The Gold Coins of the Ottoman Empire

The Gold Coins of the Ottoman Empire

Gold is now found scattered all over the world, but in ancient times it was produced only in following countries of: Egypt, Anatolia, Greece, Transylvania, Spain, Arabia and India. 

The first gold coins appeared in Lycia, which is located in the southwestern part of Anatolia. 

Gold is a soft metal and therefore easy to handle and can be moulded into various shapes, but in order to be used as a coin/currency, Gold needs to be added together into other substances to be hard enough to endure excessive handling.

An ounce of gold can be stretched into a thin wire that extends for a mile.  This malleability makes the metal an ideal resource for jewelry and gold dust mixed with other materials was often used in calligraphy on book covers and other kinds of decoration. 

Now that I have briefly explained the first usage of Gold; I would like to focus the remainder of my essay today on the currency used during the 'Ottoman Empire'.  This essay is a continuation of my research into the currency usages through-out mankind.  

Other writings I have posted are listed below:

Executive Order Number 111110

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/executive-order-number-11110.html

Bitcoin In The Future

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/bitcoin-in-future.html

FIAT Money In Circulation

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/fiat-money-in-circulation.html

Denarius Currency

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/denarius-currency.html

United States Notes

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-united-states-notes.html

Now, today's essay.  

With the conquest of Anatolia and the eventual expansion into Europe, the Ottoman Turks took over systems for mining and acquiring Gold that were already in place for centuries.  These locations were in Anatolia and the Balkans, in Eastern Europe.  

Monetary exchange was based only on coins, since paper money was not introduced yet.  This meant that Gold and Silver were important commodities and carefully protected by the Turks.  

Also, when the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt, most of the Gold and Silver mining already in existent in the world, fell into the hands of this Empire.  Gold came to be in very short supply in Europe some time beginning in 1520, as most of the Gold mined, ended in the a Ottoman Treasury. 

The official currency of the Ottoman Empire was the 'Silver Akce' that can be traced back to Osman Bey, who was the person that created this Empire, and the 'name-giver' since, Ottoman is English for Osmanli.  He reigned from 1299 to 1324.  

The Silver Akce continued to be used until the 15th century when the first Ottoman Gold Coin appeared during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1478.  As the dates can be a witness, the Gold Coins used by the Ottoman Empire is after the conquest of the Empire of the 'Gold Mined' territories, joining the Empire.   

'Gold Treasuries' were set up in cities of Diyarbakır, Van and Bahdat with considerable care paid to the sources of Gold and Silver and careful oversight was undertaken to ensure that the coins were not debased.  Inspectors were regularly sent from the capital city of Constantinople to see that everything was in order and proper care given to the making of the Gold Coin Currency.  

Throughout much of the first half of the Empire, which was from 1480 to 1675, the Ottoman Gold Coins competed with foreign currencies such as Venetian Gold pieces, Egyptian Pare and Spanish Coins.

The 18th century had been a period of instability for the Ottoman Turks, as the currency culminating around the middle of the century saw the closure of 'Gold Treasuries'.  

The decline of the Gold Coins of the Empire posed serious challenges to the administration.  The reliance on foreign coins had serious political implications, as without control over the currency, its control over the economy diminished considerably. Moreover, the devaluation of its own currency saw the beginning of the decline of this Empire.  

Over time and due to numerous wars the Ottoman Empire was engaged in, the Ottoman Turks became unable to meet its financial obligations and was forced to debase its currency even further. 

The monetary system of the 'Once Mighty' Empire, directly correlates to the collapse of this Empire.  Once the devaluation of the Gold Coins started, and the rising debts could not be sufficiently paid, collapse was only evident.   

The phrase 'All things must come to an end' comes to my mind, the concept of 'devaluation of a currency' is not particularly a smart move by the Empire, but it is easier to make this statement now, a few centuries after the beginning of the collapse.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben here

Sarik Tara and ENKA

Sarik Tara and ENKA

I would like to describe briefly, the man, who is currently the second richest person in Turkey.  

     Billionaires of Turkey

His name is Sarik Tara. 

Mr Tara is the founder of Turkey's largest construction company of ENKA.  

ENKA is involved with: contracting, construction, energy production, real estate investment and management industry. 

