Erdogan tries to rewrite history
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent decision to change the date commemorating the conquest of Istanbul from May 29 to May 30 seems to fall into a pattern of altering dates of public holidays to correspond with important political dates — in this case, the June 7 elections.
Scores of thick-mustached Istanbul municipality laborers dressed in historic Ottoman army uniforms, marching amid rush hour crowds in modern-day central Istanbul, some pulling replicas of 15th-century galleys by thick ropes, may not look out of place to certain eyes.
The re-enactment commemorates the May 29 holiday of the conquest of Istanbul.
The festivities on May 29 have become livelier than ever, particularly after Istanbul’s municipality began to be run by mayors coming from Islamist backgrounds and starting with the election of current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Istanbul mayor in 1994.
Such ardor looked hilarious, at least to some people. Replicas of the original naval galleys used during the siege of Constantinople in May 1453 were used. Under the early summer sun, laborers of the Istanbul municipality dragged these galleys overland using ropes. In the midst of heavy daytime traffic jams in central Istanbul, the sight of the ships moved by scores of sweating people dressed as 15th-century Ottoman soldiers seemed quite amusing for many residents.
