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“Ve mâ rameyte iz rameyte ve lakinnallahe rama”“When you shoot an arrow, it is not you, but Allahwho shot it”. (Enfâl 17).The Ottoman Empire which had a rightful glory at thepeak of the Turkish Islamic civilisation, never compromisedaesthetics, not even on battle fields. This aesthetical pointof view had such a deep influence in all aspects of life thateven arrows and bows which were considered as weaponswere produced with utmost care, actually with muchmore care than the works of art today.Actually, archery is a culture which dates back to very earlyages. In the light of archeological findings, it is known thatarrows and bows are as ancient and important as horsesand tents for the Turkish tribes who lived in the steps ofAsia. 1 Being a unique tool not only for hunting, but alsofor fighting and sports, the bow and arrow never had alower status in our culture until firearms were invented.Since it was dominant in not only the Ottoman Civilisation,but also the Egyptian, Hitit, Japanese and Roman cultureand civilisation, archery has been considered by some ethnologistsas important as the discovery of fire. 2 Due to thisimportance and convenience of arrows and bows, theyhad a sacrosanct status in the Turkish army. So much so,that jannisaries insisted on shooting arrows even after theentry of the firearms into the Turkish army. This was notbigotry, though, since firearms were able to be fired onlytwice in a minute while a jannisary could shoot 30 arrowsat the same time.It is not arrow or bow which makes one shoot his target,but it is the voice calling out “Ya Hakk!”Contrary to the common opinion in our day, bow and arrowwere not tools used in battle fields only. They are theproducts of a culture that the “quiver” has stored throughoutcenturies. It is known that archery, which also gaineda religious status after Turks joined the circle of Islam, wasthe main theme of more than 40 hadiths by Prophet Muhammed.In fact, the haditth which can be translated as“Arrow shooting is better than supererogatory worshipping”has carried archery out of battlefields, making it a partof sports, arts and worshipping. Also, the hadiths “Anyonewho gives, receives and shoots an arrow goes to heaven”has strengthened the artistic and decorative features oftools such as arrows, bows, quivers and thumb rings.From Sa’d bin Ebi Vakkas to Archer Necmettin OkyayA very well-known event… During the battle of Uhud,Sa’d bin Ebi Vakkas shoots an arrow by Prophet Muhammed’sside, with an unprecented speed. He is sofast that Prophet Muhammed who takes the arrows outfrom the quiver and gives them to Ebi Vakkas, can nothelp but say the following: “Shoot o’sa’d! My mom andmy dad are worth the sacrifice for you.” This ideom expressesutmost pleasure, submission and sympathy forthe one who it is said to, and with this praise of ProphetMuhammed, Sa’d bin Ebi Vakkas was considered as themaster of all arrow shooters.With such great supports and encouragements, archerysurvives up to the last century, until Necmettin Okyay,reaching maturity both in functionality, and in elegancedue to various artistic ornamentations. Necmettin Efendilearned archery from Seyfeddin Efendi, who was thelast one to record his name to the accounts of archers.Seyfeddin Efendi, who is considered as the last representativesof masters like Tozkoparan Ismail, whoseshooting record has still not been broken, and SeyhHamdullaah, the Sheikh of archers, Seyfeddin Efendidelivered this art to Necmettin Okyay so effectivelythat this treasure is recorded as his when NecmettinEfendi received the surname Okyay. CalledHezarfen (the master of 1000 sciences) since headvanced in lots of arts, Necmettin Efendi raisedmany students in all the arts he was the master of,but archery, having to be the last ring of the cainthe past of which dates back to centuries ago.When Mr. Okyay in his old age was asked whythis was the case, his students tell that he fell intotears. And when he passes away, a bow, arrowsand an ancient culture is left behind.Turkish Archery is Born Out of Its AshesHaving an 80-year interregnum after NecmettinOkyay’s death, the traditional archery began tobecome popular again especially after 2000. Researchon the history of archery, the production ofarchery tools with adherance to the tradition, andthe translation of the works regarding archery intoTurkish gave enthusiasm to those who are interestedin archery. Especially the translation of the workcalled Telhîs-i Resâilât-i Rumât by Mustafa Kânî Bey,one of the servants of the archer Sultan Mahmudthe 2nd made it inevitable for “Ya Hakk” chantingsto rise on the hills of Istanbul that are still green. 3So must Adnan Mehel and his friends have felt, becausethey have been interested in the traditionalTurkish archery since 2005. Rolling up his sleaves bynot being opsessed with the phrase “This is whatthey done in the past”, Mr. Mehel thought “This is ourduty. We have to produce all the tools used in archerywithh loyality to their originals, and we have to usethem”. And began his research. Doing a lot of researchand reading, Mr. Mehel came to the conclusion that wehave a sui generis culture in archery which dates back to3000s BC, and placed this duty into the center of his lifein 2005 although he is actually a lawyer. Saying “The spellof archery influenced me so deeply that I could never giveup later”, he even learned Russian after 40 in order to godown to the point where the Turkish culture and archeryfirst conjoined.75