part six

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FROM EUROPE TO TURKIYE

From Europe to Turkiye—
On Tuesday, 12 May, we left Berlin for Istanbul.   In order to see us off, Azimbek, Abdulvahap Muradoglu, Ibrahim Arifhan (who is today a Professor in Ankara), Ahmetcan Okay (who is today a Professor in Istanbul), Ahmet Naim (who also arrived in Turkiye and became a high school philosophy teacher) of Bukhara, Alimcan Idrisi, Osman Tokumbet, Korayci (flutist) Mehmet Baskurt, Temirbek, Kazbekov and our German friend Max came to the railroad station.   Since we were going to stop in Prague and Budapest, we had let those we knew our destination in those cities.    In Prague, the aforementioned Ukrainian Left Socialist Party chief Sapoval and the head of the Kalmuk refugees, Balinov met us.   That very night we met the leaders of the Czech Army who had raised the flag of rebellion during 1918 against Moscow, Bogdan Pavlo, Dr. Pataydel and others at the “Czechoslovak Legions Center,” and took our evening meal there.   We had very sincere talks there.   They had all become members of the parliament, and the legionnaires had influence in the parlieament.   Bogdan Pavlo had become the Minister of the Interior, and served as an Ambassador at various places.   During the meal, I sat across an individual I did not know and we spoke quite a bit.  It turned out that he was Dr. Benes, who later played a big part in the fate of Czechoslovakia.  

After the meal, I asked Benes: “will you seriously help us our movement?”   He replied: “Of course we will; however, I am dubious that any result will ensue.    We Czechs have gained independence, became a member of the League of Nations, accepted by Great Nations, and organized all that via the Ambassadors appointed.   You small nations in Russia have been late in accomplishing all that.   Even though Ukraine, Georgians and Azerbaijanis have fully or halfway became members of the League of Nations, since they are not residing in their own territory, it is doubtful that the governments they established outside can accomplish much.   You Baskurts and Turkistanis have not even entered the gates of League of Nations.   I fear, all your activities will be confined to the use of several barrels of ink.   In response, I stated: “Most of the civilians will think just like that.   I now advise you not to trust all these diplomatic relations completely, and to increase your military strength so as to be effective.   I spoke with Lenin many times.   As a civilian, he was using virtuous words.    However, when Soviet General Vatsites desired that all national forces be brought to an end, the Lenin Government issued a law on 19 May 1920 subdividing the Baskurt Army and for it to be absorbed by the Zavolski Okrug.    Dr. Pataydel knows well that sounded the death knell of our autonomy.   On that day we decided to leave our country and settle in Europe.   I hope that, the Western neighbors of the Russians, such as you and the Poles will not be caught unawares such as that.   I would like to remind you who are of Slavic origin nations that, by appealing to your origins, you might fall into the trap much easier.”   At that point, Dr. Pataydel stated: “These words of Validov are absolutely correct.   While defending the Legion organizations against the critics, let us keep all these facts in mind.”  

Even though only four years had passed since these Czech had seen Baskurdistan, many memoirs of them had already been published as serials in newspapers; also as separate pamphlets.   Dr. Pataydel indicated: “whenever you like, you are welcome to visit Prague as our guest; if you like, you can live here and we will help you.”   I thanked him for his friendly words, and indicated that I was happy to observe our joint struggle against the Bolsheviks had left such pleasant impressions.   I had arrived in Prague, starting with 1927, many times.   From among the Asians, the Kalmaks constituted a somewhat important mass.   They had publications.   As a result of the Second World War, they moved to America.   I experienced the sincere hospitality of the Czechs.

Budapest—
We arrived in Budapest on 14 May.   Huseyin Makik Orkun and Hungarian Turanist medical doctor Baratusi, who later became my friends, Professor Corfi Istvan and Alimcan Tagan met us at the Train station.   Before everything else, they showed us a “Rundschow” symbolizing the first emigration of the Hungarians into the Danube basin.   That night, there was a feast at the home of Baratusi.   It happened that that person had written a twelve volume history and ethnography of Turanian tribes.    He gifted tem onto me.   They gave very excited speeches.   The next day, we visited the library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.   Afterward, we visited their famed Professor Nemeth Gyula, and spoke for three hours.   He, too, like me, was thirty-four years old.   Huseyin Namik, at that time, leveled severe accusations against Kopruluzade Fuat.   There, quite by chance, we encountered ethnography specialist Mesaros Gyula and his wife.   When I was thirteen years old, this person had arrived in Baskurdistan with his brand-new wife to conduct ethnographic research, and had become our guest in our house.   He had published a volume on the Baskurt, a copy of which which he gifted to me.   In one of his articles, he had mentioned our village and one of our neighbors.   His wife gifted a silver cigarette case.   A few years later, Mesaros arrived in Istanbul to teach ethnography at the Istanbul University Faculty of Literature.   While reminiscing, Mesaros presented me as a person with an extraordinary memory, exaggerating profusely.   He asserted that I had recognized him while crossing the street, some twelve years after I had met him in my village.   This was an exaggeration unbecoming of a professor.   That was because, I recognized him only after Alimcan Tagan introduced us, and we shook hands.   Regardless, they were magnificent hosts, and they offered beautiful wines.

We saw the pictures taken by Mesaros at that time, and my friend Dr. Tagan gave me a detailed description of the contents of the book he presented me in Hungarian which was entitled Magna Ungaria.  

I asked Mesaros: “what was the occasion of your meeting with my father?”   He replied: “when I was at the Askar village, recording the old Baskurt dastans, I was told that Ahmetsa [sic] Molla knew them better than anyone, and that I ought to see him.   Hibetullah Sufi brought us to your father.   I wrote down a lot of the versions from your father and two old men, Isam and Safi.”   That meant, my father and those old men were known as the resource.   One of the true scholars of those versions was my Grand Uncle, Veli Molla Kuzenov.   Perhaps my father was also regarded as knowledgeable in dastans due to my Great Uncle’s fame.   Otherwise, my father was not the authority in such matters; he was a religious scholar.   However, he knew the poems of many a dastan by heart.  

That night, Alimcan Tagan and his friend Professor Georfi [sic] Istvan took us and Huseyin Namik to an even better restaurant than the day before.   We ate Hungarian dishes and drank Tokai wines.   That turned out to be a very strong wine.   All three of us were singing Baskurt songs when we left one o’clock in the morning.   Abdulkadir, whose nickname is Tuqan, sat in a chair on the street and passed out.   We had difficulty carrying him.   Dr. Tagan’s voice was beautiful and he knew almost all of the Baskurt songs.   I noticed that some Hungarian women were curious about our songs, as they opened their windows to listen.   The next day we went back to Mesaros, and listened to his strange theories about the origins of the Bulgar, Khazar and the Baskurt.   He read to us the very interesting Oghuz dastan which he wrote down from the Baskurts.   We concentrated on scholarly topics while we taked with Professor Nemeth Gyula.   I indicated to him that a Chair in Central Asian Studies must be inaugurated at the Budapest University.   We were the guests at the Turan Society between six and seven that evening, located at the parliament building.   I made a presentation on the Kencak Branch living in Central Asia and the relationship between them and the first Baskurts.   The head of the Society Professor Paykar, Prule and others listened carefully.   They proudly stated that this was the first occasion for a Baskurt to make a scholarly presentation in their circle.   We spent that night at another Hungarian restaurant until two in the morning.   Our Tuqan, once again, passed out.

