Muazzez Ilmiye Çig
Encyclopedia
Muazzez İlmiye Çığ is a Turkish
archaeologist and Assyriologist who specializes in the study of Sumer
ian civilization. In 2006, at the age of 92, she received world-wide coverage in international media organs when, upon publication of her 2005 book which described, among other topics, how her research into the history of the headscarf
revealed that it did not originate in the Muslim world, but was worn five thousand years ago by Sumerian priestesses who initiated young men into sex.
parents. Her father was a teacher. In 1919, her family moved from İzmir
and towards Ankara
, following Greek occupation and eventually settling in Çorum
.
, she began studies in 1936 at Ankara University
's Department of Hittitology, established the previous year by modern Turkey's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
. Among her teachers were two of the period's most eminent scholars of Hittite culture and history
, Hans Gustav Güterbock
and Benno Landsberger
, both Hitler-era
German-Jewish
refugees, who spent World War II
as professors in Turkey.
Upon receiving her degree in 1940, she began a multi-decade career at Museum of the Ancient Orient, one of three such institutions comprising Istanbul Archaeology Museums, as a resident specialist in the field of cuneiform
tablets
, thousands of which were being stored untranslated and unclassified in the facility's archives. In the intervening years, due to her efforts in the deciphering and publication of the tablets, the Museum became a Middle Eastern languages learning center attended by ancient history researchers from every part of the world.
, and an honorary member of German Archeology Institute and İstanbul University Institute of Prehistoric Sciences. She has gained renown in her profession for the diligent and systematic investigation evident in her books, scholarly papers and general interest articles published in magazines and newspapers such as Belleten and Bilim ve Ütopya. In 2002, her autobiography, Çivi çiviyi söker, framed as a series of interviews by journalist Serhat Öztürk was published by the country's premier national financial institution Türkiye İş Bankası
.
On 1 November 2006, the first day of her trial, she denied the charges, declaring "I am a woman of science ... I never insulted anyone". At that initial trial hearing, the judge dismissed her case and, following a trial less than half hour in duration, the book's publisher was acquitted.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
archaeologist and Assyriologist who specializes in the study of Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
ian civilization. In 2006, at the age of 92, she received world-wide coverage in international media organs when, upon publication of her 2005 book which described, among other topics, how her research into the history of the headscarf
Islam and clothing
Adherents of Islam are concerned with clothing in two contexts: clothing for everyday wear, inside and outside the house; and clothing required in specifically religious contexts....
revealed that it did not originate in the Muslim world, but was worn five thousand years ago by Sumerian priestesses who initiated young men into sex.
Early life
Muazzez İlmiye was born in Bursa to Crimean TatarCrimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
parents. Her father was a teacher. In 1919, her family moved from İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
and towards Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, following Greek occupation and eventually settling in Çorum
Çorum
Çorum is a landlocked northern Anatolian city that is the capital of the Çorum Province of Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey, and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul...
.
Educational credentials
Muazzez İlmiye completed her primary studies first in the schools of Çorum and, subsequently, her native city where, by the time of her 17th birthday in 1931, she graduated from its training facility for elementary school teachers. After nearly five years of educating children in another northwestern city, EskişehirEskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
, she began studies in 1936 at Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
's Department of Hittitology, established the previous year by modern Turkey's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
. Among her teachers were two of the period's most eminent scholars of Hittite culture and history
History of the Hittites
Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa in northern Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite Kingdom was at its height, encompassing central Anatolia, south-western Syria as far as Ugarit, and...
, Hans Gustav Güterbock
Hans Gustav Güterbock
Hans Gustav Güterbock was a German-American Hittitologist. Born and trained in Germany, his career was ended with the rise of the Nazis because of his Jewish heritage, and he was forced to resettle in Turkey...
and Benno Landsberger
Benno Landsberger
Benno Landsberger was one of the most important German Assyriologists.- Early life and education :...
, both Hitler-era
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
German-Jewish
History of the Jews in Germany
The presence of Jews in Germany has been established since the early 4th century. The community prospered under Charlemagne, but suffered during the Crusades...
refugees, who spent World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as professors in Turkey.
Upon receiving her degree in 1940, she began a multi-decade career at Museum of the Ancient Orient, one of three such institutions comprising Istanbul Archaeology Museums, as a resident specialist in the field of cuneiform
Cuneiform script
Cuneiform script )) is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. Emerging in Sumer around the 30th century BC, with predecessors reaching into the late 4th millennium , cuneiform writing began as a system of pictographs...
tablets
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
, thousands of which were being stored untranslated and unclassified in the facility's archives. In the intervening years, due to her efforts in the deciphering and publication of the tablets, the Museum became a Middle Eastern languages learning center attended by ancient history researchers from every part of the world.
Professional career and court case
Married to M. Kemal Çığ, the director of Topkapı Museum, Muazzez İlmiye Çığ is also a prominent advocate for secularism in TurkeyIslam in Turkey
The region secacomprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the dawn of the Seljuk period and Ottoman Empire. The country has many historical mosques present throughout the cities and towns, including many in Istanbul...
, and an honorary member of German Archeology Institute and İstanbul University Institute of Prehistoric Sciences. She has gained renown in her profession for the diligent and systematic investigation evident in her books, scholarly papers and general interest articles published in magazines and newspapers such as Belleten and Bilim ve Ütopya. In 2002, her autobiography, Çivi çiviyi söker, framed as a series of interviews by journalist Serhat Öztürk was published by the country's premier national financial institution Türkiye İş Bankası
Türkiye Is Bankasi
Türkiye İş Bankası is Turkey's first public bank and premiere national financial institution, ranked 102nd in the “Top 1000 World Banks” survey of Financial Times' The Banker and 371st in the Forbes Global 2000 lists as of 2008, with a Gross Profit for the Year 2006 TRY 2,540 million and USD 6.8...
.
On 1 November 2006, the first day of her trial, she denied the charges, declaring "I am a woman of science ... I never insulted anyone". At that initial trial hearing, the judge dismissed her case and, following a trial less than half hour in duration, the book's publisher was acquitted.
Partial bibliography
- 1993: Zaman Tüneli ile Sümer'e Yolculuk [Journey to Sumer through a Time Tunnel" (written as children's educational literature)
- 1995: Kur'an, İncil ve Tevrat'ın Sümer'deki Kökeni [The Origins of the Koran, the Bible and the Torah in Sumer]
- 1996: Sümerli Ludingirra [Ludingirra the Sumerian, a retrospective science-fiction] (İbrahim Peygamber)
- 1997: The Prophet Abram, According to Sumerian Writings and Archeological Findings
- 1998: İnanna'nın Aşkı [The Love of İnannma, the Belief and the Holy Marriage in Sumer]
- 2000: Hititler ve Hattuşa [The Hittites and Hattuşa, as Written by Ishtar] (Ortadoğu Uygarlık Mirası)
- 2002: Civilization Heritage in the Middle East
- 2005: Bereket Kültü ve Mabet Fahişeliği [Cult of Fertility and Holy Prostitution]
- Works include numerous translations from English.
External links
- Muazzez İlmiye Çığ website
- Muazzez Ilmiye Cig at Indonesia Matters website (includes reprint of article on the case from The Australian and 48 comments/disputes posted between 1 November 2006 and 22 May 2009)
- Arsu, Sebnem. "Turkish scholar, 92, is acquitted in head scarf case". International Herald Tribune (1 November 2006)
- Arsu, Sebnem. "Turkish Scholar Who Mocked Head Scarves Is Acquitted". The New York Times (2 November 2006) (includes photograph of Muazzez İlmiye Çığ outside courtroom following the acquittal)