Sibel Hurtas
Translated by Sibel Utku Bila
Earlier this month, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
brought up an intriguing issue about Mimar Sinan, the 16th-century chief
architect of the Ottoman Empire, whose ethnic roots have long been the
subject of debate. In an infamous episode in the 1930s, the great
master’s skull was exhumed from his grave for measurements intended to
prove he was Turkish. Davutoglu said the skull had gone missing and he
had ordered an investigation to hunt it down.
