In a previous entry I mentioned of Dick Osseman, a pen friend of mine (as he calls ourselves) from the Netherlands who regularly visits Turkey. Dick's photographs can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/dosseman, where he has posted thousands of photos. Some of the photos, which he took for me in Urfa in September of 2005, are available at http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/churches (Urfa churches turned into mosques).


Photo: Dick Osseman in western Armenia with Mount Ararat in the background

He has also taken photos of Armenian churches in Diyarbakir (http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/september2005), Trabizon, etc. Dick is not going to Turkey to take the photos of the Armenian churches, though. He does not seem to be in love with Armenians and their culture, but I am grateful to him for his help.

In the intro of the photos of Urfa churches, Dick writes:

I had received several messages from an Armenian (now living in America) who informed me about the history of his people and of his family in several places that I showed on my site. We became pen friends and I promised him that I would try and find a particular mosque, that formerly was a church, in Şanlıurfa. I did so during a September 2005 stay. In the neighbourhood nearby I found another, and in my mind more spectacular, former church. I here show these two buildings rather extensively, because they are fine specimens and people will want to see them.

However, I urge viewers not to start a kind of discussion that I have seen flare up on several occasions. Trust me, I have read the books, I know the stories. But I “just” want to show pictures to people who may never be able to visit these places to start with. So hold you horses and just look, right? The pictures are dedicated to “Simon the Armenian” without whom I would never taken all that trouble.

As for texts that I usually add to the pictures: I will travel to Turkey in two days, and I have a very busy day ahead of me. So that will have to wait until later. As will some other texts that I promised.

Thank you, Dick.