In the early years of the Turkish Republic, Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver served as Minister of Education (Maarif Vekilliği) and was the legendary orator of the Turkish Hearths (Türk Ocakları)... Those who knew him remember his passionate speeches and his role in the acceptance of the Independence March in Parliament. But how many know that at the root of this family lay a personal drama—one that unfolded in a town now within the borders of Greece and was one of history's most controversial events?
A Family in the Heart of Morea
Hamdullah Suphi's grandfather, Abdurrahman Sami Paşa, was born in 1794 in Tripoli (modern-day Tripoli), one of the important cities of Morea. His father Ahmed Necib Efendi was a prominent religious scholar in the city. Young Abdurrahman received an excellent education there; it is reported that he learned Arabic, Persian, French, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. In other words, the family belonged to a rooted and cultured milieu in Morea.
1821: The Fall of Tripoli
The Greek Uprising that began in 1821 turned Morea into a battlefield. After a siege lasting months, the rebels under the leadership of Theodoros Kolokotronis captured Tripoli on September 23, 1821. The city was home to tens of thousands of civilians: Turks, Albanians, Jews, and a small number of Greeks. The fall of the city was followed by days that went down in history literature as the Tripoli Massacre. Historians give different figures for the death toll; estimates range from thousands to tens of thousands. The majority of the city's Muslim and Jewish population perished in these days.
It was in this chaos that Abdurrahman Sami and his family were taken captive. According to the account of diplomat and historian Bilal N. Şimşir, the family was able to purchase their freedom by paying a substantial ransom and managed to flee Morea to Egypt.
Rebirth in Egypt
Abdurrahman Sami reached Egypt around 1823 (according to some sources, 1825) after being freed from captivity. However, his brothers Baki and Hayrullah remained as hostages in Tripoli. In Egypt, Sami entered the service of Mehmed Ali Paşa of Kavala and quickly became one of the important figures in Egypt's bureaucracy. When Mehmed Ali's son Ibrahim Paşa was tasked with suppressing the Uprising in Morea, Sami went with him and rescued his brothers. He spent approximately twenty-five years in Egypt, holding positions such as director of the Bulak Printing Press, and in 1831 became one of Mehmed Ali's principal assistants with the rank of mirhliva.
Years later, returning to Ottoman service, Abdurrahman Sami Paşa became the first Minister of Education of the Ottoman Ministry of Education established in 1857. Thus, a family's bond with education formed a bridge, as it were, between grandfather and grandson.
The Memory of a Dynasty
Hamdullah Suphi's father, Abdüllatif Subhi Paşa, also served as Minister of Education; his uncle Sami Paşazade Sezai was among the renowned writers of Tanzimat literature. This family carried a memory spanning from Morea to Istanbul, and from there to the founding cadres of the Republic. Hamdullah Suphi's later interest in Gagauz Turks as ambassador to Romania can be read as a reflection of this deep "Rumelian memory."
For similar family histories spanning the Balkans to Anatolia, you may also wish to look at our article on the traces of the 1821 Greek Uprising hidden in the names of Athens' neighborhoods.
A Family's Rumelian Memory
The story of the Tanrıöver family is, in essence, a small example of the migration and trauma memory of an entire generation. After 1821, a vast population movement occurred from Morea and then from all parts of the Balkans toward Anatolia. These waves of migration carried not only possessions but also stories, sorrows, and the longing for lands they would never see again. Members of an educated, multilingual family like Abdurrahman Sami Paşa carried this memory to the highest ranks of Ottoman and Republican bureaucracy.
When one looks at Hamdullah Suphi's life, the traces of this "Rumelian memory" are clearly visible. As head of the Turkish Hearths, he played a role in shaping nationalist thought; he served an important function in the reading and acceptance of the Independence March in Parliament. Later, during his years of service as ambassador to Romania (Bucharest), he took a keen interest in the Gagauz community, which lived in the Balkans and spoke Turkish; he worked toward their education and cultural ties.
Thus, the grandson of a family that was ransomed from captivity in Morea, a century later, was working to forge bonds with a Turkish community in the Balkans once again. History sometimes creates such cycles. A family's memory travels across geographies and generations and resurfaces in unexpected ways. This line stretching from Tripoli to Istanbul and from there to Bucharest is far more than a personal story.
This account is a powerful example of how history's great events actually unfold through the lives of single families and individuals. A child ransomed from massacre, years later becomes the man who established an empire's education system; his grandson then shapes the cultural life of a new republic. A story that begins in the streets of Tripoli continues in the corridors of Istanbul and Ankara. This is why history is made not only of dates and wars, but of such human narratives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Abdurrahman Sami Paşa?
Born in Tripoli in 1794, he was an Ottoman statesman, grandfather of Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, and the Ottoman Empire's first Minister of Education.
How did the family escape the massacre?
According to the account of Bilal N. Şimşir, the family purchased their freedom by paying a substantial ransom and managed to flee Morea to Egypt.
Where is Tripoli today?
Today known as Tripoli, it is located in the interior of the Morea (Peloponnese) peninsula in Greece.
Note: The death toll of the events and some dates vary according to sources; the account here is based on historical scholarship and the work of Bilal N. Şimşir.
