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2013 – 2014 | Languages and scripts of Muslim and non-Muslim subjects in the Ottoman Empire

The Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul, in collaboration with the National Hellenic Research Institute (Ottoman Studies Programme) organized at Sismanoglio Megaro a series of speeches on Languages and scripts of Muslim and non-Muslim subjects in the Ottoman Empire.

Experts spoke about Karamanlidika, Armeno-Turkish and Judeo-Turkish texts written by Turkish-speaking subjects of the Ottoman Empire in Greek, Armenian and Hebrew scripts. Ethnic groups, who differed with regard to religion or dogma, spoke and wrote in the dominant language of the State, employing their own scripts, i.e. the scripts of the books of their religious tradition. Speeches were made about the Grecophone literature of the Turco-Cretans and the Turco-Yanniotes, the majority of whose texts, primarily a product of traditional oral composition, were written in Arabic script. Lastly one paper was dedicated to Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews in Turkey. The series of speeches at the Sismanoglio Megaro aims at presenting aspects of the cultural diversity of the multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural Ottoman Empire, at shedding light through the cultural production on the individuals who were the creators and the consumers of such culture, at discussing the ideological processes hidden behind the collective conduct and attitudes of these ethno-religious communities in the Empire.

All speeches were uploaded to the Bodossaki Foundation’s digital platform “BLOD” (Bodossaki Lectures On Demand).

The Programme

I Serie Gerci Rum isek de Rumca bilmez Türkçe söyleriz Ne Türkçe yazar okuruz ne de Rumca söyleriz

November 28, 2013, 19.00 h Evangelia Balta : The Karamanlis and Karamanlidika publications Şehnaz Şişmanoglu-Şimşek : The Master of Karamanlidika Literature, Evangelinos Misailidis Evangelia Achladi : A Collection of Karamanlidika Books. The Bequest of Father Sakkulidis at the Sismanoglio Megaro

II Serie Armeno-Turkish publications

January 23, 2014, 19.00 h Murat Cankara : Ermeniçe Hurûf, Türkiyyü’l İbare: A Brief Overview of Writing Turkish using the Armenian Script Puzant Akbaş : The position of Armeno-Turkish in Armenian literature Sabri Koz : Armeno-Turkish in Turkish publications

III Serie Stihoplakia of the Turco-Yanniotes and the mandinades of the Turco-Cretans. Grecophone aljamiado literature

March 26, 2014 19.00 h Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu : The Romeika of the Turco-Yanniotes Yorgos Dedes : Heirloom manuscripts: The Romeika manuscripts in Arabic script of the Turks of Yanya (Ioannina) and Girit (Crete). Grecophone aljamiado literature.

IV Serie Judeo-Turkish and Ladino literature

May 12, 2014 19.00 h Karen Gerson Sarhon : The Ladino Database Project Results as insight into the current situation of Judeo-Spanish in Turkey Laurent Mignon : Is there a Judeo-Turkish Literature?

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