Ataturk as defined by Machiavelli’s “The Prince”

When WWI started, the disintegrating Ottoman Empire sided with the German-Austrian-Hungarian triad. This did not please Britain, who signed a secret pact with France and Italy to wipe out the Ottoman Empire.

The Sultan, knowing he was in big trouble, invited Britain to take over rule of the entire country.

Road to Siran by Behcet Kaya

Road to Siran: Erin's Story is a book written by author Behcet Kaya that introduces Erin Ozcomert, a beautiful UCLA graduate student.

Erin had always felt compelled to learn more about the little-known stories of her nebulous father; stories hidden from her since his mysterious death several years before.

Payback

Payback by Behcet Kaya

Wealthy Lowry Totenham looked back on his life and smiled at the pauper with no formal training who came to America with nothing more than big dreams.

He remembered the modest home he came from, a little shanty, one of many homesteads on the slopes of the hills of Istanbul, Turkey aiming desperately for the genteel yet achieving a sordid melancholy.

Blizzard

Blizzard by Behcet Kaya

Firdes Yildirim had not visited her village in over three years.

She finally gave her husband, Bagatur, an ultimatum:

"If you don't take me back to see my parents, I will go myself and never return."

Cappadocia, Land of Magic

Cappadocia, Land of Magic by Behcet Kaya

Turkey is unendingly, unmitigatedly surprising; each area having a look of its own distinction.

At the beginning of the four-hour bus ride from Ankara to the area known as Cappadocia, one hardly sees a steep hill, but rather miles of endless, golden wheat fields. Then come the marshy shores of the great salt lake, Tuz Golu.

Tugba and Ibrahim: A Love Story by Behcet Kaya

She worked assiduously, arduously just to clear the entrance to the house, piling the snow on both sides of the path that was now as tall as she was from the previous shoveling.

She was sweating as she finally reached the street, and the last shovel full she threw landed on a young man passing by.

Reflections on My Trip to Turkey

On this recent transatlantic crossing to my homeland of Turkiye, there were many things that I discovered, things that made me reflect, and things that made me sad.

As I thought about this, it occurred to me that perhaps these things are too private to share.  Yes, some things are, but some things are not.

Visit to My Village - Part Eight

Hakan led the way, as usual. We walked another hour and I realized that we were on the trail we had taken the other day.  We reached the area with the loose rocks and Hakan warned me again to be 'sure footed.'

"If you slip and get your foot caught between rocks, you can break your leg or ankle."

Visit to My Village - Part Seven

The next morning we were on our way to Erzincan. Hakan had a basket filled with fresh mushrooms for his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

I stopped in Siran to buy petrol for the car and ordered tea and simit (Turkish pretzels) but Hakan did not want anything. Our drive on the autobahn was smooth and driving the BMW was quite an experience.

Visit to My Village - Part Six

The woodstove was fired up and the house was nice and warm. I took a hot shower, ate more of Mother's soup and retired for the night.

I told Mother that I wanted to sleep and if anyone came, to please excuse me. I was so tired, I slept over ten hours. In the morning I awoke, my thighs throbbing from yesterday's climb.

Visit to My Village - Part Five

After spending an hour at the summit, Hakan decided it was time to start back down. It was late afternoon and dark clouds had begun to close in.

Although Hakan said the wind could disperse the clouds, one can never knew the capricious mind of the weather.  He told us there were four choices to take.

Visit to My Village - Part Four

It had been six days since I arrived the village. Each day was sunshiny in the morning and rainy in the afternoon. Every morning I went walking by myself, covering all the fields to the north of the village.

I kept saying to myself that I was going to do my climb, but I became more nervous that the rain would never stop, and I would not be able to fulfill my dream of hiking the two summits.

Visit to My Village - Part Three

During my first week, I had visitors every night; some I knew, others were strangers to me.  Mother was constantly making and serving tea.

When the men came, they brought their wives and sometimes their daughters who helped mother with her cooking and chores.  Mind you, at this time of the year not all the people are in the village.

Visit to My Village - Part Two

I felt exhilarated as I approached the outskirts of Siran. Stopping the car at a convenient place, I observed the two mountains to the north of my village.

It had been forty-nine years since I left and I had forgotten how they look from this vantage point. Beyond these mountains, there is another ridge of higher peaks where the snow never melts.

Visit to My Village - Part One

After our transatlantic cruise, I decided to pay a visit to my mother. I have visited her almost every year, but always at Christmas time and at her home in Ankara where my other relatives live close by.

Mother spends her winters in Ankara and the remainder of the year in the village. This visit would be special because it would take place in the village of Evrenkoyu where I was born.