Murat Bardakçi
Encyclopedia
Murat Gökhan Bardakçı is a Turkish
journalist working on Ottoman
history and Turkish music history
. Besides he is a columnist
in Habertürk newspaper.
. An economist
by training, he was trained in Turkish classical music by some of the most-reputed contemporary masters, in tanbur
and singing at first, with his primary interests directed more towards theory and musical history later. He published several researches on musical history (notably the biographies of the composers Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
and Refik Fersan) and with the start of a journalistic career in Hürriyet
, expanded the scope of his writings on Ottoman and general Islamic history, with marked emphasis on the 19th and the early-20th centuries. Two of his books on the end of the Ottoman dynasty
, "Son Osmanlılar" (The Last Ottomans) and Şahbaba, a biography of Mehmed VI
Vahideddin, became best-sellers in Turkey, the former also having been carried over to the screen in the form a TV serial.
He married Ayşegül Manav on 2009.
Recently, he co-hosts a history program with historian
Erhan Afyoncu and a graduate of history
, actress Pelin Batu
in Haberturk TV.
) Talat Pasha's recording of relocations of Turkish-Muslim and Armenian Christian Ottoman citizens in World War I
conditions. Published by Bardakçı for the first time in 2005, they were handed over to him by Talat Pasha's widow, Hayriye Talat Bafralı, along with a batch of other documents comprising letters he had sent her and telegrammes exchanged between Committee of Union and Progress
members. In April 2006, Bardakçı re-edited the black book in full, adding parts that were missing in the first publication. The 1915-1916 resettlements cited in Talat Pasha Black Book of 702,905 Turks from regions under threat of occupation by Russia
n forces and of 924,158 Armenians in accordance with 27 May 1915 Tehcir Law
are qualified as exposing the genocide by one Armenian source which goes on to recall the clauses of the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide
. Nor do the cited figures fall in discordance with a 29 February 1916 letter sent to the US Secretary of State from the embassy in İstanbul
reporting upon the number of Armenian immigrants (for Syria
only).
and arguments in his columns and programs lead to some disputes in Turkish media. Besides, he is critical of the accuracy of Wikipedia
. Giving the example of his own biography on Wikipedia
having falsely put forward that he had 4 children, and emphasizing the negative implications of such an accessible source on students' academic performance in terms of plagiarism
, he declared Wikipedia
should be banned
.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
journalist working on Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
history and Turkish music history
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
. Besides he is a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
in Habertürk newspaper.
Biography
Bardakçı was born in 1955 in İstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. An economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
by training, he was trained in Turkish classical music by some of the most-reputed contemporary masters, in tanbur
Tanbur
The term tanbūr can refer to various long-necked, fretted lutes originating in the Middle East or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowadays the term tanbur is applied to a variety of distinct and related...
and singing at first, with his primary interests directed more towards theory and musical history later. He published several researches on musical history (notably the biographies of the composers Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi b. Ghaybi ), was a Persian musician and artist. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, he was the greatest of the Persian writers on music.-Life:...
and Refik Fersan) and with the start of a journalistic career in Hürriyet
Hürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
, expanded the scope of his writings on Ottoman and general Islamic history, with marked emphasis on the 19th and the early-20th centuries. Two of his books on the end of the Ottoman dynasty
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
, "Son Osmanlılar" (The Last Ottomans) and Şahbaba, a biography of Mehmed VI
Mehmed VI
Mehmet VI was the 36th and last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from 1918 to 1922...
Vahideddin, became best-sellers in Turkey, the former also having been carried over to the screen in the form a TV serial.
He married Ayşegül Manav on 2009.
Recently, he co-hosts a history program with historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Erhan Afyoncu and a graduate of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, actress Pelin Batu
Pelin Batu
Pelin Batu is a Turkish actress and television personality.-Biography:Due to her father İnal Batu's occupation as a diplomat, she spent her childhood in many foreign countries including Pakistan, Czech Republic, France and the USA...
in Haberturk TV.
Talat Pasha's Black Book
Murat Bardakçı is the editor of Talat Pasha's Black Book, Ottoman Minister of Interior (later grand vizierGrand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
) Talat Pasha's recording of relocations of Turkish-Muslim and Armenian Christian Ottoman citizens in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
conditions. Published by Bardakçı for the first time in 2005, they were handed over to him by Talat Pasha's widow, Hayriye Talat Bafralı, along with a batch of other documents comprising letters he had sent her and telegrammes exchanged between Committee of Union and Progress
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
members. In April 2006, Bardakçı re-edited the black book in full, adding parts that were missing in the first publication. The 1915-1916 resettlements cited in Talat Pasha Black Book of 702,905 Turks from regions under threat of occupation by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n forces and of 924,158 Armenians in accordance with 27 May 1915 Tehcir Law
Tehcir Law
The Tehcir Law was passed by the Ottoman Parliament on May 27, 1915 and allegedly came into force on June 1, 1915, with publication in Takvim-i Vekayi, the official gazette of the Ottoman State...
are qualified as exposing the genocide by one Armenian source which goes on to recall the clauses of the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of...
. Nor do the cited figures fall in discordance with a 29 February 1916 letter sent to the US Secretary of State from the embassy in İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
reporting upon the number of Armenian immigrants (for Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
only).
Criticism of Wikipedia and Disputes
Bardakçı's view of historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and arguments in his columns and programs lead to some disputes in Turkish media. Besides, he is critical of the accuracy of Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
. Giving the example of his own biography on Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
having falsely put forward that he had 4 children, and emphasizing the negative implications of such an accessible source on students' academic performance in terms of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
, he declared Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
should be banned
Censorship in Turkey
Censorship in Turkey is largely focused on "insults to Turkishness" and expressions of political extremism. Censorship in Turkey is regulated by domestic and international legislation, which takes precedence over domestic law according to Article 90 of the Constitution following its amendment in...
.