This monument (named ‘Atatürk anıtı’ = Atatürk Memorial) dates from around 1930. Atatürk is portrayed as commander in chief of the Turkish armies. To the left stands a village woman in traditional Türkmen dress, carrying a bouquet of roses. To the right, a militia warrior holds the corner of a carpet; he wears the costume of the local ‘Zeybek’.

Zeybeks (or Zeibeks), were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in the Aegean Region of the Ottoman Empire from late 17th to early 20th centuries, generally of Turkic Yörük origins. Being a zeybek was generally a family tradition. Their leaders were regional celebrities, wearing the honorific title of ‘Efe’. The Zeybek costume and general appearance are well documented, due to the many photographs they had taken of themselves in the second half of the 19th century.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: The Kavak Collection of Anatolian Costumes, Antwerpen/Belgium, Website of ‘ispartanews.com’
& ‘Images d’Empire’ – The origins of photography in Turkey (Istanbul Fransız Kültür Merkezi).