     Sarik Tara 

The company is especially active in Russia, where it owns offices, hotels and shopping malls in the city of Moscow, as well as supermarkets, hypermarkets and malls across the country.  

Also, ENKA has built U.S. embassy buildings in the countries of Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Afghanistan. 

'Construction industry is a lucrative business', Mr Tara would surely agree to this statement, since his entire fortune was built by this industry. 

Sincerely, 

Ben

🤓

Last Eight

Last Eight

The UEFA Champions League for the 2013 - 2014 season has proceeded to the Quarter-Finals (Last Eight).  The teams remaining are the following:

     Bayern Munich

Real Madrid (Spain)

Barcelona (Spain)

Athletico Madrid (Spain)

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Manchester United (England)

Chelsea (England)

Paris St Germain (France)

     Barcelona

The draw for the matchups have settled, and they are:

Chelsea vs Paris St Germain

Manchester United vs Bayern Munich

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

Barcelona vs Athletico Madrid

     Real Madrid

I'm very interested to see who will make it to the 'last four' of this prestiges tournament.  

What is your prediction for the 'last four'?

Sincerely, 

Wallpaper of March 2014

Wallpaper of March 2014

This is a picture of me and my aunt Aliye Daimaguler from, I believe 1978 or 1979.  The picture was taken in the living room of the current home of my grandmother, back then it was a balcony, not yet closed off to become a living room.

Thank you for visiting,

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter has been blocked in Turkey since March 20th, though many found ways around the ban even thereafter. Turkey initially placed the ban as protests rose and a corruption scandal began to embroil the government ahead of an election.  Blocking Twitter has only brought it more negative attention though: the block was the subject of further acts of protest and was condemned by the United States and United Nations Human Rights office, among others.  Given Turkey's 30 day period to unblock Twitter, it's possible that service won't be restored.  I have researched on-line and found 3 ways for citizens in this country to work-around the block.  Below are the 3 ways users can get around the ban:

1. SMS

In what is likely the simplest way to get around the restrictions, users can send tweets via SMS; though this solution is limited to sending outgoing tweets.  Twitter provided both English and Turkish instructions for doing this.

2. Change Your DNS

Many users are reporting they are able to bypass the block by changing their DNS settings.  Non tech-savvy users will need to exercise caution when changing these numbers, but solutions like OpenDNS or Google DNS are reliable.  Wikileaks posted step-by-step instructions in Turkish. 

3. Use a VPN or Tor

Another solution is to use a VPN connection.  Setting up a VPN usually requires paying at least some cash up-front, though there are free versions. But as one user pointed out, people should be cautious when using free VPNs.  They can be unreliable, or in some cases, malicious software.  Users can also get around the restrictions by using Tor, which makes you anonymous in the Internet connection.

Thank you for reading,

Ben

Death and Dusty

Death and Dusty 

'Death is like a dusty road, without you by my side' - Ben Oak

World Water Day

World Water Day

World Water Day is celebrated on March 22, of every year.  

The day is used to promote clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats.  

      this is life 

After all, 'water is life' since, all living things on this Earth, depend on water to survive.  

Get this:

Of all the water on Earth, humans can only use about 1% of it.  Usable water is only found in groundwater aquifers, rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Please be cognizant of the importance of this liquid, and use it wisely.  

Sincerely, 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly II

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly II

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Mr Sergio Leone; and co-produced between companies in Italy, Spain and West Germany.  

The movie stars:

Clint Eastwood, 

Lee Van Cleef, and 

Eli Wallach 

in the title roles. 

I posted the pictures of the scenes that introduce the characters of my favourite movie in another blog; I have attached it below, please review it, if you have not already.  

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/03/the-good-bad-and-ugly.html

Today, I have taken pictures from the movie, showing the characters position, at the end of the movie.  

Here it is below:

          il cattivo, (Italian)

          cirkin, (Turkish)

          il brutto, 

          kotu,

          il buono, 

          iyi, 

Have you watched this movie? 

If you have not, why? I ask.  

Thank you. 

Riddle me This

Riddle me This

A 'Riddle' is a question or statement asked; which is intentionally phrased so as to require  a 'thoughtful' and 'smart' answer or meaning.  

I watched the movie 'Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey' and thoroughly enjoyed the brilliant 'riddle' exchange between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum.  

I wanted to share with you today, the witty riddles uttered by these individuals. 