Kostence [Constanta]—
We arrived in Bucharest on 18 May 1925.   On the 19th, we searched for a restaurant and a hotel.   Abdullah Efendi hosted us.   Accordingly, we discovered that there were families present from the Nogay Yedisan, Kineges, and Alcin Branches.    Aga Islam Ali Efendi and Adil Yusuf Aga sent a messenger to the nearby Ali Aga village and brought us a man by the name of Nureddin.   He recited Cora Batir, Edige and Oraq Mamay, which I also knew very well.   During 1920, along the Northern reaches of Khorezm, among the Karakalpak, I had met another reciter by the name of Nureddin.   He had recited the same dastans with even greater detail.   We were astonished that both ozans were named Nureddin.   Adil Yusuf Aga turned out to be from the Yedisan Branch, and the Kimsikli arm.   He related a Nogay aphorism: “Alcinnin Alevi degince, Tanrinin talavi desene.”   I had heard that from my Great uncle Veli Molla.   They were three Branches: Yedisan, Yediskil, and Cimboyluq.   The seven arms of the Yedisan are: Kineges, Mangit, Acigen, Alcin, Yaltir, Dersengi and Masgar.   What is meant by the “Alcin Alav” was that, The Bey of the Alcin Branch was Alav; he was considered to be the scourge of God.   We heard many beautiful quips in that milieu.   We also related ours to them.   These dialogues were even sweeter than the Hungarian Tokai wines at Budapest.  

Being an ethnographer, my friend Abdulkadir provided ample information on the strong Branch of the Alcin, Kiciyuz Kazaks and their Arms found in Bukhara, Samarkand and their sub-branches Mangit and Kineges.   Even though we did not know the dates of Alcin alp Alav, I added others who were from the Alcin Branch; for example, the poet philosopher Bidil, who lived at the time of the Emperor Aurangzeb in India; Yalantus Ataliq who was the medical doctor for Samarkand Ozbek Rulers and the patron of two of the three tiled medrese there.   Afterward, addressing Islam Ali Efebdi, Adil Aga stated: “he is the man the ancients called genealogy.”   Islam Ali and Adil Aga were so happy to be speaking with us that they insisted we stay few more days in Constanta, that there were more indiviuduals they wished us to meet.   In sum, whatever we told them, all was tied to the traditions they were familiar.   That was because “san” means one hundred thousand.   Therefore, “Yedisan” means a large Branch with a population of seven hundred thousand.   This was the strongest Branch of the Nogay.   A portion of them were living in South East Baskurdistan under the offspring of Aslan Mirza named Bey, along with the offspring of Kucuk Han.   At the time of the Kalmak Ayuke Han, they migrated to Crimea, and joined their kin living there arrived earlier.   They served the Ottoman Empire as loyal troops.   A portion of them remained in the vicinity of Khiva.   There are villages in South East Baskurdistan, in the region of Irendik, containing their remnants.   Dil Aga had heard of the name Irendik.   My ancestors, who had served the Kucumogullari, had contacts with these Yedisan Nogays.

As we spoke with Adil Aga and Nureddin, I recalled the narratives indicating that we were descended from the Nogays who joined the Yurmati Baskurts.   Besides, I had encountered the proofs when I met the Nogays living in the vicinity of Astrakhan during 1908-1909.   There was the issue of a marriage in Astrakhan.   Adil Aga also suggested the same here.   That idea was in my memory after I arrived in Istanbul.   When I learned that my wife, who had remained in Russia, was remarried, I immediately recalled what Kireslikli Adil Aga had stated: “come back and we will have you marry a Nogay girl.”   However, I did not go.   Instead, I married Nazmiye who was the daughter of Omer Ungar, a friend of Adil Aga, a member of the Yedisan Branch.   She had studied history at Yorga and Curesco, and arrived in Istanbul to complete her doctorate.   Meaning, this marriage was directly the result of destan inspired feelings that were awakened by my meeting the Nogays at Astrakhan, Khiva (Cimbay) and Constanta.   Nazmiye wholeheartedly helped me with my historical works as well as in the writing of these memoirs.   Isenbike, my daughter of this marriage, had studied Chinese at Istanbul University, and history with me.   Later, she went to Taiwan to study history.   Now, she is working on her doctorate at Harvard University.   Subidey, my son, completed his studies in economics at Frankfurt, London and the Middle East Technical University in Ankara; now he is working on his doctorate at the Johns Hopkins University.    Thus, my two day stay in Constanta during May of 1925 resulted in my family ties with the Nogays and the Tatars there.   I dictated the last portions of these memoirs to both of my children.   This was the way my family was renewed.  

Meetings in Istanbul—
We boarded the ship in late afternoon, and arrived in Istanbul.   It transpired that Fuat Toktar and the Daghestani engineer Huseyin Bey were also on board, with whom we spoke in Berlin.   My old friend Fuat was still sore at me because of the arguments we had in Berlin, he did not give me his hand, nor did he speak with me.   On the morning of Wednesday, 20 May, we arrived in Istanbul.   It turned out, we needed sponsors.   Until that was resolved, we remained at the Beyoglu police station.   Our friends, who are still alive, Yakup Alpanay and Mehmet Emin Resulzade; and from the Turkistanis, Osman Hoca and Meyan Buzurk became our surety and released us from the hands of the police.   We were confused as to what happened, since we had Turkish passports, though temporary, and a visa from the Berlin Embassy, that we were thus entangled.   We requested from those who sponsored us, to take us to the address of Mehmet Emin Resulzade at Ayasofya Yerebatan.   A policeman accompanied us.   Fuat, who would not speak with me, was the third person.   We walked, and the policeman would provide information on us to every person he would encounter, stating “these must be Armenians.”   We finally arrived at the home of Resulzade.   He went all the way to the Sultanahmet police station and declared: “they are not Armenians; they are Moslems” and saved us from the police.   It turned out that the reason for our meandering were the hats we were wearing.  

Finally, we are in our beloved Istanbul.   That afternoon, I boarded the horse drawn streetcar and went to the Fatih Mosque Library.   Our friends had reserved a nice and clean room at a hotel.   We slept for twelve hours comfortably.   As soon as I woke, I visited Fatih, Suleymaniye, Ayasofya and Koprulu Libraries to inspect the books.   I had known their existence from the works of others, heard from my father, from Bartold’s book on his trip to Istanbul.   I was especially curious about Al-Biruni’s books, and Hafiz Abruin’s works on the history of Temur history.   I immediately discovered Resideddin’s works on theology and Chinese medicine at Ayasofya.   At the Koprulu Library, I glanced at Al-Biruni’s work on Indian history, and his volume entitled Patencel.   I entreated God to allow me the chance to study them all and benefit form that.   The director of the Fatih Library stated: “nobody had ever asked for these books.   Who taught you their existence in our library, and their call numbers?”   I indicated that I had acquired the printed indexes when I was in Russia.   He recalled meeting my father.

The same day, we had plenty of photographs taken with our friends who participated in the Turkistan Liberation Movement.   In the first group were Mamur of Cizzak; Abdussekur of Samarkand; Nafiz of the Turkmen and me.   The other group contained again mamur of Cizzak; Hemrakul of Samarkand; Osman Hoca of Bukhara; Davran Acil of Samarkand; Abdulkadir Inan, and me.   While we were in Turkistan, we could not have done that.   First of all, we did not have a camera.   Besides, we could not have the films developed, because the photographers were under the surveillance of the police.  

