African Studies
The First Active-duty Diplomat of the Ottoman Empire in South Africa: Ohannes Majakyan Bey (1867-1941)
Güney Afrika’daki İlk Muvazzaf Osmanlı Başkonsolosu: Ohannes Majakyan Bey (1867-1941)
The first active-duty diplomat of the Ottoman Empire in South Africa, Ohannes Majakyan Bey, showed how an Ottoman diplomat of Armenian origin can successfully represent the last Turkish-Islamic empire in his diplomatic services. Of course, it was the Ottoman Empire that gave him this confidence ; however, adaptation of Armenian minorities to the state was also about the loyality of Armenians, whom was called Millet-i Sadiqa in the Ottoman society. The donations that Ohannes Majakyan Bey collected from South African Muslims for the Turkish soldiers who fought against the Italians in the Tripoli War was a manifestation of the respect for the Ottoman Caliphate in Africa. Another important point was here is how a diplomat of Armenian origin properly represented the Ottoman State regardless etnich and religious differences. The activities of Ohannes Majakyan, which were reflected in the newspaper headlines in South Africa, were best examples of serving his country with a merit-based approach above the Armenian identity. The Ottoman Empire took advantage of the non-Muslim diplomats like Ohannes Majakyan Bey, who served in the Sub-Saharan region, and rewarded him repeatedly. This paper aims to enlight the activities of Ouannes Majakyan Bey in the light of the archival documents in Turkey and South Africa.
Osmanlı Devleti'nin Güney Afrika'daki ilk muvazzaf diplomatı Ohannes Majakyan Bey, diplomatik hizmetlerinin yanı sıra Ermeni kökenli bir vatandaşın Türk-İslam imparatorluğunu temsil ederken ne kadar başarılı olabileceğini göstermiştir. Ohannes Bey’in Güney Afrika’da özellikle Balkan Savaşları’nda Osmanlı ordusu adına müslümanlardan ve hatta yahudilerden topladığı yardımlar Osmanlılık fikriyatının belki en müşahhas tezahürlerindendir. Ohannes Majakyan Bey’in Trablusgarp Savaşı’nda İtalyanlara karşı savaşan Türk ordusu için Güney Afrika müslümanlarından topladığı bağışlar Afrika’da Osmanlı Hilafet makamına duyulan saygının bir tezahürüdür. Ohannes Majakyan Bey’in Güney Afrika’da gazete manşetlerine yansıyan bu faaliyetleri onun Ermeni kimliğine değil liyakat esaslı bir yaklaşımla ülkesine hizmet ettiğinin en iyi örneklerinden biriydi. Osmanlı Devleti Sahra Altı’nda görev yapan ilk muvazzaf diplomatı Ohannes Majakyan Bey’den fevkelade yararlanmış ve onu hizmetlerinden ötürü defaatle mükafatlandırmıştı. Bu çalışmada Sahra-Altı Afrika’da Osmanlı bayrağını dalgalandıran ve bir diplomasi örneği veren Osmanlı Devleti’nin bir diplomatının faaliyetleri Güney Afrika ve Osmanlı arşiv belgeleri ışığında ele alınacaktır.
Copyright (c) 2022 Dr. Halim Gençoğlu
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Article Information
- Article Type African Studies
- Submitted July 24, 2022
- Published August 14, 2022
- Issue No. 2 (2022): TSBS Proceedings Journal
- Section African Studies
Gencoglu, Halim. “The First Active-Duty Diplomat of the Ottoman Empire in South Africa: Ohannes Majakyan Bey (1867-1941)”. TSBS Proceedings Journal 2 (August 14, 2022). https://doi.org/10.55709/TSBSBildirilerDergisi.2.170
