Pazartesi, Mart 16, 2009

Simili Dostların Vefası



We are sorry to report the recent death of Nihat Akkaraca, well-known Datça historian and occasional contributor to the Symi Visitor newspaper over the years. A founder of the Datça Local History Group, Nihat documented oral tradition and recorded many stories connected with the region, and with life in Old Datça in the days when the village still had a Greek community. Nihat was an enthusiastic believer in strengthening ties between the communities of Datça and Symi and was one of the driving forces behind the founding of the World Peace Day Swim between the two. As one of his friends, Alim Erginoglu, says, Nihat believed that Greeks and Turks were two halves of the same apple.
He will be missed by many, both Greek and Turk alike, as well as the many friends he made from all over the world over the years. Our sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues at the Datça Local History Group.
Please see the tribute written by his long-time friend, Hugo Tyler, which is below, as well as a message of condolence from Lemonia and Lefteris of Syllogos Restaurant. Anyone who would like to add their own messages, please email me at
symi-vis@otenet.gr.
Adriana Shum

Nihat Akkaraca, left, with Hugo Tyler


I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of my friend Nihat Akkaraca, who was such a thoroughly decent and charming man. We first met on September 1st 2003 on the occasion of Symi and Datça’s first joint celebration of World Peace Day, and thereafter no visit to Datça was complete without some time spent in his company. And excellent company it proved to be as Nihat was a mine of information about Datça’s history and traditions.
Always happy to put himself out for friends, Nihat would often take me and others on excursions in his car, to Eski (Old) Datça, to his country house at Mesudiye, to ancient Knidos or other local places of interest. On one occasion I found myself squeezed into Nihat’s car with three Greek men, all of whose families had lived in Eski Datça in the days when it was still a mixed Greek/Turkish community. “Those were our fields” sighed one. “Those were our olive groves” cried the second. “That was my grandfather’s house” wailed the third.


On another occasion we ‘kidnapped’ an English lady from a pavement restaurant in Datça, much to the surprise of her two companions; roared up the main street and disappeared into the countryside, where we led her down a woody path and she finally got her zakkum. Well, she had said that she wanted to buy an oleander bush, so Nihat took us to a nursery garden.
Born in Eski Datça in 1931, Nihat moved to Sinop on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast in search of work; taught himself English and secured a job at a USAF base. He then taught himself electronics and was given a better job by the USAF. Subsequently he opened his own shop, which he ran until he retired to his home area, where he became a stalwart of various local societies and community projects.
Clearly he was a believer in education with his elder daughter becoming a lawyer and his younger daughter a lecturer in international relations at an Istanbul University.

One of his many interests was local folklore and he regularly contributed articles to a local paper before going on to write a widely acclaimed book. With his first book having gone to a reprint, Nihat was working on a second book at the time of his death.


I will greatly miss Nihat, who added an extra dimension to my appreciation of Datça, and I extend my deepest sympathy to his wife and two daughters.

Hugo Tyler


Çarşamba, Mart 04, 2009

Nihat Abi'nin Son E-maili

Nihat Abi'nin bloguna her gün en az üç kez, acaba bir şey yazmış mı diye bakardım. Ses çıkmadığında ya bloguna bir yorum bırakır, ya da bir email ile hal hatır sorar, yeni yazılar ne alemde diye taciz atışı yapardım. Ocak ayının 8'inde kendisinden son bir mail aldım. Sonra sesi soluğu tekrar kesildi. Meğer bu sefer uzun bir yolculuğa hazırlanıyormuş... Okuduğu son kitap olan Bird Without Wings ile Datça arasında kurduğu ilişki, belki de bana bir ara çıtlattığı o üzerinde çalışmakta olduğu roman hakkında ip uçları veriyordu. Acaba Nihat Abi, yolculuk öncesi Sabahattin Ali'nin Kuyucaklı Yusuf'unu okuyabildi mi?
Merhaba Alim,
Kalem benim için çok degerli. Ta Ingiltere'den beni düsünüp, göndermis olmaniz degerine deger katiyor. Kullanmaya basladim bile.
Ah su "Birds Without Wings" var ya, görseniz içindeki karakterler ayni Datça'da o zaman bir arada yasamis olan karakterler. Bu yüzden ikinci kez okuyorum. Öyküdeki Abdulhamid Hoca'yla sanki dedem Hafiz Nazmi'yi anlatmis adam.
Bir de Kristoforos var ki sorma gitsin. Eski Datça'da da bir Hristoforos yasamis. Onun babasi papazmis. Ona Papazoglu
derlermis. Rüstem Bey gibi karakterlerimiz de varmis burada. Mesela Kabaosmanoglu Sikri Efendi. Rüstem Bey gibi atiyla gezen bir aga oglu. Yasam tarzlarinda, iliskilerde o kadar çok benzerlik var ki. Mesela Annemin, Papazoglu'nun kizlariyla arkadasligi, dedem Hafiz Nazmi'nin papazla dostlugu. Çok ilginç. Kitap sanki Datça'yi anlatiyor.
Sonlarina geldim, bitrimek üzereyim. Sirada, Sabahattin Âli'nin 1930'lu yillarda yazmis oldugu "Kuyucakli Yusuf" var.
Blogunuzda ise gidip gelisinizi okudum. Çok ilginç. Günde bes saat yolculuk çok uzun degil mi?
Hosça kal, Alim. Tekrar yazacagim... Nihat Abi