http://www.derekbrownphotos.com
Introduction
One of the greatest and most basic misconceptions about the Muslim world--one which would probably be dispelled with just a few seconds' thought but nonetheless persists--is that all Muslims are Arabs and vice versa. It is true that all Arab countries are predominantly Muslim, and that Arab countries form in many senses--geographical and historical, among others--the "core" of the Muslim world, but the world of Islam is of course far broader than just the countries of the Arab League; the faith of Mohammed spreads northwest of Syria into the Balkans, southwest of the Maghrib into the Sahel, northeast of Iraq into Central Asia and southeast of Oman all the way to Indonesia. Further, not only is the Arab world not coterminous with the Islamic world, but Arab ethno-linguistic identity is not without competition for primacy in the world of Islam; almost as important, arguably, is the Turkic world.
Turks, an originally nomadic people of the plain, originated in Central Asia but spread far west, through Iran and the Anatolian peninsula into the Balkans. The leading Turkic power in relatively recent history, the Ottoman Empire, conquered not only the Christian Byzantine Empire but most of the Muslim world, and the Ottoman Sultan was for much of its history recognized as the Caliph, or head, of all Muslims. And the Turkic footprint goes well beyond the Ottomans. Many of the great Arab empires were ruled by a Turkic military class, including Mamluk Egypt, and the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal India were both Turkic in "ethnicity" (if Persian in courtly culture). Turks were, historically, phenomenally successful in occupying the seats of power in the Muslim world.
Today, areas that are almost exclusively Turk include Turkey, Azerbaijan, the "Stans" of Central Asia and China's Xinjiang or East Turkistan, an area thousands of miles across. Additionally, it is estimated that some 25% of Iran's population is Turkic. Some pictures from the Turkic world, still very much connected through history, shared traditions, language and modern links.
Mosque, Bascarsija
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Founded when much of the Balkan Peninsula was under Ottoman rule, Sarajevo is in many ways the westernmost historical outpost of Islam and the Turkic world. Even if the people are now mostly Slavic, religion and many aspects of local culture can be traced back to Ottoman times.
Sultan Ahmet or Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Built in the early 17th century, the Blue Mosque is one of the greatest of Istanbul, Turkey and the Muslim world.
Hot air balloon over Göreme
Cappadocia, Turkey
One of the most remarkable natural landscapes in the world, Cappadocia is also a treasurehouse of medieval Christian art, a remnant of the great historical diversity of the Anatolian peninsula
Uyghur man
Kashgar, East Turkestan or Xinjiang, China
Some of the furthest east of the Turkic peoples, the Uyghurs have a proud and distinct tradition that lives on within today’s China.
Kebap restaurant on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Grilled meat is perhaps one of the most common features of the Turkic world—-from Bosnia to Central Asia, some form of kebap features as the national dish.
Dolma and Çorba
Osh Bazaar, Kyrgyzstan
Culinary traditions, and food vocabulary, are often some of the most persistent markers of a shared heritage.
Hamam
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The hamam, or “Turkish bath,” can be found all over the Turkic and Arab worlds, from Morocco to Palestine to Central Asia.
A yurt in the Pamirs
Jalang, Tajikistan
The Kyrgyz, perhaps the most Eastern-looking Turkic peoples, still retain a nomadic or transhumant lifestyle, herding their livestock in their summer jailoos, or high-altitude meadows.
Donkey cart
Penjikent, Tajikistan
The more pastoral of the Uzbeks are never too far from their donkeys.
A Mamluk skyline
Islamic Cairo, Egypt
From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, much of the Middle East was controlled by the Mamluks, a Turkic “dynasty” that was eventually absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Their grand architecture, mostly in the form of mosques, remains one of the principal sights of Cairo.
Man against tram on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Istiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street, is one of the greatest pedestrian arteries of the world, the pulsing center of Istanbul’s Galata neighborhood.
Inside the Ayasofya
Istanbul, Turkey
First a great church, then a great mosque and now a great museum, the Ayasofya or Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest buildings ever built.
Jama Masjid
Old Delhi, India
Their architectural styles and other aspects of their culture were Iranian-derived, but the Mughals were definitely a Central Asian Turkic race, descended from none other than Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.
http://www.derekbrownphotos.com
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Turks, an originally nomadic people of the plain, originated in Central Asia but spread far west, through Iran and the Anatolian peninsula into the Balkans. The leading Turkic power in relatively recent history, the Ottoman Empire, conquered not only the Christian Byzantine Empire but most of the Muslim world, and the Ottoman Sultan was for much of its history recognized as the Caliph, or head, of all Muslims. And the Turkic footprint goes well beyond the Ottomans. Many of the great Arab empires were ruled by a Turkic military class, including Mamluk Egypt, and the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal India were both Turkic in "ethnicity" (if Persian in courtly culture). Turks were, historically, phenomenally successful in occupying the seats of power in the Muslim world.
Today, areas that are almost exclusively Turk include Turkey, Azerbaijan, the "Stans" of Central Asia and China's Xinjiang or East Turkistan, an area thousands of miles across. Additionally, it is estimated that some 25% of Iran's population is Turkic. Some pictures from the Turkic world, still very much connected through history, shared traditions, language and modern links.
