The Last Ottoman in Ankara
Osman Mayatepek
Osman Mayatepek, the grandson of Naciye Sultan, the granddaughter of Sultan Abdulmecit, and wife of Enver Pasha, opens the doors of his house in Ankara for Issue readers. In a pleasant conversation, Osman Bey, whose surname originates from the Mayan Indians, shares anecdotes from his life and tales of his grandfather Enver Pasha and the Ottoman family. Expressing happiness about the recent increased interest in the Ottoman era, Mayatepek remarks, “The Ottoman era’s most appreciated features of humility and modesty have unfortunately fallen into disrepute because of self-promotion efforts by family members that are incompatible with those principles.”
M. Ferhat YÜKSEL
In his modest house in Çankaya, we were guests of Osman Mayatepek, the grandson of Enver Pasha, the Ottoman Empire’s Chief of Staff during the First World War, who married into the Ottoman royal family when he wed Naciye Sultan (Süleyman Efendi’s daughter) in 1914. Our conversation with Mayatepek covered his life abroad, his grandfather Enver Pasha, the Ottoman dynasty, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born in Geneva in 1950. I lived in Turkey between the ages of four-and-a-half and ten when my father, Ambassador Hüveyda Mayatepek, was on duty in the country. Later, I studied at a boarding school near Geneva, Switzerland, for six years. I pursued my education in international relations at Georgetown University in America after finishing high school and completed my master’s degree at American University. I lost my wife in 2002. I have a daughter who lives with me in Ankara.
How did you start your commercial life?
We established an international company with a few friends when I was pursuing my MA in Washington D.C. Later, I worked as the Middle East General Manager of an American company in Jordan. I returned to Turkey in 1982, and a year later, I founded the company Elsan, operating in the defense and communications industries. I represented companies such as AT&T, Sikorsky, Smith & Wesson, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Telecom Italia. Today, I provide consultancy services in this area.
Could we hear about the interesting story of your surname?
My grandfather Tahsin Bey was a close friend of Atatürk and a diplomat. He went to Mexico with Atatürk’s permission to research the links between Central American Indians and Turks and the Lost Continent of Mu. Over the six years of his stay there, he sent regular reports about his research to both the Turkish Language Institution and Atatürk. Tahsin Bey concluded that there had been a link between the Mayans and Turks. During the period when the Surname Law was passed, Tahsin Bey chose the name Mayatepek, a combination of the name of the Maya race and ‘tepek,’ which means ‘hill.’
The Ottoman Family Has the Honor of Being Turk.
How was your relationship with the other members of the Ottoman Family?
The women of my family were permitted to enter Turkey in 1952, and the men were allowed back in 1973. My mother and her siblings gained the right to enter Turkey due to a special law, considering they were Enver Pasha’s children. However, my grandmother Naciye Sultan couldn’t come to the country until 1952. Today, we have more opportunities, and it is becoming easier to meet. Some family members may not even speak Turkish, but they all embody the Turkish spirit and take pride in being Turks. Unfortunately, the Ottoman family was separated. Hümeyra Hanım Sultan, my mother’s cousin, who owns the famous Kısmet Hotel in Kuşadası, loved bringing all family members together. I always went to the Kısmet Hotel when I was little to see my cousins, Hanzade and Halim. Necla, Neslişah, and Hanzade Sultans also came there for the summer holidays. Thanks to the Kısmet Hotel, I had the chance to meet many family members. I recently met Prince Selim in Istanbul, who is an Austrian citizen. He doesn’t speak Turkish, but he loves Turkey and visits frequently.
Are you in touch with other royal families?
Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Nayef, who has held important positions like the Minister of the Palace, has been very helpful to me. I’m still in touch with Prince Ali bin Nayef. He often visits Istanbul. I have an interesting memory concerning Prince Ali. Once, we went on a blue cruise together. The prince was cautious about avoiding paparazzi during the trip. A photographer, assuming I was the prince, took a photo of me in my slippers. The newspaper headlines were, “The Prince with Slippers”! “Look,” said the prince. “They thought you were the prince as you are an oldster.” We laughed a lot. The Ottoman family generally preferred to remain silent in the background.
