Kayseri Deputy Murat Cahit Cıngı Shared the Story of the First Turkish Folk Song Magazine Dating Back to 1896

AK Party Kayseri Deputy Murat Cıngı shed light on Kayseri's deep-rooted history and cultural heritage through a post on his social media account. Cıngı recounted the story of the book Anatol Türküleri, compiled in 1896 by Stavros Stavridis from the village of Zincidere, which holds the distinction of being the first Turkish folk song magazine.

Cultural Heritage and the Story of the Book

AK Party Kayseri Deputy Murat Cahit Cıngı stated that Stavros Stavridis from Kayseri's Zincidere village worked with great dedication in 1896 to prevent melodies passed down by word of mouth in Anatolia from perishing. Stavridis gathered a total of 126 Turkish folk songs by listening to them from different individuals and comparing them.

Technical Features of the Work

Printed at the printing house of the Anatoli Newspaper in Istanbul, the 144-page work titled Anatol Türküleri passed into history as the first Turkish folk song compilation. The post emphasized that one of the most striking details of the work was that the language of the book was Turkish while its letters were Greek.

Cooperative Effort and Subscriber Support

This special work carried the cultural world of the Turkish-speaking Orthodox community living in and around Zincidere to the present day. It was noted that the last 21 pages of the book included the names and hometowns of 540 subscribers who provided financial support for the printing of the work, reflecting a collective community effort to embrace the book.

Popular Works in Memories

It was stated that the compilation includes popular works that still maintain their freshness in memories today. Cıngı mentioned pieces such as Altın Tasta Gül Kuruttum, Tophane'den Tütün Aldım Yüz Dirhem, Şu Samsun'un Çeşmeleri, and Bir Kızın Gelin Olması.