    Gollum 

Here it is below:

Gollum Riddles:

What has roots as nobody sees,

Is taller than trees,

Up, up it goes,

And yet never grows? 

A: Mountain

Bilbo Baggins Riddles:

Voiceless it cries,

Wingless flutters,

Toothless bites,

Mouthless mutters. 

A: Wind

Gollum Riddles:

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,

Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.

It lies behind stars and under hills,I

And empty holes it fills.

It comes out first and follows after,

Ends life, kills laughter.

A: Dark

Bilbo Baggins Riddles:

Alive without breath,

As cold as death;

Never thirsty, ever drinking,

All in mail never clinking. 

A: Fish

Gollum Riddles:

This thing all things devours;

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats mountain down. 

A: Time

Well with every game, there needs to be a winner and a loser.  In this exchange of riddles, It was determined that if Bilbo Baggins answers correctly, then Gollum has to show him the way out of the tunnel inside the mountain.  If Bilbo Baggins loses, Gollum gets to eat him.  I will leave it to you to guess who wins this riddle exchange.  

Thank you for visiting,

Sympathy for Gala

Sympathy for Gala 

Galatasaray soccer team has been eliminated from UEFA Champions League; it is a sad day, today.  However, hold your head up Gala, we the supporters, are still proud of your current and past achievements. 

          Burak Yilmaz

Always your supporter.  

Sincerely, 

Ben

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

I am in the process of opening a charity to help our children and youth.  I will solicit companies, individuals and religious institutes to donate to this charity. 

All donations will be used for the cause and purpose of the charity.  

Finally, every year, starting the summer of 2015, I will personally bring gifts of shoes, books, clothing and personal hygiene items, purchased by 'donations' made by you, to Mesopotamia area; particularly in the year 2015, we will help the youth and children in the 'Refugee Camps' located within the borders of Turkey, in the province of Hatay.  

          The first attempt at the drawing of our emblem 

The purpose of  'Only the Brave" will be:

- Help disadvantaged youth with social inequality',

- Contribute to the sustainable development of less advantage areas and people around Mesopotamia (Eastern Turkey, Northern Syria/Irak) (Tigris & Euphrates River System Area),

- Provide support and help to youth in and around the city of Edmonton,

- Relief of poverty, in underprivileged families with children/youth,

Wish us good luck !!

Thank you, 

Ben

Fly on Pie

Fly on Pie

"Like fly on Pie" --- Ben Oak

Exciting Wednesday Football Games

Exciting Wednesday Football Games

Today, the following games were played:

Barcelona FC, 2 vs Manchester City, 1 (3 - 1) &

Paris St Germain, 2 vs Bayern Leverkusen, 1 (6 - 2) 

the next 2 teams out of the eventual 8, to make it to the Quarter Finals (last 8) of the UEFA Champions League are therefore:

          Barcelona FC

          Paris St Germain

Therefore, with the games played from yesterday, 4 out of the 8 teams are known:

Athletico Madrid,

Bayern Munich,

Barcelona FC, &

Paris St Germain

Congratulations to these soccer/football clubs.  

 Next weeks games are:

Real Madrid vs Schalke 04,

Chelsea FC vs Galatasaray,

Manchester United  vs Olympiacos

Borrusia Dortmund vs Zenit

Interesting games coming our way.  

Thank you, 

Please, Strive for Peace

Please, Strive for Peace

From the bombarded city of Homs in Syria, 'a peace sign' from a beautiful little girl.  The leaders of Syria and the world, stop the violence and war, 'Please, strive for Peace'. 

Thank you, 

Ben

The Colors of Galatasaray

The Colors of Galatasaray

The choosing of the 'colors' of the football/soccer team of Galatasaray, Istanbul, Turkey, is the topic of my writing today. 

The love of Galatasaray to her current colors, was a 'love at first' story, as the saying goes. I will explain.  

One of the founders of Gala was Mr Ali Sami Yen, and this story is from his recalling of the incident of the decision to choose the colors.  

          Gala of 1909

I will translate this story from author Mr Utku Erisik's book titled: 'Hava Atisi'. 

The first colors of Gala was the colors of Turkey's flag of red and white.  

The very first jerseys were 'hand-sown' by another of the founders of Gala, the goalkeeper Mr Asım Tevfik's mother and his sister.  

