Amerika\u2019ya ilk gelen T\u00fcrklerin en yo\u011fun ya\u015fad\u0131\u011f\u0131 kentlerden biri Peabody idi. Bug\u00fcn onlardan geriye yaln\u0131zca Osmanl\u0131ca yaz\u0131lm\u0131\u015f birka\u00e7 mezar ta\u015f\u0131 kald\u0131. Hik\u00e2yelerini \u0130pek \u00dcniversitesi \u00f6\u011fretim g\u00f6revlisi Yrd. Do\u00e7. Dr. I\u015f\u0131l Acehan ile konu\u015ftuk<\/p>\n
ABD\u2019nin do\u011fu yakas\u0131nda, Boston kentine yar\u0131m saat mesafede k\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck bir\u00a0 \u015fehir Peabody. Bir zamanlar d\u00fcnyan\u0131n en b\u00fcy\u00fck deri \u00fcreticisi olan bu kentin bug\u00fcnk\u00fc hali en nazik ifadeyle \u2018g\u00f6steri\u015fsiz\u2019 olarak tarif\u00a0 edilebilir. Bo\u015f fabrikalar,\u00a0 metruk binalar, yol kenarlar\u0131nda birikmi\u015f kar ve \u00e7amur aras\u0131nda \u015fehrin belki de en g\u00fczel k\u00f6\u015fesi Cedar Grove Mezarl\u0131\u011f\u0131… Dar yollar\u0131, d\u00fczenli adalar\u0131yla, a\u011fa\u00e7larla \u00e7evrelenmi\u015f bu arazi ba\u015ftan a\u015fa\u011f\u0131 huzur dolu.
\n\u015eubat ortas\u0131nda buray\u0131 ziyaret etmemizin nedeni mezarl\u0131\u011f\u0131n arka b\u00f6l\u00fcm\u00fcndeki esrarengiz mezar ta\u015flar\u0131. Etraftaki irili ufakl\u0131 ha\u00e7lar\u0131n aras\u0131ndaki ta\u015flar\u0131n\u0131n \u00fczerindeki kar\u0131 temizledi\u011finizde kar\u015f\u0131n\u0131za Osmanl\u0131ca yaz\u0131lar \u00e7\u0131k\u0131yor. Mezarl\u0131k kay\u0131tlar\u0131na g\u00f6re Mustafa kalp krizinden, bir ba\u015fkas\u0131 70\u2019li ya\u015flarda t\u00fcberk\u00fclozdan hayat\u0131n\u0131 kaybetmi\u015f. Ge\u00e7en y\u00fczy\u0131l\u0131n ba\u015f\u0131nda zengin olma hayalleriyle Peabody\u2019ye gelmi\u015f 200 T\u00fcrk ve K\u00fcrt burada uyuyor.
\nPeabody ve \u00e7evresindeki kentler 1900\u2019l\u00fc y\u0131llar\u0131n ba\u015f\u0131nda Osmanl\u0131 \u0130mparatorlu\u011fu\u2019nun minik bir kopyas\u0131n\u0131 and\u0131r\u0131yordu. \u015eehrin merkezindeki Walnut Soka\u011f\u0131\u2019nda, Rumlar ve T\u00fcrkler yurt benzeri evlerde topluca kal\u0131yordu. Yerel gazetelere g\u00f6re o d\u00f6nemde n\u00fcfusu 15 bin civar\u0131 olan kentte ki T\u00fcrklerin say\u0131s\u0131 en az 1600\u2019d\u00fc. Bunlar\u0131n 101\u2019i ayn\u0131 evi payla\u015f\u0131yordu.