BRAVE, FEARLESS, AND VERY SENSITIVE
Could you tell us about your grandfather Enver Pasha?
Enver Pasha was a deeply honorable and patriotic man. Besides, he was a cultured man, an excellent soldier, and a strategist who excelled in battles. He had deep love for Naciye Sultan, and his family, and was particularly sensitive when his children cried, despite his fearless demeanor. (laughs) So, apart from being very sensitive, he was a man brave enough not to fear death. According to my collection of memoirs, between 1906 and 1908, he engaged in battles in the mountains of Bulgaria about 54 times, facing death 18 times. İsmet Pasha once said to me, “Mustafa Kemal, your grandfather, and I were three very talented, ambitious young staff officers. While we wanted to work at headquarters, your grandfather volunteered to pursue the thugs in the mountains in Bulgaria, and he was the bravest of us all.” Besides all this, my grandfather was also a skilled painter, and I still preserve his pencil sketches. Despite his busy schedule and wars, he maintained a diary and wrote letters to his wife. He was fluent in French and German, and his German was so convincing that when his plane crashed in Lithuania, he introduced himself as a German to the villagers.
Some people describe my grandfather as a fan of Germans and criticize him for the First World War. It is probably true that my grandfather liked and respected Germans and the German army because of their discipline and ability. However, Enver Pasha was neither a grand vizier nor the Sultan, so he didn’t have the right to decide to go to war. Britain, France, Russia, and Italy had decided to share the Ottoman Empire among themselves long before the war. The Ottoman Empire had no choice other than to go to war. Even Mustafa Kemal Pasha said in five different speeches that the Ottoman Empire didn’t have the luxury of avoiding war.
What are the roots of some of the criticism of Enver Pasha?
A smear campaign was launched against Enver Pasha out of fear that he might return home, causing trouble if the Independence War worsened. My grandfather wrote a letter to Atatürk on this issue, stating, “I’m ready to fight as a soldier.” Recognizing the army’s admiration for Enver Pasha, Kazım Karabekir was concerned about a conflict between Atatürk and Enver Pasha. While dealing with the War of Independence, he initiated a smear campaign to avoid dealing with Enver Pasha, spreading news about him being a communist, irreligious, and a traitor. Mustafa Kemal Pasha accepted it. After many years, Kazim Karabekir Pasha confessed that they had discredited Enver Pasha to avoid potential trouble and that he had endless respect and reverence for him. Despite all this, false arguments about Enver Pasha persist today. “If the cause had not been that important, I wouldn’t have been involved in such a smear campaign,” said Kazim Karabekir Pasha. Another reason for Kazim Karabekir Pasha to be involved in this incident was to earn the trust of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.
OUR ACTUAL LOSSES AT SARIKAMIŞ WERE 25,000 TO 35,000
Can you tell us about the Sarıkamış battle?
Sarıkamış was a meticulously planned attack devised by the German and Ottoman General Staff. Unfortunately, it unfolded as it did due to the disobedience of some generals against Enver Pasha and the severe weather conditions. According to various sources, our real losses were between 25,000 and 35,000 people, most of whom died fighting, not from freezing. All the martyrs here were soldiers of the 3rd Army. How could it be possible to have 90,000 martyrs in the 3rd Army, which had only 75,000 combat troops? This event is nothing but a story concocted by Sarıkamış Corps Command Chief Şerif Köprülü, who claimed in his book that 90,000 of our soldiers froze to death. Enver Pasha has always been blamed for the Sarıkamış battle loss. True, as commander-in-chief, he was the responsible person, but why wasn’t his name mentioned when he was the commander-in-chief during the Çanakkale (Gallipoli) campaign? Others get the credit when there is a victory, but when there is a loss, is Enver Pasha the guilty person?