We spent the night of 22 May 1925 talking with Mehmet Emin Resulzade.   On the 23rd, I spoke with Koprulu Fuat and Riza Nur bey.   On 26 May, the Azerbaijanis invited us to a tea meeting.   They were full of affection.   27 May was the Azerbaijan Independence Day.   I gave a speech at that meeting.   I recalled the inclusion of Baskurdistan and Turkistan autonomy and independence movements in the Musavat Party Program with gratitude.   On 28 May, I toured the Ayasofya, Suleymaniye, Beyazit Umumi, Nuruosmaniye and Koprulu Libraries.   That night, we visited Yusuf Akcora Bey at Erenkoy.   Meyan Buzurk of Tahkent was with me.    Yusf Bey, in a manner I never expected, stated: “when I saw you in Ufa, were you a Field Marshall or a Han?   What comes out of five or six Basmaci?   It is necessary to have obedience and peace of mind for progress.”   I responded with: “if you had told all this to Ivan Grozny during 1552, prior to his conquest of Kazan, it would have been better for the Kazan residents; no blood would have been spilled.   Progress and peace would have been complete.   Therefore, we now understand that what we discussed at Ufa has been left without a result.”   Our talks were unpleasant.   I left in short order.   The next day he arrived at our hotel seeking us.   He stated that his words were misunderstood.   I responded with: “A political person such as you ought not to state anything that requires explanation the day after.   Regardless, I wrote the life of those times in book form.   I wonder what you will say.   Will you state that there was no need to struggle against the Russians, or that there was no need to detail the specifics in a book.   Your Grandfather was on the side of the Tsar.   Veliaminov-Zernov had documented that.   I did not.   We need to hear words that will bolster our morale, not those that will reduce it.”   Yusuf bey responded: “that day will arrive, too; do not be disheartened.   I made those statements as a result of my disappointment that your struggles in the Urals and Turkistan have not met with success.   I was observing that it would have been better if it was possible for you to stay there and continue the struggle.”   I replied: “I believe the sincerity of these words.   However, one of your speeches you gave in Ankara supporting the Russians was repeated in the journal “Revolutionary East” published in Moscow.   What was that for?”   Yusuf Bey responded with: “that was not a sincere statement.   It was declared when the Russian Ambassador visited.    Sometimes it is necessary to do such things here.”   I stated: “I could not condemn you for that.   However, I suggest you must think in advance that whatever is stated in such circumstances, will have an effect on the Russian Moslems and Central Asian Turk communities.   Your speech was re-printed in the “Revolution” journal published in Tashkent and in newspapers (naturally, with the command of the Russians), and had a bad effect.   When that speech of yours was published, we were fighting at Usmet, North of Samarkand.   Our troopers who are now in your employ, Eyyup and Islam were there, too.”   Believeing that speaking further on this topic was going to lead to unwanted results, so I immediately turned the topic to another direction.   After that event, Yusuf Bey and I spoke many more times, but we did not touch the above topic.   On 28 May, I spoke with Kopruluzade at the Darulfunun [University] and other Professors.   We spent that day and night with Abdurresit Kadi.

My first presentation at Istanbul—
On 29 May, a group of students from Darulfunun who have known me by reputation asked me to give a talk on the basics of Central Asian Turks.   Perhaps it was Koprulu Fuat organized that event.   I delivered my talk at the Institute of Turkish Studies.   I did not yet know the Turkish of Turkiye to deliver a talk in that dialect.   Despite that, all listened carefully, and asked a series of questions.   Ragib Hulusi Bey explained the words I could not understand.   There was a Chinese Moslem student, Celaleddin Wang-zin-shang in the audience.   After completing his stides, he returned home, joined the activities of the Guomindang Party.   He became the Minister of the Interior in the Eastern Turkistan Governmnet.   When the Bolsheviks took over China, he returned to Istanbul via Pakistan, and taught Chinese at the university.   His offspring is following in his footsteps.   Later on, I endeavored to be useful for the students who arrived from Asia, Europe and even from America.

Feast at Kucukyali—
I worked in Suleymaniye and Koprulu libraries during 30 May.    On Sunday, 31 May, the younger brother of the late General Enver invited me to the Camlik casino [here, a restaurant with musical entertainment] at Kucukyali.    We stayed until the express train arrived in Bostanci [sic].   There were many friends and generals present.   All were dressed in civilian clothes.   Generals Halil, Erkelet, Cafer Tayyar, Mursel and the officers who were with General Enver in Turkistan were there.   Among them were Haydar Tasan and Muhiddin Bey.   There was also music.   I gathered that, the event was in my honor.   Sukru Baglarbasi and Haydar Tasan were the most excited.   During this gathering, no outsiders were allowed into the garden.    When I noticed the sandy bottom through the clear waters of the sea at the end of the garden, I commented to Generals Emir Erkelet and Nuri “I wish I had a home here.”   God granted my wish.   Even if it was not at that time, I was able to build a home at Kucukyali and established my library.  

Talks with Muallim Cevdet and Ferit Bey—
Muallim Cevdet is one of the most well known intellectuals of Turkiye; besides French, he also knows Arabic and Farisi.   We had spoken a few times at the Institute of Turkish Studies.   He invited me to have coffee as if he had some private business to discuss with me.   We went to Darulmuallim [teacher training school].   Apparently, Ferit Bey, the Farisi Professor at the Istanbul Darulfunun, was also going to be present.   Reportedly, he even knew how to write poetry in Farisi and in French.   In general, at that time, knowledge of French was much esteemed in Istanbul.   When someone was introduced, I noticed that it was also pointed out how well he spoke French.   The library of Cevdet Bey was truly rich.    Most of the works published in Turkiye were on literature and history.   It was also noticed that he carefully collected the works published in Russia.   Most of my publications, other than the ones published in Russian, were also present.   Cevdet Bet addressed me: “this is the matter I need to tell you in private,” and held out a copy of Tedrisati Iptidaiye journal, and showed me two articles he wrote against me and added: “do not dwell on this anymore; my thesis has lost value.   Religion and state have been separated in the state governance, and this business is closed.”   I responded with: “I thank you for your advice; you can rest assured I will not dwell on it.   This is a matter of interpretation and became a part of history.”   A little later, Professor Ferit Bey arrived, and pleasant talk began.   Muallim Cevdet was very conservative, but Ferit Bey was expressing very liberal ideas.   During those days, the matter of alphabets became very lively in the press, and there were writings in favor of Latin alphabet.   It transpired that the ideas of the two friends were in opposition to each other.   Ferit Bey asked me what I was thinking about the matter.   Would Russia accept the Latin alphabet?   I now discover that I then wrote down the details of this discussion in my diary: “technical developments will force us to accept the Latin alphabet, sooner or later.   However, it will not be prudent to remove the old alphabet immediately.   Both alphabets need to be used simulateneously at least half a century, or a quarter of a century.   Newspapers and novels need to be published in the old script, and no damage must be sustained to our links to our past.   Our old works must be published.   However, the definitive path to joining the Western civilization does not pass through a change of the alphabet, but the way being followed by the Moslems of India and the Hindus.   And, that is, the acceptance of English as a serious branch of study and the language of the universities.   French language can no longer spread across Asia.   If English is taught from middle school on, in a mandatory fashion, most of the university courses can then be taught in English.   That will also allow the development of Turkish as a language of knowledge.   In my opinion, the Moslems of India will discover the right path, travel everywhere in the world, participate in conferences, and become a creative force as the keeper of an old civilization equipped with Western culture.   I belive, if we were to continue in this fashion for fifty years, the problem of the language of knowledge can be gradually resolved.   More than likely it will be difficult to translate all the university textbooks and encyclopedias, which are now eighty percent Arabic and Farisi, and expect to reach the Western levels.   For the Moslem nations, it is necessary to adopt one of the Western languages as the language of the universities and academies.   For example, English can be adopted and taught from highschool and be the language of education at the universities on topics other than philology and philosophy.   It must be the language of the knowledge academies for work and publications.   If that can be achieved, the backward nations of Asia will gain time and energy.   According to the Malasian intellectuals I met in Berlin, the South East Asian and Buddhist circles are on the path of adopting English as the general language of scholarship.    The Islamic world can follow them.   The encyclopedias, which are expensive to produce and require the cooperation of international community, can be published for the Western and Central Asian nations jointly.  During the next half a century, our national language, much like those of the Hungarians, can assume the form of a scholarly language.  