Mr Yen states that "When we first wore the red and white jerseys, we as a team got scared, as we did not want to be in trouble with the state and the occupiers of our home land".  

I will need to give some 'historical' background here.  Galatasaray was founded in 1905, and during this turmoil times, before World Was I, the Ottoman Empire was fighting many uprisings from all corners of her territory.  Plus, the British and French, to name a couple of 'opportunistic' countries were busily trying to occupy further territories of this 'collapsing' Empire.  

Therefore, Mr Yen was trying to explain that, him and his team mates did not want to be killed by the occupiers for having the colors of red and white; the colors of the flag for both the Ottoman Empire and Turkey.  

The red and white jerseys were retired immediately, and 20 new jerseys with the colors of yellow and black were ordered from England.  However, when the jerseys arrived from England, none of the founders and players liked this new color combination, and once again, another jersey with the colors of yellow and black, were retired.  

Therefore, the search for the colors of Gala was still quietly in progress.  

The goalkeeper of Mr Asım Tevfik and Left-side defenseman named Mr Emin Bulend, 'informally' took on the duty, to find the 'true' colors of Gala.  

One afternoon when Mr Tevfik and Mr Bulend were walking in the neighbourhood called 'Bahcekapi', inside a clothing store, they spotted, in their own words "Two elegant and soft fabrics, placed side by side, one was a bit darker color of a 'sweet' red cherry fruit, and the other was a 'full', 'bright' yellow, with a tiny hint of the color being in-between yellow and orange.  

When the players saw these colors side by side, a flame was born inside of them, and they immediately knew that all other founders and players would approve this color combination.  

The two fabrics were taken home to be sown into a jersey by Mr Tevfik's mother again.  

The first time the colors of yellow and red were worn on December 6, 1908 against an English team of soldiers from the 'War ship' named 'Barham'.   

Ever since this date, the colors of Galatasaray has stayed the same.  

I thought this was an interesting story and wanted to share with you.  

Thank you. 

Prophet Noah

Prophet Noah

The movie titled 'Noah' starring Russell Crowe as the Prophet, who saves the lives of a pair of all creatures on earth, is almost ready for release in the theatres.  Unfortunately, the following countries of Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have already 'banned' the viewing of the movie.  The reason given is that, the director Darren Aronofsky’s movie is banned due to 'Religious Grounds'. 

          Russell Crowe as Prophet Noah

The official news statement from these countries states: ‘The movie contradicts the teachings of Islam'. 

My questions to the 'Leaders' of these countries are very simple, 

'Are your citizens not able to comprehend a movie without the State interfering in their lives and minds?  

Can these citizen be able to freely think on their own? 

Are we as world citizens, not passed the rhetoric used, and be able to form our own opinions?'

Censorship needs to end, sooner then later in these parts of the world.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

What You Seek

What You Seek

“What you seek, is seeking you.” - Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi 

This is a brilliant quote from 'Rumi'. 

In another blog, one day in the future, I will write a brief synopsis of this persons life and philosophy. 

Today, I will expand what this quote means, even though, it is kind of self-explanatory.

Simply, in my mind the quote means:

- What you are looking for is up to you.

- You reap what you sow. 

- The world is what you make it. 

- The love you get, is equal to the love you give.  

I have previously translated and explained another Rumi quote of 'Come, come, whoever you are', please click on the link below to read this, if the link does not work, copy and paste it to the address bar.  

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/come-come-whoever-you-are.html

May you enter into your own Kingdom, one day.

Thank you, 

Meyve Veren Agac Taslanir

Meyve Veren Agac Taslanir

'The tree that gives fruit, will be stoned' this is a very meaningful Turkish proverb. 

First the meaning in Turkish, and afterwards, in English. 

'Meyve Veren Agac Taslanir' bir Atasozu'dur. 

Anlami ise cok manalidir.  

Bir insan toplumda bir seviyeye ermis, ve bilgili, becerikli, ve son olarak basarili ise, kiskanilir.  Bununla kalmiyip, bir cok elestiriye ve saldırıya maruz kalır.

Bu yuzden boyle bir saldiriya maruz kalirsaniz sabirli olmanizi tavsiye ederim.  Ve sagkin davranin kendinizi savunurken. 

Now in English. 

Bu Atasozun ingilizce tercumani soyledir 'The tree that gives fruit, will be stoned'.  

