The Story of Arif Erten

Despite knowing Mr. Arif Erten, the founding president of Transbosphor Maritime Transport Industry and Trade Inc. and Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism, Travel and Trade Inc., very well as a member of the Shipowners and Agents Association, I somehow had not recorded any details about his life.

He was an extremely humble personality who was not often seen around. The studies I conducted on this subject have been published in separate sections over time. However, as new information and photographs have been sent over time, I have prepared this work for publication in its final form.

He was 99 years old at the time of his death!

As days and weeks passed, I saw that the unknowns were being revealed thanks to the extensive interests of Recep Düzgit, Yusuf Çakır, Dr. Akif Akça, Ali Can, Yıldız Erten, the Principal of the Yıldız Erten Kindergarten, and Handan Derya, who had previously served as the principal of this school. I thank them and all those who showed interest. Mr. Mehmet Arif Erten was a very special person in his personal life as well.

In recent years, he had gone to the USA for open-heart surgery and returned to Turkey after the operation. I must recount a memory; the Soviet Union had collapsed, and the new Russian Republic had been established. In those early months, when Mehmet Arif Erten and İhsan Tezcan were invited to the Russian Consulate in Beyoğlu by Captain Umar Abbasov, they invited me as well. We were taken one by one through the iron-gated door on the street and entered the consulate building after passing through the courtyard. We were taken to a fairly large amphitheater-style hall on the second floor.

In my mind, it remains as if everywhere was covered in marble... I was just a curious listener. I understood that Maritime Transport Industry & Trade Ltd. - Transbosphor Maritime Transport Industry and Trade Inc. was nearing the end of its life. In this meeting, Bumerang and Morflot were formed with equal shares. The Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism, Travel and Trade Inc., established in 1984, celebrated its establishment with an invitation held at the Istanbul Hilton Hotel.

Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism, Travel and Trade Inc. would cease its commercial activities in 2008.

It was March 2019...

On March 11, 2019, early in the morning, Mr. Arif Erten, the founder and owner of Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism, Travel and Trade Inc. and Transbosphor Maritime Transport Industry and Trade Inc., passed away. Ali Can, who had been Mr. Arif Erten's assistant and driver for many years, called Recep Düzgit and announced the death of Mr. Arif Erten. It was still early morning... Salim Düzgit's phone rang. The caller was Ali Can, who had been Mr. Arif Erten's assistant and driver for a quarter of a century. "Uncle Salim, Mr. Arif has passed away... May he rest in peace..." he said. Mr. Arif had stated that he wanted his funeral to be held at the Zeytinburnu Merkez Efendi Mosque... The founder of this mosque was Merkez Efendi - Mevlevi Musa Muslihuddin. The humble life and charitable nature of Mehmet Arif Erten gain value with the connection to Mevlevi. Arif Erten lived with a Mevlevi attitude. He was always humble.

His funeral was held on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, after the noon prayer at Zeytinburnu Merkez Efendi Mosque, and he was buried next to his mother, Emine Hanım, in the Merkez Efendi Family Cemetery.

In the cemetery surrounding the Merkez Efendi Tomb and Mosque in the Merkezefendi neighborhood of Zeytinburnu, there were also the graves of Reşika and Fahriye, daughters of Erzincanlı Tahiroğlu Hakkı.

Ali Can, who had been by his side since 1969, bid farewell to his great friend Mr. Arif Erten from the grave of his Erzincan mother, Emine Hanım. His father's name was "Mehmet" as the second name in the population registry. This was a tradition before the surname law, and he was recorded as "Mehmet Arif Erten" instead of "Mehmetzâde Arif."

Through my research, I reached records belonging to his mother and father; the family was from Erzincan. His mother was Emine, daughter of Tatar Osman Ağa (1884-1962), and his father was Ali Rızaoğlu Mehmet from Erzurum. After the announcement of the Family Surname Law, the family adopted the surname "Erten," which means "when the morning sun rises."

