26.12.2024 17:50
Emşe Aslan, a 122-year-old resident of the Tal Afar district in the city of Mosul, Iraq, recounted her experiences witnessing the final years of the Ottoman Empire and the British occupation of Iraq. Aslan stated, "During the Ottoman period, we had a very safe, stable, and beautiful social life."
Emşe Aslan, a 122-year-old woman living with her son in the Telafer district of Mosul, Iraq, recounted her experiences witnessing the last days of the Ottoman Empire and the British occupation of Iraq. Aslan, an Iraqi Turkman, nostalgically remembers the time when the British entered Mosul as if it were yesterday.
HE MOST NOSTALGICALLY REMEMBERS THE OTTOMAN PERIOD
Aslan, who is in good health and has a clear memory, was born on July 1, 1902, in the Telafer district, which is entirely composed of Turkmens. Having witnessed the Ottoman Empire, World War I and II, the monarchy and republic periods of Iraq, as well as the Ba'ath Party era, Aslan nostalgically remembers the Ottoman period the most.
“WE WERE YOUNG AND VERY SCARED”
Aslan stated that she has not gone anywhere else since she was born in 1902 and has spent almost her entire life in Telafer. She recalled the days when British soldiers occupied Iraq during World War I, mentioning that the soldiers began to occupy the Telafer district from the west and the neighborhoods. "Armed British soldiers entered the district center in large numbers with horse-drawn artillery. We were young and very scared; we watched them from the windows and door cracks," Aslan said, adding that a day or two after the soldiers took over Telafer, they advanced towards the center of Mosul.
“WE EXPERIENCED SCARCITY DURING THE OCCUPATION”
Aslan described the difficult days and scarcity they experienced during the British occupation, stating that the British soldiers carried supplies and weapons with them as they passed through the district. She expressed that climbing to the historical castle of Telafer was prohibited by the British during the occupation days, and because she was a young girl at that time, her family did not allow her to go outside the house.
“WE HAD A VERY SAFE, STABLE, AND BEAUTIFUL SOCIAL LIFE DURING THE OTTOMAN PERIOD”
Aslan expressed that her childhood and youth were beautiful during the Ottoman period, stating that there were no problems in the country at that time and she fondly remembers that period. She described Telafer and Mosul as stable places during the Ottoman period before the British occupation, saying, "We had a very safe, stable, and beautiful social life during the Ottoman period." Aslan recalled the period when World War I began, saying, "I was young when the war started, but I remember that all the young men among my close relatives were mobilized."
WITNESS TO THE KAÇA KAÇ INCIDENT IN TELAFER
Aslan also recalled the Kaça Kaç Rebellion, which was initiated by Turkmens in Telafer about two years after the British occupation of Iraq and later spread throughout Iraq, stating that all the people of Telafer united and started a rebellion against the British occupation. She described the difficulties they faced during the occupation and rebellion periods, mentioning that they consumed bread and date compote for months.