Cevdet and Ferit Beys regarded my ideas in a negative manner.   What made Cevdet Bey angry did not make Ferit Bey irritable.   I stated: “that English is settling in China, Japan and India as the language of scholarship, is proof enough that it going to be without opposition in Asia.   If we were to follow in that manner, the dream of making Russian as the language of scholarship will be removed.”   Ferit Bey stated: “what you published ten years ago in the journal Bilgi had caused a negative impression of you on the problems of Caliphate and the sultanate, triggering Cevdet Bey’s angry responses to you.   Likewise, if you were to publish what you are stating here will also create a negative impression of you.   It is better that you do not publish them.”   Cevdet Bey added: “if Turkish is going to leave the position of a language of scholarship, I will henceforth publish in French or in Arabic.”   Despite that, Ferit Bey stated: “what Zeki Bey means that we are not leaving our Turkish as a language of scholarship.   Since the change of alphabet and reaching the Western levels of knowledge requires time, he is suggesting it will be suitable for us to apply the current system in use in Galatasaray [a French language curriculum highschool in Istanbul].   He also believes that it is necessary to teach English from Middle School on, to prepare the children to follow lectures in English at the university level.   It is useful to discuss these matters among ourselves, but you must not write these for publication.”  

Ferit Bey had liberal ideas.   He asked me questions on Shamanism.   Later on, he chose the name “Kam,” meaning shaman, as his last name.   He accepted my ideas in utilizing the Latin alphabet in scholarly research and technical subjects.   Two years later, I wrote my ideas on using Latin alphabet in parallel with the old script for the duration of fifty years, in the journal Yeni Turkistan.   At that time, the thoughts on the alphabet revolution had been common place.   A year later, when I was appointed professor at the Istanbul University, I continued my sincere contacts with Ferit Bey.   Upon arriving in Istanbul, the three scholarly individuals I met were Fuat Koprulu, Ferit Bey and the Director of Beyazit Library, Ismail Saip Bey.   Ferit Bey in Farisi; Ismail Bey in Arabic, were masters of their scholarship, whose knowledge was fully trusted, sincere and men of character.   When I determined that Muallim Cevdet had a bigoted and suspicious character, I did not maintain contacts.  

Mustafa Sakuli—
I arrived in Ankara on 1 June.    I discovered that Mustafa Sakuli waited for me on the way, at the Eskisheir station.   He came with me to Ankara.   On the train, we were together with an inspector from the Treasury Department.   We spoke quite a bit about the affairs of the world and on the condition of the Turkish world.   Our positions were so close that, Mustafa stated as if this person was with us in Turkistan during the time we were there, participating in the same events.   After I registered at a hotel in Ankara, Mustafa gave me an elegant small box he purchased at Mezariserif as a present for me made of the “ac” tree.   Ostensibly, it was manufactured for the purpose of keeping jewelry in it.   He stated: “there are no pearls in it, but apparently it is of old manufacture.”   Inside of the box was absolutely white, and there, Mustafa had written: “to my older brother Zeki Agay, I present this as a momento of our unforgettable life of struggle.   He introduced us to the larger world of the Turks, and caused us to live the Turkistan national life, initiating us in that struggle, and his leadership in all that.   Mustafa Sahkuli, Ankara 13141/1925.”    He also prepared a large photograph of himself with the same inscription.  

Mustafa belonged to the ‘Sahkuli Seyyid’ families from the time of the Kasim Hans.   Veliaminov-Zernov published their history.   He had completed the Higher Institution of Commerce in Moscow.   I had first met him during 1914 at the home of industrialist Hasan Akcurin who was his relative.   They all received a good education with the aid of Hsan Bey.   He also busied himself with politics.   With his sister Sare, they translated some of the writings of Leon Cahun on the Turks into Tatar.   Without reservation, both of them joined our ideas of autonomy during 1917.   They joined in the movement against the Unitarists at a feast during the days of the Russian State Congress.   During 1918, Mustafa and his sister Sare Sakulova, who had completed her higher education in Switzerland after finishing her education in Russia, came and worked in the economic institutions of the Autonomous Baskurt Government.   During 1920, he arrived in Bukhara with the rest of us; with Osman Hoca, crossed over to Eastern Bukhara and served as an instructor.   When General Enver arrived, he worked with him; and later, with Haci Sami.   He was related to Yusuf Akcora and Gaspirali Ismail familes from his mother’s side.   He also learned Farisi, and he loved Chathay Literature.   He produced a full list of Ahmet Yesevi’s poems by inspecting all of his writings.   However, it is yet to be published.   At the hotel we were in Ankara, there was no bed frame.   So, they placed the mattresses on the floor.   Mustafa liked that very much and cooked Bukhara pilav with his own hands.   He had also brought good wines and Turkiye foods to accompany them.   He missed his mother and sister left in Baskurdistan, sang, and cried quite a bit.   I had taught him a poem of Alishir Navai “it is a great blessing to be left alone with a close friend to tell your troubles to him and to cry.”   He kept repeating it.   Why should I not join Mustafa whom I loved, in his tears of longing.

Mustafa wrote the independence movements of 1918-1923 as a book.   I have a copy of it in my library.   A photocopy is in the Columbia University archives.   From that, Professor E. Allworth had a personal copy made for him.

We spoke with Consul Sami Bey.   And on 2 June, we met with Hamdullah Bey.   It was discovered that Ayaz Ishaki and Fuat Toktar gave a report against me to the Government.   Hamdullah Bey stated: “those pertain to the affairs in your lands.   They have no bearing on Turkiye.   Do not worry, I will give their answer.”   On 4 June, Hamdullah Suphi Bey organized a meeting at the Turk Ocagi.   I made a presentation after apologizing that I did not know the Turkiye dialect well.   Turk Ocagi had elected me as a member of the cultural committee.  Other members were Yusuf Akcora, Fuat Koprulu, and Veled Celebi Beys.   We had a group photograph taken.  

Turkish citizenship—
Today, a law was published in the Resmi Gazete [Official Newspaper] concerning my and Zubeyir Bey’s acceptance into Turkish citizenship, containing the signatures of the President of the Republic and members of the Cabinet.   The following is the format:

Governmental Decree
Office of the Prime Minister, Private Secretary, number 2032
According to an application received from the Ministry of Education dated 3 June 1341 [1925] and record number 3840-8240, Zeki Velidi and Hamid Zubeyir Beys have been admitted into the citizenship of the Turkish Republic in order for them to be employed in the fields of Turkish History, Turkish Lineage Branches and Turkish language and publish the results of their researches.   This was decided by the Cabinet of Ministers at their meeting on 3 June 1341.
The President of the Turkish Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasa; Prime Minister, Ismet; Minister of the Interior, M. Cemil; Minister of Exterior Affairs, Dr. Tevfik Rustu; Minister of Defense, Recep Peker; Acting Navy Minister, M. Cemil; Acting Minister of Justice, Tevfik Rustu; Health and Social Services Minister, Dr. Refik; Minister of Agriculture, Mehmet Sabri; Minister of the Treasury, Suleyman Sirri; Minister of Education, Hamdullah Suphi.