What does this Turkish proverb mean?

Whoever is qualified, informed and successful; is doomed to be the aim of jealousy.  This person will be criticized, with many hurtful and false rumours said; which will whispered by people around him/her. 

Therefore, my advise is to learn to be patient, when hearing false accusations about yourself and always act calm when confronting these individuals. 

Sincerely, 

Beast with Two Backs

Beast with Two Backs

We have all read the the play/book titled 'Othello' by Shakespeare, one time or prior.  I remember reading this play in High School for my English 30 class.  I remember that I rather enjoyed reading and afterwards, writing an essay about this famous play.  I wish I would have kept my old document/essay, as I could remind myself today, what I 'focused' in the writing about in my youth, about this play.  

Over the years, I have watched 'Othello' in a live-play once, and in a movie a couple of times.  

The other evening, I was enjoying the company of a few friends, when I heard the expression 'Beast with two backs' lipped by one of friends, who was half-intoxicated.  I made a mental note of this expression, as I had heard and/or read it before, but could not remember when/where, I had heard this. 

(Do you know what the expression 'Beast with two backs' means? I would like to explain what this means, but let me do this at the tale-end of my writing today). 

A few weeks went by and I remembered the 'expression' again and decided to 'google' it.  I was truly fascinated to see that the expression had originated from a play/book, which I enjoyed reading, however, never comprehended the expression when I read the play in 'High School', or watched the play 'Live', and finally watched the movie of the 'Play'. 

I finally read the play again and wanted to bring to the attention of everyone the 'confrontational' conversation between Roderigo and Iago, where the expression was authored.  Below, is the lead-up to the expression:

-------------

Roderigo:

Most grave Brabantio, In simple and pure soul I come to you.

Iago: 

Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you.  Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.

Brabantio:

What profane wretch art thou?

Iago: 

I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

Brabantio: 

Thou art a villain.

Iago: 

You are a senator.

Brabantio:

This thou shalt answer; I know thee,

-------------

Fascinating scene, I thought. 

Now, let me explain briefly, what 'Beast with two backs' mean, even though I imagine you know what this means. 

'Beast with two backs' is a metaphor used to describe two lovers, who are in the act of 'love making'.  

I confess, I did not 'catch' this expression in High School, I wish I would have. 

Hope you enjoyed today's topic, try another of my writings, 

Add me to your circle, if you like, I'll add color to any gathering. 

Thank you for visiting, leave a comment ehhh,

Ben here

Mankind Put an End to War

Mankind Put an End to War

'Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind' --- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

          Mr President 

I'd like to ask a few questions, and answer them.  

Let me know please, if I am on the 'right track'. 

Question 1:

What is war?

Answer: 

War is a conflict situation, where nations or opposing parties carry on a 'force of arms', to resolve a bitter situation. 

Q2:

Can a 'situation' be resolved without war?

A2:

Absolutely, the opposing nations need to think about the consequences to their own people and truelly and willingly resolve the conflict by discussion. 

Q3:

Why are our leaders 'justifying' a right to go to war still?

A3:

I have included a paragraph from the book 'War is a Racket', written by General Smedley Butler, 

'War is a racket.  It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.  It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives'. 

Q4:

Is it time that we put an to 'war' and resolve a 'conflict' by discussion.

A4:

Yes, it is time our leaders used this strategy. 

Sincerely, 

Ben

Elimination of Trabzonspor

Elimination of Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor, of Turkey has been eliminated from UEFA Europa Cup League by Juventus of Italy.  

          Trabzonspor Coach Hami Mandirali

              Juventus Coach Antonio Conte

I wrote a blog previously about Tranzonspor's 14 game unbeaten streak in Europe titled:

'14 in a row for Trabzonspor', 

below is the link:

http://goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/14-in-row-for-trabzonspor.html?m=0

If the link does not work, please copy & paste to the address bar. 

Tranzonspor's 14 game unbeaten streak ended with a record in 'European Competition' this season of:

9 wins,

5 ties; &

2 losses. 

Tranzonspor's goal of trying to surpass the record held by Galatasaray of Istanbul, Turkey; has ended.  The record was '15 games unbeaten streak' in Europe.  

I would like to send out my 'congratulation' to Trabzonspor; hopefully next season will be even better then this year. 

Sincerely.