visit to Topkapi Palace and Poland
Dear All:
Last month I had a chance to visit storage vaults of the Topkapi palace in Istanbul. The Topkapi collection has the largest number of Turkish bows in the world. Can you imagine a rack with several hindred Ottoman and other bows for you to see?! Over a few days I could examine and measure tens of them in detail and made many pictures. Details of constrution could be clearly observed and I was humbled and frustrated by the quality of decoration on some of the bows. This will provide material for at least several articles in the future.
This visit, made (with considerable difficulties) through official channels, would not be possible without my Turksih friends. Without the organizational skills of Murat Ozveri, who not only helped all though the difficult process of securing the required permissions, but also made sure we had a great time in Istanbul. The interest in traditional archery is growing in Turkey, there is a number of archers meeting regularly in Istanbul and Cem Donmez in Izmir now learns to make Turkish bows. A TV interview with Murat and I will hopefully introduce archery to a broader audience as well.
After Istanbul, thanks to Andrzej Abratowski from Krakow, I could see more bows in the Krakow National Museum and then again in the Military Museum in Warsaw, mainly Crim-Tatar and Indo-Persian. In Warsaw, Norbert and Michal showed me their excellent horse archery skills and training. The shooting is done with a great variety od stationary and moving targets and of course with a thumbring. If you want to learn shooting from a horse, this is the place to go.
In all, a very productive (and exhausting) vacation!
Adam
Last month I had a chance to visit storage vaults of the Topkapi palace in Istanbul. The Topkapi collection has the largest number of Turkish bows in the world. Can you imagine a rack with several hindred Ottoman and other bows for you to see?! Over a few days I could examine and measure tens of them in detail and made many pictures. Details of constrution could be clearly observed and I was humbled and frustrated by the quality of decoration on some of the bows. This will provide material for at least several articles in the future.
This visit, made (with considerable difficulties) through official channels, would not be possible without my Turksih friends. Without the organizational skills of Murat Ozveri, who not only helped all though the difficult process of securing the required permissions, but also made sure we had a great time in Istanbul. The interest in traditional archery is growing in Turkey, there is a number of archers meeting regularly in Istanbul and Cem Donmez in Izmir now learns to make Turkish bows. A TV interview with Murat and I will hopefully introduce archery to a broader audience as well.
After Istanbul, thanks to Andrzej Abratowski from Krakow, I could see more bows in the Krakow National Museum and then again in the Military Museum in Warsaw, mainly Crim-Tatar and Indo-Persian. In Warsaw, Norbert and Michal showed me their excellent horse archery skills and training. The shooting is done with a great variety od stationary and moving targets and of course with a thumbring. If you want to learn shooting from a horse, this is the place to go.
In all, a very productive (and exhausting) vacation!
Adam
Thank you for that report, Adam.
I am getting the idea that ATARN should hold a one or two day meeting in Turkey to encourage our Turkish friends, raise awareness, and start an exchange of traditional, practical skills. I hope that you will support the idea. I can try to work on sponsorship, maybe looking at an event in 2007.
Stephen
I am getting the idea that ATARN should hold a one or two day meeting in Turkey to encourage our Turkish friends, raise awareness, and start an exchange of traditional, practical skills. I hope that you will support the idea. I can try to work on sponsorship, maybe looking at an event in 2007.
Stephen
I should point out a few things that may be helpful. Turkish people are very well aware of their archery past, the archery exhibits are very prominent in the Military Museum and at Topkapi Treasury, both places are full of school children. There is a well orginized archery group and a web site (see kemankesh.com) with a number of people shooting with a ring, well connected to the net (ATARN included) and contacts all over the world. The main thing, as in any other European country, is to attract more people with enough leisure time to spare. The awareness is already there and the exhange of practical skills is well underway. I have a feeling Turkish archers will soon be teaching us!
Adam
Adam
Hi Adam, I am the Turkish boy that you met in Istanbul. At archery training on Sunday, who want to build synthetic replicas of Turkish bows. I would like to say that the web site is www.kemankes.com
And thank you for your feeling! :)
And thank you for your feeling! :)
Hi Ekrem, good to hear from you. I remember your drawing you showed me. Once you decide about the materials for the replica, please let me know by private email. I may be able to help you with the shape to best resemble a Turkish bow in the sturng and drawn shape.
Adam
Adam
Thank you Adam, I redraw the replica according to the Mr. Cem's (Cem D?nmez from Izmir) guidance. I draw the Kasan and the Sal clearly and modify the Bash as it was in Turkish bows. I will send you the drawing to your private email in a few days. Please let me know which format I should send, AutoCAD or JPEG?
Please send it as JPEG, I do not use AutoCAD. Bear in mind the unstrung shape of a bow's kasan and the recurvature is not the same as strung and if a bow is made of synthetic materials, if will bend differently too. Anyway, we will talk about it later.
Adam
Adam
Adam,
There is a free Autocad viewer called Voloview, which you can download off the web, if that helps.
There is a free Autocad viewer called Voloview, which you can download off the web, if that helps.