After this Decree was published, my appointment as a member of the Committee of Writing and Translations has taken a legal form.   Now I was on salary.   According to form, this Decreee was going to be sent by the Interior Ministry to the Governor’s Office of Ankara; by them to one of the sub-divisions of Ankara.   There, I would be issued a set of new identity papers.   It turned out that I was assigned to Haci Halil Subdivision.   However, the person who was the Elected Head [Muhtar] dragged out the recording process, perhaps because he wanted a bribe, or for other considerations.   He was statting: “if Mustafa Kemal is the President of the Turkish Republic, I am the President of the Haci Halil Subdivision.  If it is on the docket and if I feel like it, I will handle the recording.”   In sum, I though I needed to reside in that subdivision to complete the recording process.    I rented a two room, small house.   There were piles of straw, on either side of the house.   That night I noticed a donkey was tied to one.   It was braying.

During those times, citizens of Ankara were living on very narrow streets, in houses contrary to health conditions, always in danger of fire.   I had paid the rent, but I did not stay there,   I lived in a hotel.   That was because, they would not rent a room in a home to a bachelor, and there were bedbugs.   At the lover reaches of the city, there were clouds of mosquitos.   I did not bring my writings and books into the house I rented.   I placed them in the Ministry of Education.   In general, my main concern after my arrival in Ankara was organizing my writings and my manuscripts.   We all thought that our work needed to acquire a routine.

Some of our initiatives in Ankara—
On 4 June, Osman Hoca and Nasir Mahdum (former Minister of the Bukharan Treasury) arrived from Istanbul.   They, too, had problems with citizenship formalities.   In our meeting we discussed the issue of representing Turkistan according to the laws of Turkiye.   We will invite Mustafa Cokay from Paris and convene the Turkistan National Union Congress during 1926.   Mustafa Cokay and Mustafa Sakuli will manage the representation of Turkistan in Europe.   I and Abdulkadir will enter the university, and we will publish a journal with the title Yeni Turkistan with Osman Hoca.   This journal will publish scholarly articles on the history, literature, sociology and economics as they pertain to Turkistan.   We were aware of the efforts of the Russian agents attempting to prevent the presentation of Turkistan struggle as a single struggle.   Their efforts were dovetailing the subdivision of Turkistan according to “national borders.”    Therefore, as needed, we decided to reference the movement as “Turkistan and Eastern Turklands,” to ensure the inclusion of Tatar, Baskurt and Kazaks, and hold meetings, presentations jointly according to those principles.   One of these meetings was held at the home of Yusuf Akcora Bey.  

On 6 June, I gave a petition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to bring my wife Nefise to Turkiye.   I also spoke with Tevfik Rustu and Ahmet Hikmet Beys in detail on the issue.   The same day, I presented Hamdullah Bey, the Minister of Education with the regulations of the “Academy of Sciences” that was necessary to be established in Turkiye, along with the bylaws of “Turkiye Archeological Society,” “Turkiye Geographical Society,” as well as the “Turkish Historical Society” and “Turkish Language Society” that will function as sub-units of the Academy.   I also supplied the regulations of the Gottingen German Academy of Sciences regulations and laws.

On 10 June, a meeting was organized at the Turk Ocagi to introduce me; I went there.   The same day, I was a guest of Veled Celebi Efendi at a place called Cankaya Kavakli.   Even though he did not know any Western languages, he was a master of Farisi and especially the literature of the Mewlevi.   He had learned the dictionaries, whether published or not, and as a result he had translated Kutadgu Bilig into Ottoman.   He spoke for three to four hours on these matters with me and Abdulkadir.   

There were talks at the Turk Ocagi on 11 June, between 8:30 and midnight.    Many members were present, such as Samih Rifat, Ahmet Hikmet, Hamit Zubeyir, Hasan Ferid, and Izzet Ulvi.   At the suggestion of Undersecretary Nafi Atuf, I read my previously prepared paper entitled “The conditions under which Turkish research can enter international channels.”   I had already presented a copy to Hamdullah Bey.   It was discussed and received well.

At that time I also spoke with Cemil Bey, the Minister of the Interior.   I found him to be very friendly.   He told me: “whatever you need, come see me.”   It appeared to me that the likes of Hamdullah Suphi Bey and Cemil Bey were not plentiful, who would show friendship without formalities.   That was why the words of Cemil Bey seemed so sweet; I visited him from time-to-time.

Celal Unsi Bey—
On 16 June, I spoke with Celal Unsi Bey.   He was an Azerbaijani Turk and had published a newspaper in Turkish entitled Keskul in Tbilisi, before Gaspirali Ismail Bey [in Crimea].   I thought he was long dead.   It transpired that he was living in Turkiye.   He was a master of Iranian and Azerbaijani literature.   He introduced me to a rug merchant by the name of Hulusu Bey.   Reportedly he was a Crimean Turk, and was from the Ozbek Branch; but those Ozbeks did not arrive from Turkistan.   They were a local tribe.   It was said that he was a master of Farisi and the literary and religious works written in Altinordu period.   With Celal Unsi Bey, we would visit Hulusi Bey and talk on literature.   Hulusi Bey would tell fortunes from the Hafiz Divani.   One day, he opened an ornate, good looking copy of the Divan, and read: “one day you will visit Khorezm or Hocend.”   Celal Unsi Bey added: “ha, if you go to Samarkand, say Hello to Emir Temur!”   Another day, when we visited, Celal Unsi Bey jokingly stated: “open Hafiz one more time for Zeki Bey; I wonder if he will not take you along.”   He did, and read: “The Turkistanis love you.   China and India are bringing tribute money for a twist of your hair.”   Possibly Unsi Bey had placed an order ahead of time for Hulusi Bey to read those.   He thus caressed my love of land and feelings.

Celal Unsi Bey stated: “Hoca Hafiz must be an intimate of yours.   He is advising you like his closest friend.   I have been here for the past thirty years; he never said anything like it to me.”   Celal Bey addressed Hulusi Bey:  “now, cast one for me.”   Hulusi Bey read: “avoid jealous individuals.”   Celal Unsi Bey addressed me: “this, too, is addressing you.   That is because, my era has passed.   Nobody can be jealous of me anymore.”   I responded: “it is possible that they can be.   Even Ali Kuscu, after he arrived in Istanbul, in his letters to Samarkand he talks about the many jealous persons and the benevolence of the Emperor.”   Celal Unsi Bay was a Russian translator at the Minsitry of Foreign Affairs.

17 June.   I am spending my free time on writing my magnum opus on the historical geography of Turkistan.   But, there were no books or libraries in Ankara.   For those reasons, I started to agitate for an appointment in Istanbul.   Besides, in his letter to me in Berlin, Hamdullah Suphi Bey indicated that I was going to be employed in teaching history.   I was reminding him at suitable intervals.

On 19 June, I came down with malaria.   I could not go to the office for two days.   Hamdullah Suphi Bey sent his Undersecretary Nafi tuf Bey to discover the circumstances.   When Atuf Bey noticed the condition of the room, he stated that they would help me.

Professor Samoylovic—
On 5 July, I was told at the Education Ministry that: “Agaoglu Ahmet Bey would like to speak with you at the administration building of Turk Yurdu.  He telephoned a little ealier.”   It turned out that the famous Turcologist Samoylovic was in Ankara and wished to speak with me.   I indicated that we could talk at a restaurant which is now near the Vakif Hanlari, and indicated the time.    We spoke the same day.   This person was my closest friend during the Tsarist times.   Our friendship began in 1913 after I published a paper of the Turkmen poet Mahdumkuli.   He had arrived in Bukhara in 1921 to speak with me.   I had recounted that before; and I thought that he was there under orders from the Communist Party and refrained from speaking with him.   Even when he spoke with the Director Bisiyev in the next room, who was my relative, I did not let my presence known.   When he had the Ozbek poet Colpan intercede on his behalf, I even avoided speaking with Colpan.   Now, while we were speaking, he did not mention anything about the occasion in Bukhara, talking only of old friends, I immediately thought that this, too, was an arrangement.   That was because he only spoke of scholarly issues; I waited to hear when and how he was going to divulge his principal mission.   We met again in two days time.   What he had to say was very much like what Kretinsky had stated: “we like you very much, continue on your journey while keeping in touch with your scholarly friends in Russia.   You are the one to replace Bartold, do not change your citizenship.”

