Aug 31, 2009

Crimean Tatars: 150-Year Old History Book Published


Sample ImageA nineteenth century perspective on the historical heritage of the Crimean peninsula has been reborn and will be distributed to leading academic institutes.
Below is an article published by World Bulletin :



Crimean Tatars published a 150-year old English book that offers historical heritage of Crimean peninsula, for second time during the decades, a report said.

President of Conserving Cultural Heritage Committee, Natalya Grinenko, was quoted as saying on Wednesday [26 August 2009], that the committee has published a new edition of the 150 years old "Antiquities of Kertch" book, in a press conference held in Akmescit.

The original book was written in the second half of the 19th century by Duncan McPherson who was a British doctor, member of Britain Geography Union and Great Britain Archeological Institute, Crimean News Agency said.

Grinenko said that the original version of the book is published in London 150 years ago.

Its original version, an artwork of 19th century book binding, is preserved in "Tavrika" library archive, he said.

Natalya Grinenko said that the book has detailed information about the excavations made by Britain in the ancient cairns of Kertch Peninsula during the Crimean War (1853- 1856). Additionally the book includes maps of the excavation sites and colorful pictures of the historical artifacts found during the excavations.

Grinenko said " I'm sorry to say that all of the artifacts are carried away from Crimea. Now some of these are in London and some in St. Petersburg."

"This is why this book has scientific importance for us."

The president also added that they distributed copies of the new published book to science foundations and libraries in Ukraine and abroad.

The Crimean Tatars are Turkic people who inhabited the Crimean peninsula, now a part of Ukraine, for over seven centuries. They established their own Khanate in the 1440s and remained an important power in Eastern Europe until 1783, when Russia occupied Crimea.

The Ottoman State took Crimea in 15th century, and allowing Crimean Khans rule as tributary princes of the Ottoman Empire. The Crimean Khans still had a large amount of autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, particularly, followed the rules they thought were best for them.

Russia attacked Ottoman-rule land, devastating much of the economic and social infrastructure of Crimea. Russia forced the Crimean Tatars flee from their homeland en masse. Crimean Tatars also faced persecution and land expropriations. Those who survived the trip, famine and disease, resettled in Dobruja, Anatolia, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire.