From Anatolian Fire to Anatolian Voices
The Song of a Thousand Years
Yuksel Oktay, Special to The Turkish Times, Istanbul, 5 October 2002 - "The Song of a 1000 Years," organized by the Federation of Alevi Bektasi Associations and the Assembly of Alevi Bektasi Associations in Europe was staged at the Apdi Ipekci Sports Arena accross the famous city walls of Istanbul on Saturday night, October 5.

The show was first staged in Koln, Germany in April 2000 and made the Guinness world record when over 1000 saz players and close to 700 dancers took part in the performance. As the sun’s last rays were casting shadows over the Seven Towers Castle just inside the famous walls, young and old performers from all over Europe and every province in Turkey, including 6 year olds, converged to the arena for a concert that will be remembered for a long time.

The Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and his wife, the Chairman of Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi Deniz Baykal, the former minister of economy Kemal Dervis, Minister of Culture Suat Caglayan, several other ministers and deputies, the Governor of Istanbul Erol Cakir and the Mayor of Esenyurt Gurbuz Capan were among the many dignitaries that attended the concert.

First the 1,000 saz players performed, followed by reading of poems by Ayla Algan and Tuncel Kurtiz. This was followed by individual performers with single saz who played popular folk songs and a group who sang the famous "Sari Gelin’’ in Turkish, Azeri and Armenian. Sari Gelin, or "The Blonde Bride,’’ according to legend, originated in northeastern Anatolia. As Cafer Tanriverdi tells us in a recent note, the Blonde Bride was the daughter of a Christian Kipchak Turks living along the Kura and Coruh rivers since ancient times. An Arab sheikh who came to the area fell in love with her and their love story is still alive in Kars and Erzurum. Since Turkish folklore has influenced Armenian music as well (as the Armenian State Dance Group demonstrated during a performance in Istanbul three years ago) some have claimed this to be an Armenian song.

Afterwards, over 300 dancers performed "Semah" in their beuatiful and colorful dresses, most in white and red. The 60-member Cemal Resit Bey Symphony Orchestra with a majority of women performers also played several popular songs.

The group of Dancers from Africa received the greatest applause when they performed to the tune of African drums. Arif Sag, Yavuz Top, Ali Ekber Cicek, Belkis Akkale, Lutfiye İmanov, were among the artists who sang beautiful folk songs, which are now being heard all over Turkey. It was a beautiful show.

As the Alevis were performing in Istanbul, another exciting group was presenting the dances of Anatolia at the Bilkent University in Ankara the same day, which burst into the art scene in Turkey over a year ago as the ‘’Sultans of the Dance,’’ now known as ‘’The Anatolian Fire’’. When I had asked an American doctor as we were leaving the Efes Theater near Izmir on August 26, 2001 after a performence what he thought about the show, his response was ‘’The Greatest Show on Earth’’. He was right, the dances performed by close to 100, from the time of King Nemrut to the belly dancers of Sulukule were magnificient, and the music and the slide show was spectacular. This is how the creator, Mustafa Erdogan, describes the show: ‘’The synthesis of 3,000 folk dance figures, music from 25 different folk compositions arranged and performed by professional musicians... All to express the beauty and the wonder that is Anatolia.

Very often, the media covers the activities of the Alevis and the Bektasis and many books have been written about their concept of Islam and way of life. According to some, there are close to 15 million Alevis living in Turkey, who are ethnically and linguistically Turkish with a significant percentage also being of Kurdish origin. A large percentage of Turks living in Europe are Alevis. Some ask whether Alevilik and Bektasilik is a sect or a "tariqat." The Prime Minister also referred to this in his speech and stated that Alevilik is a synthesis of cultures. Haci Bektas festival, the Mevlana festival in Konya and many others around Turkey are visited by hundreds of thousands each year which is a testimony to their love of beauty and friendship who are also ardent followers of Ataturk’s principles. More power to them.

The program was scheduled to start at 5:00 pm, but by the time the organizer and director Necati Sahin took to the podium, it was almost 7:30 pm and the program lasted until close to midnight. There were many speches including by the Prime Minister and one by businessman Adnan Polat who asked that a University be established in Hacibektas, near Nevsehir, where the concept of Alevilik and Bektasilik can be taught. Necati Sahin stated that the Group would be the Cultural Ambassador for Turkey in her quest to become a member of the European Union.

Our heartful thanks to the creators, the directors and the performers of these wonderful shows that emanate from Anatolia... the cradle of civilisation... Only in Turkey!