Although there is no definitive information on this, there is information that a branch of the family migrated to Maraş Elbistan many years ago. (Source: Arif Bilgin)

Mehmet Arif Erten's mother, Emine Erten, was born in Erzincan in 1884. She passed away in Istanbul in 1962 and was laid to rest in Zeytinburnu Merkez Efendi Family Cemetery. His son, Mehmet Arif Erten, was born in 1920 in Erzincan and was laid to rest in 2019 in the grave near his mother's tomb in Merkez Efendi Family Cemetery.

He was 99 years old at the time of his death... H. Mehmet Erten, to whom Atatürk gave the surname "Erten," was born in Elbistan in 1886. He was the son of Hatice Hanım from the Kürklü Mehmet Efendi and Sofular family. He married Feleknaz Hanım, daughter of the prominent family Nakipzâde Mehmet Ağa from Elbistan, and they had two daughters named Lütfiye and Makbule.

Since he had no male children, he showed great ingratitude by leaving his wife and two daughters behind in their home and settled in Istanbul, where he met and married Muazzez Hanım in a social gathering. They had no children from this marriage.

H. Mehmet Erten moved his residence to Istanbul in 1952 and passed away in Istanbul on March 27, 1953. (Mehmet Arif Erten also had two marriages and had no children from his second marriage.) His grave is in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. There is no further information about the kinship ties between Rızaoğlu Mehmet Erten and H. Mehmet Erten.

Arif Erten later remarried Yıldız Erten. It is seen that Mrs. Yıldız's family initially lived in Kadıköy Kızıltoprak. Her mother was Asiye, and her father was Mehmet Sait. She was born in Istanbul on January 13, 1926. According to this information, Yıldız Erten was four years younger than her husband, Arif Erten. She passed away before her husband. Her grave is in Ortaköy Cemetery. Arif Erten's son from his first marriage is Ali Erten.

Handan Derya, who served as the Principal of Yıldız Erten Kindergarten, stated that she has very valuable memories and testimonies and said: "I knew them for about twenty years, and our friendship lasted for years. They lived on the top floor of the Environment Apartment in Balmumcu and were extremely humble people. Yıldız Erten dedicated her life to the needy, the poor, and the education of children. She would go to the Darülaceze almost every month, chat with the elderly in need of help, bring assistance, and even cut the nails of some needy women. She wanted children to receive good and healthy education from their kindergarten years. For this reason, she adopted the school, originally named Gülbahar Kindergarten in 1. Levent, and ensured that it provided much more effective educational services through a foundation.

After the death of Mr. Arif Erten, I believe that the companies Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism, Travel and Trade Inc. in Karaköy were transferred to Mr. Ali Erten. In addition to his activities in the Turkish maritime trade world, he also made investments in health issues. Among these, he was a founding partner of Medmar, located near the American Hospital in Nişantaşı. I believe that the Medmar company in Nişantaşı was also transferred to his son, Mr. Ali Erten, after the death of Mr. Arif Erten. General Staff Chief İsmail Hakkı Karadayı, who graduated from the Military Academy in 1953, was from a class younger than him, and their friendship continued for many years. He would visit Arif Erten at his home in Balmumcu.

Arif Erten generated very high revenues with the companies he established, Transbosphore and Bumerang, and was among the top taxpayers of corporate tax in Istanbul for many years.

During the days I was working on this study, I had not yet been able to reach Mr. Ali Erten. I hope it will be possible to reach Mr. Ali Erten as well. Additionally, Ali Can, who had been his driver for many years, witnessed many events. Ali Can, who still resides in Tarabya, comes from a family from the Black Sea region. After serving in the navy, he started working with Mr. Arif Erten in 1969 and was always by his side.

In 1984, Arif Erten was sixth on the list of the highest corporate tax payers, and there were two ship agencies on the list of the highest corporate tax payers; the second-largest tax record holder, Alexandr Dabkoviç, came from a Yugoslav family. During the years of World War II, especially while his father was working with the Yugoslav shipping companies they represented, he faced serious difficulties. One of these companies was "H. Pakuriç Ship Agency."

The passenger/freight ship named Lovcen, represented by this agency, made stops at Istanbul, Constanța, Piraeus, Corfu, Albania, Dalmatia coast docks, Dalmatia, Trieste, Venice, and Susak. From 1982 to 1989, it was consistently among the top tax record holders.

He graduated from the Military Academy as an "Artillery Officer."

