"Turkey-Moldova: no conquered or conquerors" Project

Project organizers: The High Anthropological School and the Fund for Cultural Initiatives "World as mirror for Moldova"
Project manager: L.A. Mosionjnik.
The staff of the High Anthropological School take part in the project.

Due to the number of historical matters the negative image of Turkey as an age-old opponent of Moldova is created. That fact still creates negative background in bilateral collaboration. However, treating the history of bilateral relations as that of conquerors and conquered does not only remain behind the modern level of comprehension of the past, but is also very dangerous in perspective. It does not consider the main thing - the common cultural heritage of the two peoples.

Medieval map of the Ottoman Empire

Turkic heritage plays a special role in the destiny of the two countries. Hundreds of barrows cover burial places of Turkic-nomads of the 4th-18th centuries; Golden Horde (of the 14th century) left settlements of pronounced Turkic-Moslem character; since the 15th century, a number of important Turkish fortresses were situated in Moldavia: Akkerman, Cilia, Bender, Ismail, Hotin.

In the perception of Turkey as the age-old opponent, peculiarities of relationship with many countries as well as with Moldova stay in shade. In the system of Ottoman Empire Moldova had a firm and quite honourable status stated in the number of treaties.

While being the reckognized "granary of Istanbul" the country lived in accordance with its own laws and preserved ethno-cultural peculiarity.

Constantinople's map (from medieval atlas)

"History without conquered or conquerors" is apprehended not as the history, but as a future for Moldova-Turkish peaceful cooperation in all domains.

Goal of the project: on the basis of modern scientific researches, cultural and popular scientific activities to create a reconciled image of Moldova-Turkish relations as the foundation for the mutual understanding in present and future.

Program of the project (2004-2007)

• Exploration of the Eneolithic antiquities and those of the Early Bronze Age in Asia Minor and reserach of the Celtic sites of Ankara region
• Field researches of medieval layers of Iznik and Trabson and cities close to them of 13th-16th centuries in Asia Minor
• Study of the Turkic-Moslem sites of different centuries in Moldova
• Realization of seminars "Turkic factor in Moldova: without conquered or conquerors" in Kishinev.
• Edition of monographs and articles under the heading "Turks between the Carpathian mountains and the Dniester river: comprehension of heritage" to reveal the role of Turkic factor in the historical Moldova during the medieval period
• Cataloging of Turkic antiquities in Moldova of the 4th-18th centuries and compiling of the annotated bibliographical guide
• Accounting for Turkic and Ottoman factors in the history of Moldova in school-books and mass-media
• Series of TV programs, revealing history of cultural communication between Moldova's and Turkey's peoples and Turkish experience of Europeanization.
• Film about the modern situation in Turkey to give better realisation of Turkish people's daily cares and life's philosophy
• Special library of turkology
• Series of articles in Moldovan mass-media with a particular emphasis on the following subject:
- "Turkic and Ottoman factor" in the history of Moldova;
- Business and cultural cooperation prospects;
- Tourist exchange prospects.
- Life’s philosophy of the Turks.

Turks attacking Constantinople (a fresco from a Medieval monastery)