Belha Monastery

Located within the boundaries of Özkonak town in the Cappadocia region, this monastery was built by the Byzantines in the 4th century.

It is claimed that the region's most distinguished priests were trained here.

The road leading to the monastery is unpaved and in need of maintenance.

I met Serkan Erden from Özkonak, a tourism enthusiast, at the monastery.

He stated that he had put a lot of effort into making this monastery accessible to tourism and that he is currently working voluntarily to protect it.

Mr. Serkan, who always has a cup of freshly brewed tea ready, will greet you at the monastery entrance.

Location: 38 47′ 26” N, 34 49′ 27” E

THE VISIT OF CHIEF TEACHER ATATÜRK TO KAYSERI AND KORAMAZ VALLEY TO INTRODUCE THE NEW ALPHABET.

Kayseri has been a very valuable city for all the civilizations that have lived here throughout known history. Indeed, during both the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, the city was the center of attraction of the region in many respects. Kayseri is also an extremely important city for Atatürk, so much so that it is known that Atatürk visited Kayseri five times, although some sources say four [1] times, during the period when transportation was very limited [2] . In the sources that state that Atatürk visited Kayseri four times, the visit of November 18, 1930 is not taken into account, whereas there are photographs and even a video of Atatürk taken in Kayseri during this visit [3] . The visit that is the subject of this article is the visit of September 20, 1928, which is the third in chronological order.

The alphabet reform took place on November 1, 1928. Before the reform, Atatürk visited various cities in Anatolia to study the new alphabet, one of which was to Kayseri exactly 40 days before the reform, on September 20, 1928.

Various sources [4] [5] [6] describe that during this visit, he conducted an alphabet inspection with İsmet Pasha in the Gesi District. However, Hüseyin Cömert elaborates on this matter in his book, Koramaz Valley, stating: “In 1928, when Mustafa Kemal Pasha came to Kayseri with his delegation to conduct studies on the new script, he was welcomed and hosted at the inn by the people, teachers, and students of the villages of Gesi, Mancusun, Vekse, Ispıdın, and Efkere. The Mayor of Gesi, Emin Ağa, read out the names of the members of the welcoming delegation one by one and reported them to Mustafa Kemal Pasha. Some sources state that Mustafa Kemal Pasha was welcomed in Gesi, and we believe that this error stems from the fact that Ispıdın was administratively part of the Gesi District.” [7] As can be seen from these explanations, Atatürk met with students to study the new alphabet at the Kayır Han, which is located in Isbıdın in the Koramaz Valley and is unfortunately abandoned to its fate today, during his visit to Kayseri on September 20, 1928.

Koramaz Valley, located approximately 20 km northeast of Kayseri within the boundaries of Melikgazi Municipality, is a valley approximately 12 km long that has hosted civilizations spanning thousands of years and boasts unique natural beauties. Currently, various efforts are underway to nominate it for UNESCO World Heritage status. It would be unfair to consider Atatürk's visit to Isbıdın on September 20, 1928, as a mere coincidence; it is plausible that Atatürk, as a nature and culture enthusiast, was drawn to the region's natural and cultural heritage. Indeed, it was well known at the time that Raşit Efendi, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Ottoman Empire, was from Isbıdın, that Mimar Sinan was from Ağırnas, and that all these settlements were located together in a single valley (Koramaz Valley). It is also expected that such an inspection, before the alphabet reform, would be carried out by the most highly educated students. The fact that Koramaz Valley, with its centuries-old history of art and culture, hosted this meeting is, in our opinion, more of a conscious choice than a coincidence.

Incidentally, Kayır Han, which hosted Atatürk's meeting with the public, teachers, and students, is now abandoned and on the verge of collapse, as if it had never witnessed this meeting. Yet, Atatürk's visits to Kayseri were met with great enthusiasm, and the İmamizade Raşit Ağa Mansion where he stayed has been transformed into the Kayseri Atatürk House museum. Why Kayır Han has been forgotten and left to its fate is unknown. Restoring this inn, located on the Sivas road, to its former glory and then using it as an "Education Museum" or, given its proximity, as a "Kültepe Museum," would be a very fitting step.

In closing, I would like to correct a historical error made by the French magazine L'Illustration, which was published between 1843 and 1944, on behalf of Kayseri. On the cover of its October 13, 1928 issue, the magazine presented a photograph of Atatürk presenting the new alphabet to the public at his blackboard, claiming it was taken in Sivas. However, it is confirmed by various sources [8] [9] that this photograph was taken during his visit on September 20, 1928, as mentioned above . In this photograph, Atatürk is presenting the new alphabet to the public, students, and teachers in the Municipality garden, in his capacity as "Chief Teacher." Comparing the two images, it will be seen that L'Illustration magazine, instead of using the original photograph, created and published a different image with some additions. In the L'Illustration edition, some soldiers who are not present in the original photograph and are in the background can be seen.

Kayseri derives its current value for Turkey, particularly in the field of education, from its past. This article once again highlights Kayseri's position as one of the leading cities in embracing the alphabet reform and its importance as a cultural center. On this occasion, I congratulate all our teachers, especially Atatürk, the "Chief Teacher," on Teachers' Day.

Image 1: Cover of L'Illustration magazine dated October 13, 1928.

Image 2: Atatürk, as the Chief Teacher, presents the new alphabet in the garden of Kayseri Municipality. (September 20, 1928)

Image 3: Kayır Han, 2018

Image 4: Isbidin in the foreground, Koramaz Valley in the background.

Sources:

[1] http://www.atam.gov.tr/dergi/sayi-28/ataturkun-kayseriyi-ziyaretleri

[2] http://www.kayserikultur.gov.tr/TR-54959/ataturkun-kayseriye-gelisleri.html

[3] https://isteataturk.com/g/icerik/Mustafa-Kemal-Ataturk-un-Kayseri-Gezisi-18111930/701

[4] S. Burhanettin Akbaş, https://bindalli.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/ataturk-ve-kayseri/

[5] http://wowturkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=75201

[6] http://www.kayseriehaber.com/seni-cok-ozledik-atam-makale,478.html

[7] Hüseyin Cömert, Koramaz Valley, Page 171

[8] https://isteataturk.com/Kronolojik/Tarih/1928/9/20/Mustafa-Kemal-Ataturk-Kayseri-de-kara-tahta-basinda-yeni-harfleri-vatandaslara-ogretirken-20091928/1

[9] ATATÜRK, Publications of the Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture. Prepared by Mehmet Özel (Director General of Fine Arts), Page: 125