There are still many gaps in the history of the Turkish diaspora, as well as that of Kharkiv’s Islamic community. Those who are interested can read three short stories today that connect our beloved city with this country and its people.
Let’s start by noting that there was no Turkish consulate in Kharkiv. However, this diplomatic mission is linked to an extremely important and interesting incident concerning the life of the city’s Islamic community.
On December 4, 1899, Turkish subjects living in our city wrote to the Turkish Consul General in St. Petersburg. They wrote:
During religious holidays—Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha—when we are obligated to observe our rituals, fasts, and religious services, especially throughout the entire month of Ramadan, we have neither a separate space nor a person in Kharkiv capable of conducting worship services. Although there is a mullah in Kharkiv, he is a Tatar, and we do not understand his language—neither in his sermons nor during the rituals of worship; furthermore, he lives far from the city center, so observing Ramadan is difficult for us, especially during the Tarawih Namaz, a ritual during which we are required to perform evening prayers throughout the entire month of Ramadan. Under these circumstances, since we are unable to properly offer prayers to God or receive religious and moral instruction, we have chosen as our leader in this matter the Turkish citizen Abdullah Ömer, who bears the title “Hajji” and has permission from the Turkish government to assist us in fulfilling our religious duties and worship services. Due to these living conditions, which are inconvenient for us in religious terms, we have the honor to humbly request that Your Excellency intercede on our behalf to obtain permission from the appropriate authorities to use a place in Kharkiv for worship and the performance of religious rites under the guidance and supervision of Abdullah Omer, whom we recognize as our spiritual and religious mentor, both in terms of his education and his conduct. Furthermore, we dare to ask that our request be expedited in view of the approaching December 20, 1899, and the fasting and worship of the month of Ramadan…
The document also stated that the aforementioned Abdullah Omer lived at Katsars’ka Street, 20. The house was owned by Anna Ivanovna Khokhlova, the widow of a townsman, and it still stands in the same location and bears the same number today.
After receiving the petition, the Turkish consul, who approved of his compatriots’ intentions, wrote to the governor of Kharkiv. The response from our city’s authorities was quite mixed. On the one hand, they responded positively to the request from Muslims who did not understand the Tatar language regarding the opening of a temporary prayer hall. On the other hand, Abdullah Omer was denied the position of spiritual leader of the community because he was not a subject of the empire.
On August 19, 1907, a minor terrorist attack took place. However, it did not occur in Kharkiv, but in Slovyansk. That day, at 9 p.m., a bomb was thrown through the open front door of a bakery owned by a Turkish subject, Akos Meshur Ogly. The bomb exploded as it fell right next to the counter, 12 steps from the entrance. Since it was a holiday, there were only three people inside—store employees working behind the counter. The victims received immediate medical attention, and their injuries were not life-threatening. The damage caused to the bakery by the explosion was estimated at 300 rubles.
The investigation revealed that the crime was committed
by bakers who are also Turkish nationals. It was simple: the bakery owner flatly refused to raise the prices of his products, so his high-quality goods sold much better than those of others. So his competitors decided to settle the score with him in this “creative” way. The perpetrators were arrested. By a court verdict handed down in Kharkiv on April 20, 1909, the defendants were sentenced to hard labor for the following terms: Sorkes Pilosyants—8 years, Akop Kazarov—4 years, Agabab Minasov—4 years.
And here is the third story, which is no less interesting. On November 3, 1912, the Department of Religious Affairs notified the governor of Kharkiv that the war that had broken out in the Balkans would undoubtedly attract the attention of Muslims of various ethnicities living in the empire. It would also evoke a perfectly natural desire on their part to help their fellow believers—by collecting donations and sending them abroad. The central government saw in these actions an opportunity to spread the ideas of Pan-Islamism among the empire’s population. The governor of Kharkiv was instructed to take all possible measures to prevent the collection of aid for the needs of Muslims abroad in the city and the province. By the beginning of winter, the situation had changed slightly. The Ministry of Internal Affairs authorized the acceptance of voluntary donations at Turkish consulates for the benefit of the “Red Crescent” organization. However, as we all know, there was no Turkish diplomatic mission in our city, so the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a clarifying directive to the mayor.
Since I do not see, for my part, any particular need to authorize any other collections for the same purpose, I ask Your Excellency, should you receive petitions requesting permission to collect donations for the “Red Crescent” or, more generally, for the needs of Turks affected by the war, to reject such petitions, while explaining to the petitioners that individual Muslims wishing to come to the aid of their fellow Turks are not deprived of the opportunity to fulfill this desire by sending their donations directly to the aforementioned consuls for onward transmission to their intended recipients.
So the great American writer Ambrose Bierce was absolutely right when he said, “Diplomacy is the patriotic art of lying for the good of one’s country.”
Here are three short and completely different Turkish stories connected to our city and region. There are no revelations or sensational revelations in them. They are merely small brushstrokes in a portrait of the past—of Kharkiv and Slobozhanshchyna, so diverse yet so beloved. Every people has, perhaps, left its mark on their history.
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