CC BY
9ART STUDIES
INTERCULTURAL INTERACTION ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE HISTORY OF MARMARIS AND
RHODES
Masliakova A.
Researcher, Galway University (Ireland) DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7275869
Abstract
The importance of intercultural communication is difficult to underestimate. Not only does it facilitate the cultural development of the parties participating in it, but it also contributes to the preservation of the ancient heritage giving the new generations an opportunity to admire and appreciate the beauty of the past. Keywords: intercultural, interaction, art history, preservation.
It is a well-known fact that after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Byzantine became a new cultural center of the World. And I quite agree with Judith Herrin who in her book called "The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire" says that "without Byzantium there would have been no Europe" [1, p. 323]. However, there were many factors affecting the stability of its development. Suffice it to mention numerous crusades against the infidels combining pilgrimage with territorial occupation [1, p. 259]. So much so that during the Fourth Crusade, which took place from 1202 until 1204, the Latins besieged Constantinople, - instead of attacking the Muslims from Egypt, as was initially planned, - captured it, and thus destroyed the spirit of Christian adventure inspired by Pope Urban II's sermon at Clermont [1, p. 265]. As an excuse for their burning the icons and desecrating the churches of the greatest Christian metropolis they argued that the Byzantine Empire was "treacherous, doomed, effeminate, somehow repugnant, and disobedient to Rome" [1, p. 267] alluding in particular to the Byzantine policy of maintaining diplomatic relations with the Muslim caliphs and Turkish emirs enabling them to avoid war and maintain peace [1, p. 261]. And I must say that the Byzantine style of international negotiations seems much more efficient than the modern way of resolving conflicts.
During the period between the recovery of Constantinople from the Latins in 1261 and its fall in 1453 Byzantine leaders were very much preoccupied with the question of the union of the Christian churches [1, p. 299]. The majority of the Byzantines wanted support, not subordination, yet that was easier said than done. And although the Act of Union was finally acclaimed on 6 July 1439, as a result of which the churches were formally united in one faith, it did not last long for the Byzantines remained fully committed to what they understood to be Orthodox. In other words, they preferred to maintain their own theology under the Ottoman rule than to suffer union with the Church of Rome and Western rule [1, p. 309].
The development of Ottoman power, in its own turn, took place over many centuries in continuous interaction with Byzantium. That is to say, the long period of rivalry led to mutual influence; and as the former expanded and grew stronger, the latter shrank and became weaker [1, p. 314]. So it is no surprise that there are many well-preserved ancient buildings located on
the territory of the present-day Türkiye, for instance, the Library of Celsus in Ephesus (see Fig. 1.), or the Market Gate of Miletus that was excavated and transferred to Berlin in 1908 (see Fig. 2.). And although I was immensely impressed by the Gate exhibited at the Pergamon Museum, I am virtually certain that nothing could compare with admiring an ancient structure in the context of a landscape where it was originally constructed. Be as it may, many scientists agree that every place has its own memories, and when you repeat the same actions that many have done before you at the very same spot where those activities used to take place - enter the Library of Celsus or sit on the steps of the Ephesus Theatre - something magical happens; the Genius of the Place reveals you His secrets, and you become an initiate, as it were [2]. By the way, Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the City of Rome, are also in some sense connected with the history of Türkiye, namely, the archeological site of Troy, consisting of nine major layers, is located in Hissarlik, and the twin-brothers raised by a she-wolf are descendants of Aeneas and thus are Trojans, too.
Moreover, as we move further into the 21st century, the intercultural interactions become more and more complex. For example, the Marmaris Castle was reconstructed and widened by Suleiman the Magnificent during his campaign for the Greek island of Rhodes in 1522 (see Fig. 7.). Whereas the Palace of Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes was rebuilt during the Italian reign to accommodate the higher living standards of the time (see Fig. 6.). In 1937 twenty-seven mosaics were removed from the floors of Cos to take on the new function of flooring in the halls of an ancient building of Rhodes (see Fig. 5.). And it should be noted that the mosaic floors were taken only from civil buildings, perhaps in respect to the sanctity of the holy places. In the Palace the mosaics were laid like carpets on new marble floors, with additions, collages and pastiches which modified the originals according to the taste of the last patron and ignoring the ancient syntax. Let us note in passing, that due to the Italian artist Hermes Balducci, who drew the mosaics of Cos from 1935-1937, we have a unique opportunity to see what those mosaic looked like before their removal. The warp and weft of the tesserae and the marble slabs squares are reproduced in miniature, while the missing ornament is softly sketched out to give some idea of what it looked like before it was ruined. Furthermore,
continuing the theme of intercultural communication, the Dolphin sculpture at Mandraki harbor corresponds to the Dolphin Park in Marmaris offering dolphin therapy to those coping with psychological traumas. Not to mention numerous cats thriving both in Marmaris and in Rhodes (see Fig. 3.). And for me the latter is a very special place where simple "thank you" sounds like a prayer reminding of the Eucharist - "euxaptcxra" ("ef-charistó"). On the other hand, the time spent in Mar-maris changed my attitude towards the Muslims completely, for when I listened to the Muslim call to prayer at the Grand Bazaar, I was very much impressed by the mesmerizing beauty of the music.
Last but not least, the fate of the Knights Hospitaller also contributed to the complexity of the intercultural communications. After the extinction of the Kingdom of Jerusalem with the fall of Acre in 1291, they sought refuge in the Kingdom of Cyprus, lived on Rhodes from 1310 till 1522, where they built the Palace mentioned above, were forced by the Ottoman Empire to leave their land and move to Malta. And what is
more, their wanderings did not end there for, after Napoleon's invasion of Malta during his Egyptian expedition of 1798, they arrived in Russia where the Emperor Paul I offered them protection. And in St. Petersburg there are many places connected with their memory, such as, for example, the Maltese Chapel, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, situated near the Vorontsov Palace where the representatives of the Maltese Order used to live.
Unfortunately, many ancient masterpieces have been damaged throughout the course of history - the Colossus of Rhodes collapsed during the earthquake of 226 BC, the important part of the Marmaris Castle was destroyed during World War I by a French warship, the Church of the Burgh on Rhodes, built by the Knights of Hospitaller, was damaged from bombing during the World War II (see Fig. 4.), and only one column has been left from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Yet it seems to me that it is our duty to preserve their memory for the future generations since as long as there are caring people, there is hope for us.
Fig. 1. The Market Gate of Miletus, the Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
Fig. 2. the Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Türkiye.
Fig. 3. Cat resting at the City of Ephesus, Türkiye.
Fig. 5. Mosaic with two dolphins flanking trident (the middle of the 3rd century).
Fig. 7. The Marmaris Castle, Türkiye.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This article is dedicated to the memory of the late Marina Radoslavovna Chernaya and Alexander Ser-afimovich Scriabin.
References
1. Herrin, J. "The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire". Penguin Random House UK, 2008.
2. Masliakova A.I. (2022). The Idea of Memory in the Context of "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Interactive Science, 7(72), 25-27. doi:10.21661/r-557183.