How was the relationship between Enver Pasha and Atatürk?
Kılıç Ali’s son Altemur Kılıç explained how Atatürk reacted to the news of the martyrdom of Enver Pasha on August 4, 1922. Kılıç Ali came into the presence of Atatürk and said, “My dear Pasha, I have some sad news. Enver Pasha has become a martyr.” Atatürk had tears in his eyes and said, “He was a brave man. God bless him and leave the rest to history.” Although there had been disputes between them, they were both patriotic people.
Contrary to what is said, during the Battle of Çanakkale, Enver Pasha was asked who should take command if something happened to him. He said without hesitation, “Colonel Mustafa Kemal.” Enver Pasha didn’t do any work other than soldiering. He assigned junior officers and retired all the old commanders in one day at the end of the Balkan War. After the Balkan War, during its worst period, the Ottoman army managed to fight on eight fronts. This was a success, and the army in the War of Independence was that same army. It was not, as described in some sources, that the army suddenly came down from the sky. Mustafa Kemal was a great soldier and strategist, but he also had the desire to enter politics. It is also said that Enver Pasha was jealous of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. They were both the same age and while Enver Pasha was the Minister of War and the Deputy Commander in Chief, Mustafa Kemal Pasha was a colonel. Do you think it is logical for Enver Pasha in his position to be jealous of Mustafa Kemal? The opposite may be perfectly normal; after all, we are all human, and humans get jealous. Mustafa Kemal tried to get close to Enver Pasha to get promoted quickly. Because of this and Mustafa Kemal’s desire to be in politics, Enver Pasha kept him at a distance, but he behaved fairly towards him and protected him.
THE ONLY MAN TO REFUSE ELIZABETH TAYLOR
What is your most interesting and long-lasting memory?
I was close friends with Elizabeth Taylor’s son, Chris Wilding (whose father was Micheal Wilding) when I was a student at Georgetown University in the first half of the 1970s. We often visited Elizabeth Taylor. Chris told his mother about my birthday, and on June 1, he wanted to drink champagne with me at a famous restaurant bar called F. Scotts once Taylor and Senator John Warner returned from London. I didn’t take Chris too seriously. On the evening of June 1, I went all over town to different places and had fun with my friends. I arrived at F. Scott’s at midnight, and the maitre d’hotel, named PeeWee, was at the door and told me, “Osman, where have you been? Elizabeth Taylor waited for you for three hours and then she got bored and left.” The next day I sent her a big bouquet and then called her and apologized. “Osman, I have refused a lot of men and made them wait, but for the first and only time, you were the man who not only made me wait but didn’t even come.” (laughs) I continued to meet Elizabeth Taylor and occasionally would laugh and point at me, “Look, this is the only man who refused me.”
NO DYNASTY ANYMORE
There has been growing interest in the Ottoman Empire recently. How do you evaluate this?
It is nice to see the growing interest in the Ottoman Empire. It was very kind of the prime minister to personally hand passports to Ertuğrul Efendi and other family members. You would be mistaken if you watch TV shows like “Magnificent Century” as documentaries. But at least people who previously had no interest in history have started to show more interest. In this respect, I find it successful. The government has also ensured an interest in Ottomans recently. I would like to highlight that there is no dynasty anymore. There is an Ottoman family. How can a dynasty be possible when there is no empire? The Ottoman era’s most appreciated features of humility and modesty have unfortunately fallen into disrepute because of self-promotion efforts by family members that are incompatible with those principles. I do not approve at all.
A world-famous English Purdey shotgun, known as the Rolls Royce of guns, was given as a gift to Enver Pasha by Sultan Reşat.
Did you ever consider going into politics in Turkey?
I’ve received offers, but I wasn’t positive about them. I didn’t want to be involved in politics as I was generally abroad, I wanted to devote time to my family, and I didn’t have enough time. Politics is a job that you should allocate serious time to and dedicate yourself to.