Mosque, Bascarsija
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Founded when much of the Balkan Peninsula was under Ottoman rule, Sarajevo is in many ways the westernmost historical outpost of Islam and the Turkic world. Even if the people are now mostly Slavic, religion and many aspects of local culture can be traced back to Ottoman times.
Sultan Ahmet or Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Built in the early 17th century, the Blue Mosque is one of the greatest of Istanbul, Turkey and the Muslim world.
Hot air balloon over Göreme
Cappadocia, Turkey
One of the most remarkable natural landscapes in the world, Cappadocia is also a treasurehouse of medieval Christian art, a remnant of the great historical diversity of the Anatolian peninsula
Uyghur man
Kashgar, East Turkestan or Xinjiang, China
Some of the furthest east of the Turkic peoples, the Uyghurs have a proud and distinct tradition that lives on within today’s China.
Kebap restaurant on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Grilled meat is perhaps one of the most common features of the Turkic world—-from Bosnia to Central Asia, some form of kebap features as the national dish.
Dolma and Çorba
Osh Bazaar, Kyrgyzstan
Culinary traditions, and food vocabulary, are often some of the most persistent markers of a shared heritage.
Hamam
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The hamam, or “Turkish bath,” can be found all over the Turkic and Arab worlds, from Morocco to Palestine to Central Asia.
A yurt in the Pamirs
Jalang, Tajikistan
The Kyrgyz, perhaps the most Eastern-looking Turkic peoples, still retain a nomadic or transhumant lifestyle, herding their livestock in their summer jailoos, or high-altitude meadows.
Donkey cart
Penjikent, Tajikistan
The more pastoral of the Uzbeks are never too far from their donkeys.
A Mamluk skyline
Islamic Cairo, Egypt
From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, much of the Middle East was controlled by the Mamluks, a Turkic “dynasty” that was eventually absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Their grand architecture, mostly in the form of mosques, remains one of the principal sights of Cairo.
Man against tram on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Istiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street, is one of the greatest pedestrian arteries of the world, the pulsing center of Istanbul’s Galata neighborhood.
Inside the Ayasofya
Istanbul, Turkey
First a great church, then a great mosque and now a great museum, the Ayasofya or Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest buildings ever built.
Jama Masjid
Old Delhi, India
Their architectural styles and other aspects of their culture were Iranian-derived, but the Mughals were definitely a Central Asian Turkic race, descended from none other than Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.
http://www.derekbrownphotos.com
join the mailing list for updates and news of exhibits
check me out on Facebook
Mosque, Bascarsija
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Founded when much of the Balkan Peninsula was under Ottoman rule, Sarajevo is in many ways the westernmost historical outpost of Islam and the Turkic world. Even if the people are now mostly Slavic, religion and many aspects of local culture can be traced back to Ottoman times.
Sultan Ahmet or Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Built in the early 17th century, the Blue Mosque is one of the greatest of Istanbul, Turkey and the Muslim world.
Hot air balloon over Göreme
Cappadocia, Turkey
One of the most remarkable natural landscapes in the world, Cappadocia is also a treasurehouse of medieval Christian art, a remnant of the great historical diversity of the Anatolian peninsula
Uyghur man
Kashgar, East Turkestan or Xinjiang, China
Some of the furthest east of the Turkic peoples, the Uyghurs have a proud and distinct tradition that lives on within today’s China.
Kebap restaurant on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Grilled meat is perhaps one of the most common features of the Turkic world—-from Bosnia to Central Asia, some form of kebap features as the national dish.
Dolma and Çorba
Osh Bazaar, Kyrgyzstan
Culinary traditions, and food vocabulary, are often some of the most persistent markers of a shared heritage.
Hamam
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The hamam, or “Turkish bath,” can be found all over the Turkic and Arab worlds, from Morocco to Palestine to Central Asia.
A yurt in the Pamirs
Jalang, Tajikistan
The Kyrgyz, perhaps the most Eastern-looking Turkic peoples, still retain a nomadic or transhumant lifestyle, herding their livestock in their summer jailoos, or high-altitude meadows.
Donkey cart
Penjikent, Tajikistan
The more pastoral of the Uzbeks are never too far from their donkeys.
A Mamluk skyline
Islamic Cairo, Egypt
From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, much of the Middle East was controlled by the Mamluks, a Turkic “dynasty” that was eventually absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Their grand architecture, mostly in the form of mosques, remains one of the principal sights of Cairo.
Man against tram on Istiklal Caddesi
Istanbul, Turkey
Istiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street, is one of the greatest pedestrian arteries of the world, the pulsing center of Istanbul’s Galata neighborhood.
Inside the Ayasofya
Istanbul, Turkey
First a great church, then a great mosque and now a great museum, the Ayasofya or Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest buildings ever built.
Jama Masjid
Old Delhi, India
Their architectural styles and other aspects of their culture were Iranian-derived, but the Mughals were definitely a Central Asian Turkic race, descended from none other than Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.
http://www.derekbrownphotos.com
join the mailing list for updates and news of exhibits
check me out on Facebook