I mentioned the status of my family.   He responded with: “if you heed my advice, the resolution is easy.  Otherwise, they will not let you have them.”   I continued: “my brother Abdurrauf mailed me most of my manuscript works, especially the draft of my book on the Nogay history via registered mail.   However, they never reached me.”   His response was: “all these are subject to politics.”    Later, we went to the movies, and spoke on various topics.   He avoided touching on my role in the revolt in Turkistan.   I thought that he was definitely, officially tasked to speak with me.   He mentioned that he had heard from Agaoglu that I had proposed a project concerning the establishment of an Academy of Sciences, and that he was very interested in that topic as well.   It was obvious that he did not at all wish to see scholarship flowering in Turkiye in an organized fashion, and wanted to secure the “advisory” position to the Russians in order to have those developments under their control.   I stated that: “it was a simple memorandum,” and wished to change the subject.   However, he asked again.   I responded that it is a matter concerning the Ministry of Education, and that I did not know the details.   Since that time, I wrote to the Turkiye Ministry of Education countless times on the matter of Academy of Sciences.   I only learned that the real opponents of that issue were those leftist elements close to the Russians.   I learned that from Avni Bey, the publisher of the Turk Ansiklopedisi.   That was because he and I shared the same opinion.  Who knows; perhaps Samoylovic was not a spy, since the Bolsheviks later killed him.   However, I found it without benefit to speak with him, and stated: “henceforth, I am a citizen of the Turkish Republic, and I wrote the history of the uprising in Turkistan; what is it you wish old friend, esteemed Alexander Nikolayevic?   The old sincerity is no longer there with the Russian friends.   They had the intellectuals swallow the opium called “World Domination;” with that, they took away your self-determination, your friendship and sincerity.   How did you lower yourself to the step of tracking me down in Bukhara?   Would Vasili Valdirimic (Bartold) or Ignati Yulyanovic (Krackovski) have done that, too?”   Upon hearing those words, the blonde Samoylovic lost all his facial coloring.   He stated: “that is calumny; I never received any instructions for searching you in Bukhara; or today, here.”   I continued: “were you not among the Russian Turcologists discussing the creation of nineteen different literary languages for the Russian imprisoned Turk Branches at the Eastern University in Moscow during 1922?   I heard that there were also brave young Turcologists who were in favor of utilizing the Latin alphabet.   However, those who insist that a common language must not be allowed among the Eastern Turks, and that the alphabets must be devised on the bases of phonetic differences by which completely independent languages must be formed, and those who are convinced that the Turk Branches will soon become Russified and will disappear, are in demand.   I wrote all this to Lenin in a letter two days before I crossed the border into Iran.   Now, I am in Turkiye, and I will stay here.   When we spoke last during the past week, you remembered that even Strabo [64 BC – AD 24?] wrote that the aridness of the area between Ankara and Konya will remain, and can never be improved.   During the past century, there were those who claimed that the Turks were busy conquering the outside world, and Asia Minor always remained a bald head.   Now you see that the Turks will expend their energies in improving their barren lands.  

Arrid Ankara becoming the Capital is not a dark symbol of Turkiye in the future; just the opposite, it is a representation of a bright prospect.    Ankara and Haymana, now regarded as a blind alley, may become a large cultural center home to eight to ten million Turks.   When the Seyh of your Academy, Professor Krjijanovsky and a friend of his were searching resources for the electrification of Russia in the Middle East, they had arrived at the headwaters of Aras River and mentioned white coal and mining industry in the region of Elazig, Malatya and Diyarbakir.   One day, each of these three cities will become the home of millions of Turkish laborers.   At that time, no more fears will be left for the Turkish language from the Armenians of the Kurds; nor can that menace ever be used from the outside as a lever.   Before the Russians can digest the Turks imprisoned in Russia, the endless ambition of the Russians, to which they are addicted, will cause them harm.   At that time, Alexander Nikolayevic, we will once again be friends.   In the past, that ambition was not lacking.   However, that did not stop me from keeping the lines of Eugene Onegin in my memory along with the verses of the Kur’an.   Now, that ambition is not allowing the right to life to any of the nations imprisoned by the Russians.   I applied to Lenin and Kretinsky to bring out my beloved wife; they will use her to torture me.”

I felt as if the beer was affecting my head.   I noticed that Samoylovic was also uncomfortable.   We separated.   I arrived at the hotel and wrote down these talks verbatim in my diary.   I did not see him again.   A year later, when Bartold arrived for delivering a series of talks in Istanbul, his wife indicated: “Alexander Nikolayevic was very sad about your talks in Ankara; he made a mistake by insinuating himself into political circles.”  

8 July.   The Imam of Petersburg Lutfi Molla had arrived in Istanbul; meaning, he had become an author as well.   Now I just heard that he had passed away in Istanbul.

9 July.   I visited Minister of National Defense Recep Peker Bey in his Official Office.   I requested he appoint our Friends of Cause Mamur Niyazi and Mustafa Sahkuli to appropriate positions.   He graciously agreed.   It transpired that he was of Daghestan origin.

The Mountain of Huseyin Gazi—
17 July.   I was studying the battlefields of Temur and Bayazid [Temur 1336-1405; Bayazid 1389-1403.  Battle of Ankara, 20 July 1402].   I climbed the mountain known as Huseyin Gazi in the South East of Ankara.   A villager from Kizilhisar asked me: “why are you circling around here; someone will catch and kill you.”   I responded with: “so what; I am looking for the battlefield between Temur and Bayazid.”   He said: “let us climb that hill.”   From that location, he showed me the place known as Cubuk Ovasi where the battle took place.   I asked him: “did you learn this from the books?”   He said: “no, our village arrived from Khorasan; we like Temur.   Besides, those who provoked Bayazid against Temur were not the Turks, but the Serbians.”   He added: “on your way back, stop by to see us.”   I climbed up further, to the summit.    The weather was quite cold.   I built a fire between the rocks, using animal dung as kindling fuel.   I added shrubbery to create hot ashes.    I had several raw potatoes in my bag, and I was cooking them in the hot ashes.   I also had a copper flute, manufactured in the Baskurt style.   I was playing it.    At some point, sounds of other men reached me.   A little later, I saw their heads.   It transpired that these were European engineers from Germany, France and Switzerland.   They were working for the National Railroad Administration.   Alltogether, there were five of them.   They brought quite a spread of chicken, European cheese, whiskey and wine.   They took a look at the potatoes, and told me to throw them away, and fed me from what they brought.   Since I had buried the potatoes in the ash, fearing that would cause gossip, I did not tell them my name or reveal my identity, nor did I speak a single word of European languages.   Two days later, at the Ministry of National Defense ante-room, one of them arrived.   We spoke.   He was from Sweden.   With him, there was an Austrian whom I knew.   He introduced me.   Form all that, it was discovered who that person was cooking potatoes in the ash.    Afterward, that individual from Sweden became my friend just like the one from Austria.   I spoke with them often.   Huseyin Gazi was not the best place to study the Cubuk Plains battle.    At that time, the maps of General Omer Halis were not available.   That man from Sweden, a highschool history teacher and I rented horses from the villagers and toured the real battlefield of Esenboga, Cataltepe and Yagbasan regions.    We arrived at the home of Yusuf Akcora in Kecioren on foot.   At that time, there were Nogay villages around Ankara who had maintained their traditional clothes.   The young brides did not know what a veil was; wearing “bogtag” and “sevgele” on their heads, as described by Marco Polo, they would bring “kurut peynir” [dried cheese] to the market and sell.   I visited their villages.   I spent my days off at the villages of Haymana.   

