Tarzan of Manisa

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the film, see Tarzan of Manisa (film).
Tarzan Heykeli ("the statue of Tarzan"), statue of Ahmet Bedevi in Manisa
The Topkale ("Gun's castle") the hut on Mount Sipylus where Bedevi lived for 40 years
The old cannon which Bedevi fired daily to signal midday

Tarzan of Manisa (Turkish: Manisa Tarzanı) is a pseudonym of Ahmet bin Carlak (1899, Samarra, Ottoman Empire – 31 May 1963, Manisa, Turkey), a Turkish environmentalist who lived on Mount Sipylus near Manisa, in western Turkey, for 40 years. He is considered the first environmentalist in Turkey,[1] and received his nickname because of his skimpy clothing and his life in contact with nature. Carlak called himself "Ahmet Bedevi" ("the bedouin Ahmet").

Biography

Carlak was born in 1899.

Greek army during the Greco-Turkish War.[2] Struck by the consequences of the fire, Carlak made it his life's goal to reforest the region, single-handedly planting and cultivating innumerable trees on Mount Sipylus.[2][1]

Carlak was noted for his appearance. He ceased trimming his beard in 1924, and started to become known as

Atatürk), and started to take part in public life.[2]

He regularly visited the city, where he stayed at Dede Niyazi's lokanta.[5][2][6] In exchange, Carlak brought a jar of water from the mountain to the restaurant.[2] Sometimes he worked as an auxiliary (firefighter or gardener) for the city administration.[2] In 1933 he may have been hired on the monthly salary of 30 Turkish liras as an assistant gardener.[2]

In 1934, following the showing of the movie The Revenge of Tarzan at the cinemas of Manisa, Carlak was nicknamed Manisa Tarzanı (Tarzan of Manisa).[2] Bearded and bare-chested, Carlak took part in the official victory parades commemorating the revolutionary war, wearing his medal placed on a leaf of an ornamental palm tree that he had tied around his neck.[2]

Carlak was also a mountaineer. Together with members of the local mountaineering club, he climbed

Mevlana's inscription above the door, which said, "Come to me, whatever you are!" and went in.[2]

Carlak never married: however, he allegedly received many love letters over the years which were lost after his death.[9]

Death

Carlak died on May 31, 1963, at the Manisa State Hospital of heart failure. On 1 June 1963, Hürriyet reported on his death with the article "The Tarzan of Manisa is dead".[10] Carlak was buried in the new cemetery ("Asrî Mezarlık") of Manisa, despite his last wish, that he be buried at Topkale.[10]

Legacy

The city of Manisa continues to pay tribute to Carlak. The environment week in the

Aegean city has been named "Manisa Tarzanı Çevre Günleri Haftası". On this occasion, the municipal administration awards the "Tarzan awards". Furthermore, the city has named an elementary school (the "Manisa Tarzanı Ahmet Bedevi İlkokulu") and a boulevard ("Tarzan Bulvarı") named in Carlak's honour. In 2012, a solar energy car developed by students from Celal Bayar University of Manisa was named Manisa Tarzanı .[1]

In the Fatih Parkı of Manisa, a life-size monument representing Carlak has been erected, known as Tarzan Heykeli. Each year, the authorities of Manisa commemorate him on the anniversary of his death, honoring him as a precursor of Turkish environmentalism.[11] In sports, fans of Manisaspor call themselves Tarzanlar ("Tarzans") [12] and, in 2015, a local cross-country skiing event was named Manisa Tarzanı.

Carlak's life has been the subject of several books, and of a 1994 film shot by director Orhan Oğuz entitled

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[15] although later it did not reach the nomination.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Marianne Lavelle (19 May 2012). "A Solar Car Inspired by Manisa's Own Tarzan". National Geographic. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Sunay Akın (3 May 2019). "Manisa Tarzanı" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2 November 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Manisa Tarzanı Biyografisi
  4. ^ "Tarzan ve 'Haşlaklar'". www.manisahayatgazetesi.com (in Turkish). 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. ^ A simple restaurant in Turkey
  6. ^ Naci Yengin (12 February 2019). "Lokantaci Dede Niyazi". www.manisahaberleri.com (in Turkish). Manisa Haberleri. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Torunları tarzan dedelerini unuttular" (in Turkish). Manisahaberleri. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Türkiye'nin İlk Dağcılık kulübü Manisa'da Kuruldu". www.manisahaberleri.com (in Turkish). 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  9. ^ "O bir halk kahramanı!". manisainternethaber.com (in Turkish). 30 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Manisa'nin Tarzan'ı öldü". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 1 June 1963. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Manisa Tarzanı Mezarı Başında Anıldı". ManisaHaber (in Turkish). 31 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  12. ^ www.turkish-football.com Archived 2011-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Umberto Rossi (1995). "Il cinema turco sta male, ma non vuole morire". Cineforum (in Italian). No. 344. p. 18.
  14. ^ Sandra Brennan (2015). "Tarzan of Manisa". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Tarzan of Manisa". www.imdb.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  16. ^ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

Sources

  • Sunay Akın (2005). Onlar Hep Oradaydı (in Turkish). Istanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
  • Bedriye Aksakal (1993). Yeşilin Atası Manisa Tarzanı (in Turkish).
  • "Manisa Tarzanı Ahmet Bedevi Biyografisi". biyografi.info (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 May 2019.
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