An archive of Anatolian history

ISTANBUL

The English book, written by Gürol Sözen, is a kind of archive of the history of Anatolia. The Turkşsh version of the book is also being prepared.

A new English-language book titled “A Twelve Thousand-Year-Old Civilization,” released by the Bilkent Kültür Girişimi (Bilkent Cultural Initiative) (BKG), provides previously unknown details about the major civilizations of Anatolia.

The book, written by Gürol Sözen, is a kind of archive of the history of Anatolia. A Turkish-language version is also being prepared. Featuring descriptions of Anatolian cultures from the first civilizations through the Ottoman Empire, the book also gives includes poems, stories and images of original documents. The political structure, lifestyle and cultural richness of each civilization are discussed in chronological order. The book also includes beautiful photographs of the artwork and cultural artifacts of each civilization.

Speaking about the book, Sözen said that the excavations at Göbeklitepe have revealed that Anatolia has a history of human cultures going back 12,000 years, and added: “With each new piece of information provided by researchers, our understanding of the cultural structure of Anatolia goes deeper. It also changes the cultural history of the world. One of the most important features of this land is that different religions, cultures and lifestyles have maintained their own style, although they have been affected by each other, and have carried on to the present day.”

“Is this society [in modern Anatolia] aware of the history of the land on which they live? What I see is that this place, which saw the transition from a polytheistic to a monotheistic system, has renewed itself through time and left many things to future generations,” Sözen continued. “The rich accumulation of culture in Anatolia, its visual beauty, nature and water also affected the life of people living there. This book is an interpretation of the beauty of Anatolia.”

A land of labyrinths and mysteries

In the introduction to the book, Sözen compares Anatolia to a labyrinth, and says the following: “A land of labyrinths and mysteries, that had its renaissance, even though unconsciously, in the course of its lifetime… No civilization has ever been independent or affiliated with or integrated into a larger controlling unit; it is a labyrinth formed by infinite interlaced stepping-stones.”

The book “A Twelve Thousand-Year-Old Civilization” can be found at museum stores, as well as at D&R and Remiz bookstores and at www.bkg.com.tr.