain Osman Bey who reigned from 1288-1326. He and his successors fought relentlessly against the Byzantine army and other armies that stood in their way as they advanced closer towards Constantinople. However, in 1402, the Mongol hordes of Timur, invaded Anatolia through Iran and defeated the Ottoman army in a decisive battle in Ankara, which seriously shattered the Ottoman line itself. This incident also brought about the appearance of a Turkish-Islam civilization that later developed and replaced the former Islam civilization, which had matured in Anatolia. For the Ottomans their decades of bitter struggles were to be bear fruit only after seven generations from the time of Osman Bey. On May 29, 1453 under the rule of Mehmet II the Ottomans finally succeeded in conquering Constantinople, putting an end to the Byzantine Empire and its 1,125 years of glory. Mehmet II converted Hagia Sophia church into a mosque and in 1478 began constructing the Topkapi Palace. By this time, Constantinople had been renamed Istanbul.
The following years of Ottoman rule brought about the expansion of their empire; the army possessed Eastern Europe and advanced into Syria, after defeating the Safavi dynasty of Iran. Furthermore, the Ottoman annexed Egypt and gained the right to protect Mecca and Medina, the holy landmarks of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. From 1520 for 46 years came the reign of Suleyman I, and this time was revered as the golden era of the Ottomans. Suleyman captured Hungary and besieged Vienna, the latter of which was consequently unsuccessful. The conquest of Vienna was attempted by the next Ottoman Sultan only to be defeated again by an allied European army.
Time passed yet there was scarcely any reform within the empire. Early in the 20th century the Ottomans suffered a disastrous defeat in World War I, which led to the signing of a ceasefire treaty in 1918, and in effect the demise of the Ottoman Empire.
After the war, under the leadership of a brilliant general Mustafa Kemal, the Republic of Turkey was founded. In 1923 the Grand National Assembly appointed Mustafa Kemal its first president and gave him the venerated title Ataturk, meaning "Father of Turkey". Ataturk moved the capital to Ankara and devoted his life to the modernization of the Republic.
Even to this day, the profound achievements of Ataturk are tangible and his monumental mausoleum in Ankara bears witness to his greatness.
Organizational Committee for “Three Civilizations in Turkey”
The Hittite Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire
Honorary President
Prince Takahito Mikasa |