My visit to Gazi Mustafa Kemal—
Thursday, 31 July.   Kurban Bayrami.    Today I went to Haci Bayram Mosque for the celebration of the Sacrificial Feast.   I was thinking of the atrocities in the Turk lands in Russia.   I noticed the silk cloth hanging on the wall: “the mansion of the world will collapse, cannot stand a sigh/ do not believe that the life of those who burn others will not be touched.”    I went to see Ahmet Han, the Afghan Ambassador to congratulate the Bayram, and told him of the writing.   He read me his translation of that couplet into Farisi.   It was nice.   I told mysef: “I visited the Afghan Ambassador.   Now the time has come to visit General Mustafa Kemal; I should go do so.”   I was with Hasim Nahit Bey.   He spoke French well.   He had published interesting works on the development and regression paths of Turkiye.   He spoke many times with me on those issues.   I asked him: “how would it be if we were to go and visit Gazi Mustafa Kemal to Bayram congratulations today?”   He said: “that would be very appropriate; except, he only accepts visitors at the Parliament building.”   We went together, and saw his aide-de-camp and told him our purpose.   A little later, we were ushered in.   He showed us great respect, and asked: “why were you so late for a visit?”   I responded with: “Hamdullah Bey was going to bring me himself; besides, I wanted to have the Turkish identity papers in my pocket as I crossed your threshold.”   He laughed and complimented me.   He then asked: “there is a beautiful muqam [type of melody] called Suzinak among us.   I wonder if it also exists in Turkistan.”   I replied: “I think they call it Bi-Bahce.”   I liked the fact that the General asked me such a question as if he had known me for a long time.   My further discussions with General Mustafa Kemal will be recounted in the next volume, when I carried the title Professor.   However, will it be possible to write that volume?   Even though Gazi Mustafa Kemal was forty-five years old, he left a very good impression on me.   I divided my existence into two parts; my talk with him constitutes the beginning of the second portion of my life.   While I was leaving, I saw the Representative [Member of Parliament] Semih Rifat Bey.   He stated: “you did well seeing him; it is meaningful that he asked you about Suzinak; that is because he believes all Turkish culture arrived from there.”   18 February 1967


AFTERWORD; 20 JULY 1969

I intended to bring the story of my life until the day this volume is printed.   All the pertinent materials were carefully collected for the volume to follow the present one, to detail the forty-four years spent as a Professor at a university in Ataturk’s Turkiye and as a researcher.   Since I had not participated in political life in Turkiye, have not become member of any political party, have not hitched my wagon to anyone’s star, the story of that era would not have been monotonous either.   My scholarly work forced me to spend eight years outside Turkiye, in Austria and in Germany.   During World War II, since the Soviets were scared of Turkiye’s influence on the Moslem Turk Branches in the Soviet Union, they caused calamities on the heads of those who worked on the histories and national cultures of those Branches.   If the second volume of my memoirs is published, it will illuminate the higher education and research in Turkiye; not to mention the struggles to the study of the West by contemporary methods.   The portion of my life spent in Turkiye is completely constructive, and has focused on the evaluation of the historical sources and documents carefully collected by the Ottoman state over the centuries.   The stages of that effort are worth telling in a book of memoirs.   However, my life span’s length, and the desire to publish some of my more important scholarly works, had persuaded me not to dwell on the latter part of my life’s story.  

If I do not write a few words about the era after 1925, on the lands beyond the Caspian Sea, perhaps the impression may be given that my ideas are entirely based on my experiences prior to my leaving Russia.   However, I regularly kept-up with the developments in those lands since 1925.   Truly, Soviet Union is a country of great revolutions.   I had described that when I spoke about Kautsky.   Even though the life there is flawed due to the flaunting and propaganda of a dictatorship, since life flows according to categorical plans, the progress is heady.   What appears today as reality, we could not have even imagined while we were in Turkistan half a century ago.   The Westerners, such as Englishman [sic] Fitzroy Maclean recorded that as well, who visited Bukhara twice, during 1939 and 1959.   After they were sovietized during the 1920, the ancient cultural remnants of Bukhara and Khorezm have been replaced by that of the Soviets.   Since the discovery of natural gas in Bukhara during 1959, new residential subdivisions appeared with buildings climbing to the skies; the ancient protective walls nurturing very old cultures have been destroyed and new motorways took their places.   Until 1963, some 3.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas was extracted there; masses of individuals have been brought from the Western borders of the Soviet Union, and a three thousand five hundred kilometer pipeline has been built to carry the natural gas to the industrial centers of European Soviet Union.#   Nukus, mentioned earlier as a small town in these Memoirs, which constituted a part of the Ergenekon dastans, have become the most important waypoint between in international air-travel between Moscow, India and Pakistan.   What was the high grazing pastures of the old Oghuz in Kazakistan, and was known to us as a field containing coal and copper mines in the back country, Bay Qunur, is now the Soviet Central Space installation.   During 1932-1933, some three million souls died of hunger in Kazakistan.   Twenty years later (in 1953), a land-mass of twenty million hectares were separated from Kazakistan under the rubric of “virgin lands,” distributed to the Russian emigrants.    These occupied lands were increased to twenty-seven million hectares in 1963.#   

As one result, the Kazak population was decreased to %25.   When we were in Baskurdistan, no oil was being extracted; now, four times more oil is produced than Baku.   During 1963, including the Toymazi sources of Tataristan, one hundred five million tons were extracted.   Cotton, iron production, water resources are listed in parallel with the decline of the native population and the increase of the Russians.  

Contrasted to that tragic showing of Turkistan, Turkiye, in which I spent forty four pleasant years, had entered into an era of development guaranteeing the independence of the Turkish nation.   Today, the army of Turkiye is a force not seen in recent centuries.   The esteem of Turkiye has increased in the world; the financial capacity is also increased.   Theocratism, which I mentioned during 1913 with trepidation concerning the fate of Turkiye, has been eliminated.   During last April in Rawalpindi, at the International Islamic Congress, despite the shortcomings, Turkiye showed herself as the model to the other Islamic intellectuals how to modernize Islam and to rid of theocracy.#   Russian physicists regarded the Aras River as the headwaters of Russian water-power and stated that Firat and Dicle needed the Russian “creativity” for them to become the power sources for Western Asia.   Now, our nation is converting those areas into industrial bases under her own will and own power.   Bridge and tunnel construction in Istanbul will convert the city into a world cultural center housing several more million Turkish citizens.  