\nO g\u00fcnlerde Osmanl\u0131 Soka\u011f\u0131 olarak bilinen bu sokak Rum ve T\u00fcrk kahvehaneleriyle donanm\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Peabody\u2019ye g\u00f6\u00e7 eden Osmanl\u0131lar \u00fczerinde en kapsaml\u0131 ara\u015ft\u0131rmalar\u0131 yapan tarih\u00e7i I\u015f\u0131l Acehan\u2019a g\u00f6re burada sohbetler, yemekler ve hatta kavgalar bile tan\u0131d\u0131kt\u0131. T\u00fcrkler bu soka\u011f\u0131n d\u0131\u015f\u0131na fazla \u00e7\u0131km\u0131yor, yerel halk da iri, b\u0131y\u0131kl\u0131 adamlar\u0131n ya\u015fad\u0131\u011f\u0131 bu soka\u011fa \u00e7ocuklar\u0131n girmesini yasakl\u0131yordu.
\nColumbia \u00dcniversitesi\u2019nde \u00f6\u011frenci oldu\u011fu y\u0131llarda (1911-13) Peabody\u2019yi ziyaret eden gazeteci Ahmet Emin Yalman, d\u00f6nem d\u00f6nem gazetelere d\u00fc\u015fen kavgalara ra\u011fmen Osmanl\u0131lar\u0131n genel olarak birbiriyle iyi ge\u00e7indi\u011fini yazm\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Kahvehanelerde \u0130stanbul\u2019dan gelen gazeteler topluca okunuyor, Ermeniler ve Rumlar gerekti\u011finde T\u00fcrkler i\u00e7in \u00e7eviri yap\u0131yor, hatta onlara \u0130ngilizce<\/a> \u00f6\u011fretiyordu.
\nD\u00fcnyan\u0131n en b\u00fcy\u00fck deri \u00fcreticisi olan Peabody\u2019de 1860 ve 1880\u2019li y\u0131llarda ya\u015fanan b\u00fcy\u00fck grevlerin ard\u0131ndan vas\u0131fs\u0131z i\u015fler tamamen g\u00f6\u00e7menlere kalm\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Yalman 1913\u2019te \u015fehre geldi\u011finde gen\u00e7 bir Rumun, T\u00fcrklere i\u015f\u00e7i haklar\u0131 ile ilgili nutuk att\u0131\u011f\u0131na \u015fahit olmu\u015ftu. \u015eehre ilk geldiklerine grev k\u0131r\u0131c\u0131 olarak nam salan T\u00fcrkler, 1918 y\u0131l\u0131nda art\u0131k kendileri de greve gidiyordu.
\nT\u00fcrkler\u2019in \u00e7o\u011fu hayallerine kavu\u015fmu\u015ftu. \u0130yi para kazan\u0131yorlard\u0131. Hatta Kurtulu\u015f Sava\u015f\u0131\u2019na yard\u0131m bile ediyorlard\u0131. Dr. Mehmet Fuad, 1923 y\u0131l\u0131nda Peabody ve di\u011fer kentlerden yetimler i\u00e7in 100 bin dolar<\/a> (bug\u00fcnk\u00fc de\u011feri 1.5 milyon dolar) ba\u011f\u0131\u015f toplam\u0131\u015ft\u0131. O g\u00fcn ba\u011f\u0131\u015f yapanlar\u0131n b\u00fcy\u00fck b\u00f6l\u00fcm\u00fc ise Cumhuriyet\u2019in ilan edilmesinin ard\u0131ndan memleketlerine d\u00f6nd\u00fc.
\nBug\u00fcn sanayi mahallesini and\u0131ran Osmanl\u0131 Soka\u011f\u0131\u2019nda y\u00fcz y\u0131l \u00f6ncesini hat\u0131rlatan tek iz 1914 y\u0131l\u0131nda kuruldu\u011funu gururla ilan eden bir Yunan restoran\u0131. \u015eehirde kalan Rumlar\u2019\u0131n g\u00f6rkemli kiliseleri var, Ermeniler belediye ba\u015fkanlar\u0131 \u00e7\u0131karm\u0131\u015f. T\u00fcrklerden ise geriye yaln\u0131zca Cedar Grove Mezarl\u0131\u011f\u0131\u2019ndaki sahipsiz mezar ta\u015flar\u0131 kalm\u0131\u015f.<\/p>\n