Yahya Devletabadi and His Memoirs of Istanbul During the Second Constitutional Era
Güller NuhoğluMirza Yahya Devletabadi was one of the most famous political and cultural figures of the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the Pahlavi period. He was exiled to Istanbul, he established relations with the Young Turks and members of the Committee of Union and Progress Party, carrying out activities to restore constitutional rule in Persia. After the war, he returned to his country and was elected to parliament as a representative of Isfahan. His most famous work Hayat-i Yahya, which he wrote in the style of a memoir, is an important source not only for Iranian history but also for recent Turkish history. The events such as the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Monarchy, the 31st of March Incident, Abdul Hamid II’s succession and exile to Salonika, Mehmet V’s accession to the throne, the coming to power of the Union and Progress Party, the Ottoman Empire’s entry into World War I, and the information about Istanbul’s social situation under the environment of war are based on the author’s observations during his stay in Istanbul. This study aims to reveal the political and social situation of Istanbul in the first quarter of the 20th century through the eyes of a foreigner by narrating the above-mentioned events through Yahya Devletabadi’s statements.
Yahyâ Devletâbâdi ve Hatıratında II. Meşrutiyet Devri İstanbul’u
Güller NuhoğluMeşrutiyet ve I. Pehlevî devri İranının en meşhur siyasi ve kültürel şahsiyetlerinden gazeteci, şair ve yazar Mîrzâ Yahyâ Devletâbâdî 1862 yılında Isfahan’a bağlı Devletâbâd’da dünyaya geldi. İlk tahsilini doğduğu yerde yaptıktan sonra Necef’te devam ettiği dini tahsilini İran’a döndükten sonra zamanın ünlü Şiî ulemâsı yanında tamamladı. Meşrutiyet taraftarı olması sebebiyle Muhammed Ali Şah tarafından İstanbul’a sürgün edildi. Burada Jön Türkler ve İttihat ve Terakki Partisi mensuplarıyla irtibata geçerek İran’ın yeniden meşruti idareye geçmesi için faaliyetler gösterdi. Avrupa’ya seyahatler yaptı.1916’da tekrar İstanbul’a geldi. Bazı Osmanlı devlet adamlarıyla önemli görüşmeler yaptı. Savaştan sonra ülkesine döndü ve Isfahan milletvekili seçildi. 1934’te Tahran’da öldü. Telif ve tercüme olarak çeşitli konularda eserler kaleme aldı. En ünlü eseri hatıra tarzında yazdığı Hayât-ı Yahyâ’dır. Tarih-i Muasır olarak da bilinen dört ciltlik eser İran tarihi açısından olduğu kadar Yakınçağ Türk tarihi için de önemli bir kaynaktır. Özellikle III. ve IV. ciltlerinin bir kısmına konu olan II. Meşrutiyetin ilanı, 31 Mart Vakası, II. Abdülhamit’in, hal’ edilişi, Selanik’e sürgünü, V. Mehmet ’in tahta çıkışı, İttihat ve Terakki’nin iktidara gelişi, Osmanlının I. Dünya Harbine girişi gibi olaylar ve savaş ortamında İstanbul’un sosyal durumu hakkındaki bilgiler bizzat Yazarın İstanbul’da ikameti esnasındaki gözlemlerine dayanır. Bu çalışmada yukarıda zikredilen olaylar Yahyâ Devletâbâdî’nin ifadeleriyle aktarılarak bir yabancının gözünden 20. Yy’ın ilk çeyreğinde İstanbul’un siyasi ve sosyal durumunu ortaya koymak amaçlanmıştır.
Yahya Devletabadi was born in 1862 in Devletabad withing Isfahan, Persia as a member of a religious family. He completed his primary education in his birth city, then continued his religious education in Najaf, Iraq, where he went with his family at the age 11. After returning to his country in 1875, he finished his religious studies in Teheran, Esfahan, and Iraq under the famous Shia scholars of the time.
Yahya Devletabadi interacted with proponents of liberal and constitutional principles even before the declaration of a constitutional monarchy and worked to establish such a system. Following the declaration of the constitutional monarchy in Persia, he concentrated mostly on educational endeavors, particularly with the opening of new schools and with the advancement of culture. He was exiled to Istanbul in July 1908. During his time in Istanbul, he developed sincere relationships with the Young Turks and with members of Committee of Union and Progress. Some of his books were also written there. During World War I, he went to İstanbul for a second time. During his residence there, he met with statesmen such as the Minister of Internal Affairs Talat Pasha and Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha. He convinced them of the impossibility of establishing an Islamic Union ideology. During his meetings with the Minister of War Enver Pasha, he gave his ideas regarding the drawbacks of a military march towards Tehran.
Devletabadi wrote and translated works on various subjects. In this context, Yahya Devletabadi’s work Hayat-i Yahya, also known as Tarih-Mu’asır, is an important source not only of Iranian history but also of Turkish history between1875-1925. The work consists of four volumes and covers the period from the time of Naṣer al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896) to the fall of the Qajar dynasty (1794-1925) and the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty. In Volume I, the author provides information about his childhood, youth, education, and travels; the political, social, and cultural environment of Isfahan; the treatment of his family by the government; the political, economic, social, and cultural situation of Persia during the reign of Naṣer al-Din Shah Qajar; the sectarian movements in the country (especially Babism) and the attitude towards the clergy; and the activities of the supporters of constitutionalism toward the proclamation of constitutionalism. Volume II focuses on the transformation process of Iran and the events that took place during the Persian Constitutional Revolution. Volume III covers the author’s exile days in Istanbul and his travels in Europe. The events that are the subject of this volume, which is occasionally written in diary form, mostly involve the political and social events the author had witnessed and interpreted himself after the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Monarchy. This volume concludes with the beginning of World War I, the Ottoman-German alliance, the Ottoman entry into the war, the declaration of Jihad al-Muqaddas [Army of the Holy War], and the effects of the war on both Iranian and Ottoman society. Volume IV pertains to the wars on the Iraqi and Caucasian fronts; the author’s second journey to Istanbul; the events he’d witnessed during his journey; the political, social, cultural and economic environment of Istanbul during the war years; the collapse of the Qajar dynasty; and Reza Shah’s rise to power. The work also has a chapter on the veil being abolished in Iran.
As mentioned above, although information is found about Istanbul throughout Devletabadi’s voluminous work, Volumes III and IV in particular are the subject of this article as they are largely based on the author’s observations and impressions during his stay in Istanbul. In this context, the work conveys to the reader in great detail Abdul Hamid’s retreat to Yıldız Palace, the Hafiye organization, the conflicts the Young Turks and the Union and Progress Party had with the palace, the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy, the elections, the establishment of a parliament, the 31st of March Incident, the arrival of the Movement Army in Istanbul, the assassination attempt on Abdul Hamid II, his succession and exile to Thessaloniki, the accession of Mehmet Reşat V to the throne and his coronation ceremony, the coming to power of the Committee of Union and Progress, and the political conflicts, intrigues, and assassinations that made up these events.
Yahya Devletabadi also provided information about various aspects of the city on the occasion of the political events that constitute the main subject of the work and drew a picture of the Istanbul of that day. In this context, he gave information about the districts of Istanbul, places to see such as mosques and museums, and transportation in the city. In addition, he provides information about the social and economic situation of Istanbul during World War I and compared it to European cities.
