Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi (Jan 2017)
Turkic World as to the Letters of an Emigrant Uzbek Turk - Abdülvahap Oktay and His Letters
Abstract
Since the late 19th century, especially after both the world wars and Russian Revolution, Turkestanis and other Turks in Russia emigrated to Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East for various reasons. They organized their own communities and kept in touch with each other. This paper focuses on the activities of Abdülvahap Oktay, a Turkestani (or Uzbek) émigré during the 1940s and 1950s. Oktay was educated in Germany and his importance among Turkestani émigrés was maintained even after his emigration to Turkey. The correspondence between Oktay and his friends/colleagues, which was incidentally found by this author, illustrates his contacts within and outside the community. Oktay’s publication is one of the subjects. For example, a Turkestani emigrant to Adana mentioned in his letter the journal Türkistan (1953), with which Oktay engaged. Another important subject is the last days of Ayaz Đshaki, who was leader of the Volga-Ural Turks and passed away in July, 1954. One letter explains the process of electing a new leader. This letter also describes the international anti-Soviet meetings in Munich, in which Oktay participated as a Turkestani delegate in 1958. According to a letter to his wife and colleague, Oktay kept in touch with Americans in the Turkish Front in accordance with émigré organizations in Idil-Ural, Azerbaijan, among others. In addition, we read about situations of Turks in Finland in letters from his old friends. Although Oktay’s correspondence tells us about the “Turkic World” of émigrés, some struggles existed within their communities.
