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29.10.2009

TURKISHIZING OF THE PLACE NAMES IN THE REPUBLICAN TURKEY

   

Ruben Melkonyan

1.Ruben Melkonyan (medium)While analyzing some manifestations of domestic policy of the Republic of Turkey, we can mention that they are mostly of Turkishizing character. There were various processes going on in the newly formed Turkey, which were directed to form the homogeneous Turkish state. This process should inevitably touch on the place names, because in the Ottoman Turkey there were many places named in the languages of the native nations, which directly prove their presence. The place names, at the same time, show the historical past, the history of the people who lived there, some details of their mentality. That is the reason why very important function was allotted to the Turkishizing of the place names in the Republic of Turkey.

The process of Turkishizing of the place names, just like the policy of Tukishizing in general, was not a new phenomenon and had been started long time before. But this policy acquired more underlined and systematized character in the half of the 19th century and it was even more deepened during the rule of the Young Turks.

In the Kemalist Turkey the proposals to change the place names were made as late as at the beginning of 1920s. In 1922 some Armenian place names, which had already been distorted, were renamed. Particularly, historical Moks, which was changed into Mokyus, today is called Bahcesaray. In 1928 the Greek place names at the Aegean See and Armenian place names in the south-east regions were renamed and Turkishized. But the most large-scale process of renaming was initiated in 1940 when the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkey issues the Circular #8589 where the necessity to change “the names of the centers of population and the place names, which descend from the foreign languages and roots and which cause misunderstanding while being used” with the Turkish names was mentioned clearly. After that the administration of the provinces prepared and sent to the Ministry the lists of the “foreign” place names. The period, during which this process took place, is also remarkable – 1940s, when large-scale Turkishizing processes were going on in Turkey (e.g. in economy), when there were different manifestations of discrimination of non-Muslim population.

The concrete works on Turkishizing of the place names began in 1957 when the “Specialized Commission for the Renaming of the Place Names” was created. It included the representatives of the General Staff, Ministries of Internal Affairs, Defence, and Education, the faculty of linguistics and geo-historical faculty and “Turkish Linguistic Association”. There is another remarkable nuance here, i.e. though the authorities in Turkey had changed, it had no influence on the policy of Turkishizing. The mentioned commission had worked till 1978 and during that period about 75 thousand place names were studied and 28 thousand were renamed. The Turkish researcher, associate professor at Eprat University Harun Tunchel affirms that 12 thousand villages, which constitute about 35% of all the villages in Turkey, were renamed. Tunchel has also prepared the list of the renamed villages and their quantitative province distribution, which is presented bellow:

Name of the Province Number of the villages Name of the Province Number of the villages
Adana 169 Izmir 68
Adiyaman 224 Kars 398
Afion 88 Kastamonu 295
Aghri 374 Kesaria 86
Amasia 99 Kiriklareli 35
Ankara 193 Kirshehir 39
Antalia 168 Kocaeli 26
Ardvin 101 Konia 236
Aydin 69 Kyutahya 93
Balikesir 110 Malatia 217
Bilecik 32 Manisa 83
Bingol
(Tchpakhdjur)		 247 Marash 105
Bitlis 236 Mardin 647
Bolu 182 Mugla 70
Burdur 49 Mush 297
Bursa 136 Nevshehir 24
Chanakkale 53 Nigde 48
Chankiri 76 Ordu 134
Chorum 103 Rize 105
Denizli 53 Sakaria 117
Diarbekir 555 Samsun 185
Edirne 20 Siirt
(Sghert)		 392
Elyagiz
(Kharberd)		 383 Sinop 59
Erzincan
(Erznka)		 366 Sebastia 406
Erzurum 653 Tekirdagh 19
Eskishehir 70 Tokat
(Evdokia)		 245
Gaziantep 279 Trabzon 390
Giresun 167 Tunceli
(Dersim)		 273
Gumushhane 343 Urfa 389
Hakkari 128 Ushak 47
Hatay 117 Van 415
Sparta 46 Yozghat 90
Ichel 112 Zonguldak 156
Istanbul 21 Total 12211

It becomes clear from this list that most of the place names were renamed in eastern, south-eastern and Black Sea districts, i.e. mainly in historical Armenia, as well as in Greek territories. By Tonchel’s estimation the Commission paid special attention to the place names which constituent parts were such words as red, bell, church, which clearly show their non-Turkish or non-Muslim descent and the word red also had some communist shade. By the way, the birth place of Turkish prime-minister Erbogan is Guneysu district of Rize province, which is till now called among people obviously non-Turkish name Potomia.

At present the process of place names renaming is discussed in Turkey rather actively and the representatives of the top leadership of the country participate in that discussions, trying, of course, to introduce into that process their political estimations and interests. Thus, quite recently, the president of Turkey Gul during his visit to the eastern part of country stated at one of the meetings that the real name of the district which is today called Guroymak is Norashen. Prime-minister Erdogan kept the pace with him saying that Manazkert was an Armenian word. All these turned into a problem of domestic policy and allowed opposition to blame authorities. The Nationalist Movement party is, as always, rather active in this issue. The distant argument broke out between its leader Devlet Bahcheli and prime-minister Erdogan. Particularly, Devlet Bahcheli, blaming the authorities, spoke ironically, saying that perhaps they can rename Istanbul and call it Constantinople.

It should be mentioned that Istanbul, where stress was laid on the renaming of the streets with foreign names, also did not avoid that process. The Turkishizing of the names of the streets in Istanbul began in 1927 and its main aim was the Armenian and Greek quarters. It should be said that some tendencies in renaming of the streets and quarters are obvious, particularly in the districts where Armenian and Greek population dominates, nationalist place names or the place names which contain the so-called “symbolic threat” prevail. Here we would like to bring rather vivid example. One Armenian from Istanbul told us: “I live in Kurtulush my house is in Ergenekon quarter, at Turkbey Street, and in order to vote I go to the school after Taleat Pasha”. According to the researches carried out today, before 1954 the names of more that 100 streets and quarters had been Turkishized in Istanbul.

It should be mentioned that despite the efforts made by Turkish state, some Armenian place names are still being used till today though in distorted form. E.g. the village of Tsronq in Mush (renamed Krkoy) is called by the locals Sronq, Hatsekats is called Hasik, and there are many such examples. This shows that common people have not acquired new place names, and at the same time there are the elements of historic memory in continuous usage of the Armenian place names.


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