However, the rapid development of Turkiye and the growth of Iran based on her rich oil wells have not softened the desires of Russia; just the opposite, her apeties have increased.   Russia has reached the Mediterranean Sea, built dams in Egypt; working with all her might to establish the dominion of Communism in Indochina. The recent occupation of Czechoslovakia by Russian military forces is an indication that her earlier withdrawal from Austria and Iranian Azerbaijan were tactical moves.   While she wishes to establish areas of influence in the Mediterranean, Western Asia, South East Asia, she is endeavoring to fortify her position in the Caspian and Black Seas and completely occupy Afghanistan.   From that aspect, my trip to Northern Afganistan during last year can constitute the last portion and summary of these memoirs.   An Ozbek emigrant of the Kongrat Branch from Bukhara, in Mezar-I Serif, who appeared to know the flow of world events, stated: “many of us crave to emigrate to Turkiye.   Some of us wish to return to Russia.    However, I will stay here.   That is because; Russia herself will be arriving in this land.   Large concrete roads are being built from Herat and Mazar toward India that will accommodate main battle tanks; in some places these are one-and-a-half meters thick.   She definitely wishes to reach and settle in Kashmir.   Just like China has settled in Tibet.”   The Russian progress is no longer the problem of Turkistan alone.   Russia is becoming a misfortune for entire Asia.   While I am writing this, plenty of articles are being penned in the West on the “Fundamental Aims of Russia in Asia.”   The thoughts of the German thinkers are as follows: “Russian plans for Asia are now clear.   She wishes to be the mediator in Kashmir and settle there in order to have full influence in South East Asia.”#  

The Moslem nations bordering Russia are displaying ignorance against the psychological methods employed by Russia.   Years are passing by.   The statistics issued by the Soviets are believed because they are a different source to hand [sic].   As a result, the Russians gain in the public opinion and the natives appear as not believable.   Even though years pass-by, an independent understanding of language, arts, theater and the justice system cannot be accomplished which the Russians have been projecting to their neighbors and even to their own citizenry.   They do not even have specialized courts.   With the success of her own propaganda methods, Russia is finding it easier to implement their plants.   On one hand they are printing propaganda on the gilded life of their own Moslem subjects accompanied by photographs, on the other hand, they are publishing statistics that the said population is speedily diasappearing, thereby hoodwinking the world.   Ignoring and not analyzing those statistics, appearing as thick volumes, under the guise and format of scholarly works, would spell doom.   The roster of staff siding with the Russians in the neighboring countries is being expanded.   However, the almighty Russians cannot be seen.   For example, enormous precautions are undertaken to bond Afghanistan to Russia economically.   At Sibirgan, the Russians are physically in control of natural gas production.   The gas produced from there can be available, just like the case in Bukhara, to users thousands of kilometers away, in Russia and Eastern Europe.   The Suzak tunnel in Hindikus has shortened the road used by Alexander of Macadonia to cross from Kabul basin to Balkh by two hundred kilometers.   However, only Russians know the future of the oil and gas wells and roads in Northern Afghanistan.   The Westerners can sometimes, even very late, protect themselves from the false information.   For example, during 1954, the English newspapers were taken in by the information supplied by the Soviets and announced that the “Virgin Lands” program would result in world changing initiatives.#   Fifteen years later, it was announced that the said initiative was bankrupt, and those regions turned into poor pastures for animal husbandry.#   Among us, the effects of Soviet propaganda are still continuing.   The talk is still about those virgin lands constituting the bread-basket of the Soviets.   It has become an art to determine the truth from the Soviet publications that have been throwing-out false statistics under the monopoly of the Politburo.#   We should have learned that a long time ago.   For whatever reason, that is not the case.   The aim of determining the truth by the establishment of institutions for the purpose of independent analysis has not been successful.  In the recent years, according to the deceitful psychological methods which have been in vogue as of late, the sly means of preventing the scholarly work from reaching culmination, and to capture and concentrate the scholarly and administrative positions in the hands of the reds have been ongoing with audacity and confidence. 

Despite all that, it is necessary to mention some of the corrections taking place in the Islamic nations neighboring the Soviets, which were earlier mentioned as faults in these memoirs:  

During our talks at Kabul in 1923, it was mentioned that democracy could not be applied to the Islamic nations in a devil-may-care come fashion as it is employed in Aglo-Saxon countries; it must be applied according to the national characters of nations.   I am glad to note that the ideas I advanced concerning socialism have proven to be suitable to the thoughts of our intellectuals.   During the past forty-four years, despite the efforts and insistent propaganda and expenditure of treasury, there has not been a serious fight within our community.    Instead, the events that gave birth to such are sought with level-headedness.   Even the Iranian and Afghan rulers did not resort to bloody measures to defend their crowns, they stressed that they would carry-out the revolutions with their subjects.#  

Earlier, I had mentioned the necessity of taking solid precautions for their own lands by the neighboring countries against the Russian tendency to spread just like a swamp, for the good of the world.#   Nowadays, large-scale financial contributions began to take place to support that.   These preventative measures are being seriously supported by Pakistan will stretch from the West toward the East by the RCD Organizations.  Russia had advanced an anti-thesis by the hand of Tajik leader Gafurov at the 1967 Ann Arbor Congress of Orientalists.   It was fortified by a Russian from the UNESCO circles at the Iranian Arts Congress meeting in Tahran.   Accordingly, the RCD ought to be organized from North to South [as opposed to West to East, as it then stood], and instead of Islam as the common thread, it ought to take Iran, Tajik, Afghan and Aryanism regions as the principle of operation and all culture ought to be designed accordingly.   Last year, a Kushan Culture Congress was organized and those theories were put into application.   Despite that, the Afghans chose to remain loyal to the political traditions based on Islamic principles instead of the Soviet rayons.   Because of that, the center of such a movement could not be established in Kabul; it was transferred to Moscow.   In the Turk Republics of the Soviet Union, the national consciousness is now much stronger than 1925, despite the Russification efforts and lies.   Mahmut Kasgari has become the national alp of all lands.   During 1924 I had sent from Berlin a report to the intellectual Turkistan fighters who were left in Iran.   In that, while complaining that the Western nations did not have a clear and consequential policy toward the Soviet Union, I had added: “despite all that, our best ally is the self-confidence of the Westerners; the Soviets will not be able to leave their ghettos.”   During the past forty-four years, the Soviets did not leave that ghetto; nor were they courageous enough to do so.   On the other hand, the Western world is celebrating science, during the hours while I am penning thse lines, not in secret, but openly; by showing their success to hundreds of millions of individuals around the world as the astronauts are stepping down onto the moon.    Many individuals believe that entrance into the universe will bring a better world order and social patterns to the world.

Notes to the Afterword

#  Geologia Nefti I Gaza, 1963, N. 3; Neftianoye Xoziaystvo, 1964, N. 9-10; Vavedensky, Dergi, N. 39-40.
#  Narodnoye Dvijenya za Osvoyennye Tselennyx Zemel, Collective Work,  (Moscow, 1959);   Mecil Ayapbek, Turkili (Izmir 1968), N. 4 Pp 1821.  
#  An article expounding on this is being published in Islam Arastirmalari Enstitusu Dergisi c. IV, cuz 3-4.
#  Frankfurter Rundschau 24.6.1969; The German Tribune 12.6.1969
#  The Times, 9 June 1954;  Dergi, 1955, N. 1 s. 16.
#  R. Kelf-Cohen, “The Consumer in Societland,“ The Daily Telegraph, 10 June 1969.  
#  Z.V. Togan, The Organization of the Western and Central Asian studies (Report on the Middle East, Washington, 1958)
#  Sah Muhammed Riza, Inqilab- Sefid, Tahran, 1968; King Muhammad Zahir Sah; Afghanistan in the past fifty years (The Kabul Times,  22August 1968)
#  Z.V. Togan, Bugunku Turkestan ve yaqin mazisi, Kahire, 1928-1939; Z.V. Togan, Die gegenwartige Lage der Muhammedaner Russlands, Budapest, 1930, Pp. 14.



The translator, H. B. PAKSOY, taught at the Ohio State University, Franklin University,
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Baker College, Central Connecticut State
University. Over the past three decades, his research papers have appeared in over sixty
periodic journals and scholarly collections, in over thirty-five countries situated on all
inhabited continents. Dr. Paksoy also published (as author or editor) twelve books;
most are available online.H. B. PAKSOY earned his D. Phil. from Oxford University,
England (with a Grant from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of
the Universities of the United Kingdom), M.A. at the University of Texas at Dallas
(with a National Science Foundation Project Grant Assistantship), and B.S. at Trinity
University (with Bostwick Scholarship).