Turks, Turkey, Turkiye and Turkish

Many of us have seen the familiar tall red Turkish hats called fez; we call them tarbus. Have you? The red fez signifies a Turk. P Ramlee used to adorn a tarbus and he would smile in the early Malay movies he made. Was he a descendant of the Turks? Have you also seen the swirling dervishes or heard about them? Did you also notice that these men swirl and could enter a trance? When they swirl, one hand is pointed upwards and the other downwards? Why? Have you heard about the Turkish soldiers fighting alongside the Sumatrans against the Dutch army? What about the Turkish graves in Aceh? Have you heard about Malay-Turkish people and mixed marriages? What about Turkish shop owners in this region? Have you heard of Turkish Mosque (Masjid Turki) in Western Australia?  What about the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul? Have you tasted Turkish Delights? There is also a Turkish family restaurant called Tarbus within the proximity of Billion Shopping Centre in Kota Bharu. How did the Turks happen to be in Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra and Australia? What happened in our history?

BBC News: In pictures: Istanbul, Spice Bazaar, swirling dervishes

Turkish History and Historians

Turkey was once a great nation. The Turkish soldiers contributed a lot to Malay history and victory of Indonesia against the Dutch. The Turkish graves can be found in Aceh, North Sumatra. The Turks also contributed a lot to Australia's history. How did the Turks become great contributors to the development of other nations? The answer is Turkey had brilliant historians!

This is the link for Prof. Halil Inalcik, a Turkish historian: http://www.inalcik.com/indexTr/

Turkish grave:
http://m.wikitravel.org/en/Banda_Aceh

Turks in Aceh

This is the first time I came across Turkish graves in Aceh and linking back to Salehuddin, the powerful ruler. The graves are neatly arranged and the tombstones are unique but practical. I like the designs for the tombstones. 

Muzium Bitai / Museum of Bitay 

The Legacy of Sumatran Trade and Knowledge Networks in Penang

Chapter 2  The Legacy of Sumatran Trade and Knowledge Networks in Penang
by Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
pages 67-96
In: Straits Muslims: Diasporas of the Northern Passage of the Straits of Malacca
Editor - Wazir Jahan Karim, 2009
ISBN: 978-983-44034-0-9


"...the Acehnese-Arabs called their settlement Kampong Melayu and was translated as 'Malay Town' by the British carthographers." (page 67)

Abdur-Razzaq Lubis:
http://www.mandailing.org/