FROM THE KNOSSOS EXCAVATIONS TO THE RAID OF THE SUBLIME PORTE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC NARRATION BY BAHAETTİN RAHMİ BEDİZ

Chania and Halepa, CreteSalt

Foto Behaeddin, Crete

Bahaettin Rahmi Bediz, one of the prominent Muslim photographers of the nineteenth-century Crete, witnessed many political upheavals including the 1896 Cretan uprising, the Balkan and World wars, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, and the population exchange between Turkey and Greece.

A woman from Messara in local clothing, Heraklion, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Marketplace in Mires, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Armiro, Heraklion, CreteSalt

Bediz was born in Istanbul in 1875. He attended schools in Istanbul and Crete due to his father İbrahim Rahmi Efendi’s civil service appointments in both towns. Following his father’s death, twenty-year-old Bediz dropped out of Mekteb-i Sultânî (Galatasaray High School) and moved to Crete. His interest in photography is believed to have begun by chance when he was once asked to take a photograph of a group who came to his stationery shop in Heraklion.

Rogdia, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Chania Gate, Heraklion, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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The English Camp in Heraklion, Crete, 1906/07Salt

Bediz’s career is divided into four distinct periods. Between 1896 and 1909, he photographed Crete and published around 200 postcards. Fluent in French, he followed European publications related to his profession, and acquired equipment from Paris, London, and Vienna. Bediz also contributed to the development of photography on the island by organizing contest.

The minaret of Gazi Huseyin Pasha Mosque, Rethymno, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Community School in Sitia, Crete, 1906, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Sublime Porte demonstration of Young Turks who overthrew the government, 1913 (L’Illustration)Salt

Resne Photograph Studio, Istanbul

In 1909, due to ongoing severe conflicts on the island, he moved back to Istanbul, and opened a studio called Resne across the Sublime Porte on the historical peninsula.

Alumni from the Ottoman University’s Department of Literature, Istanbul, 1912 (Şehbal), Provenant de la collection : Salt
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A gathering including Ali Ziya Kocainan, Istanbul, 1922, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Emin Abide, employee of the Ottoman Bank’s Central Branch, 1922, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Rıza Halis Bey, employee of the Ottoman Bank’s Central Branch, 1923, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Izmir Girls’ High SchoolSalt

Resne Photograph Studio, Izmir

In 1927, he moved to Izmir, where he was commissioned by various museums as a private photographer, and participated in a number of archeological excavations during the following nine years. From 1936 to 1948, he continued his career in Ankara, working for various institutions such as the Turkish Historical Society and the Ulus Publishing House.

A Seljuk minaret, Bergama, Izmir, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Kızılçullu Aqueduct, Izmir, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Cover ornament of a book in Tire Library, Izmir, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Aphrodisias Ancient City, Aydın, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Aphrodisias Ancient City, the Temple of Aphrodite, Aydın, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Akhisar Misak-ı Milli Elementary School, Manisa, 1928, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Knossos Ancient City, Heraklion, CreteSalt

Bediz left many historical photographs behind, as well as an unpublished book on the theory and practice of photography, when he died in Istanbul in 1951. These photographs in SALT Research collections not only provide clues on his personal journey, but also constitute significant documents revealing socio-political aspects of the time.

The arrival of the new cabinet at the Sublime Porte, 1913 (L’Illustration), Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Neopoli, Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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The opening ceremony of the Bravery Memorial Cannon, Istanbul, 1916, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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A peasant family in Crete, Provenant de la collection : Salt
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Crédits : histoire

“From the Knossos Excavations to the Raid of the Sublime Porte: A Photographic Narration by Bahaettin Rahmi Bediz” constitutes part of a larger presentation “Out of the archive,” which took place at SALT Galata in 2017.

The images featured in this presentation are compiled from SALT Research collections.

Researcher: Melis Cankara, SALT Research and Programs

Source: Seyit Ali Ak, Fotoğraf ve Kartpostallarıyla Girit’ten İstanbul’a Bahaettin Rahmi Bediz - Beyaz Atlı Fotoğrafçı, 1875-1951, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2004.

Crédits : tous les supports
Il peut arriver que l'histoire présentée ait été créée par un tiers indépendant et qu'elle ne reflète pas toujours la ligne directrice des institutions, répertoriées ci-dessous, qui ont fourni le contenu.