In 1953, he took on various and some special duties with the rank of Captain. One of these was the task of welcoming some Turkish soldiers who had been captured by North Korean troops in Kunuri in Istanbul.

He was present as a Reception Representative at Yeşilköy Airport. In the same reception, U.S. Colonel Ellis Blake and Major George Lovegoy were representatives. Arif Erten served as the aide-de-camp to Chief of General Staff General Cemal Gürsel. In later years, he resigned from his service in the Armed Forces.

He first worked at a refrigerator manufacturing factory in Kağıthane. He then started working at a customs brokerage in Şişhane. Thus, it became possible to get to know the ship agencies in Karaköy. It was Deputy Prime Minister Sadi Koçaş who called Arif Erten to duty for the representation of Soviet trade ships.

Arif Erten and Sadi Koçaş were also friends from Kuleli Military High School. Sadi Koçaş retired with the rank of Colonel in 1961. In 1962, he was appointed as a quota senator by President Cemal Gürsel and was elected as a Konya deputy from the Republican People's Party in 1969. In 1971, after the March 12 memorandum, he served as Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister in the Nihat Erim government.

By choosing his military friend Arif Erten as a name to represent Soviet trade ships from Turkey, Sadi Koçaş provided both a name he could trust and opened a different path for Arif Erten.

After that time, Arif Erten unexpectedly began to work towards becoming a shipping agent, despite having no prior experience...

Ali Can stated, "Mr. Arif Erten was an incredibly disciplined person. Those who knew him would ask me how I could work within such discipline..." His life always maintained a mystery. He advised his employees not to be afraid of Soviet sailors and to establish friendships with them. He was not often seen and led an extremely humble life.

Together with his wife, Yıldız Hanım, he quietly established foundations for the education and health of young people, such as a health and education foundation. Additionally, they brought a kindergarten to life under this foundation and provided scholarships.

I was having difficulty reaching the "Arif-Yıldız Erten Health and Education Foundation Economic Enterprise." I learned that the existing phone numbers belonged to Dr. Akif Akça. Dr. Akif Akça, who served as president from 1999 to 2014, is currently the Deputy Chief Physician of the Istanbul Leprosy and Venereal Diseases Hospital in Bakırköy. I thank him; although the information was very limited, he provided valuable information over the phone.

However, he had no photographs of Arif Erten and Yıldız Erten. He said that there might be passport photos in the notary records of the foundation deed.

He sent these to me via email. Thus, we managed to obtain a photograph belonging to Mrs. Yıldız Erten. According to the deed dated December 13, 1989, from the 5th Notary of Beyoğlu, based on the population registry number 929418, issued by the Taksim Population Administration on March 17, 1958; registered in Istanbul, Kadıköy, Kızıltoprak, Volume 33, Page 110, Registry 109, the son of Rıza born from Emine in Erzincan on 1336 (1930) is Mehmet Arif Erten, and according to the population registry number 929419/0-53282, issued by the Taksim Population Administration on March 17, 1958; registered in Istanbul, Kadıköy, Kızıltoprak, Volume 33, Page 110, Registry 15, Şükriye Yıldız Erten, born from Asiye in Istanbul on January 13, 1926, applied to request the drafting of the foundation deed.

Thus, the "Arif-Yıldız Erten Health and Education Foundation Economic Enterprise" became official. This foundation is located in the foundation building of Bezmiâlem Foundation University on Fevzi Paşa Street near Fatih Mosque.

Why was this foundation established in Fatih?

In contrast, there is a "Yıldız Erten Kindergarten" on Sümbül Street in 1. Levent, which is affiliated with this foundation. What is the reason behind the extension from Fatih to 1. Levent? Were they living in 1. Levent? Then, how was the area around Fatih Mosque and Fevzi Paşa Street chosen? Upon investigation, I also discovered that they lived in the Şafak Apartment in Levent.

His humility, desire to help children's education, and the assistance of his wife, Yıldız Erten, to the needy, elderly, disabled people, and abandoned orphans who needed care at Darülaceze were all influenced by a profound spiritual belief.

Salim Düzgit, who knew Mr. Arif Erten from many years ago and had partnered with him, narrated and said: "As a Bosphorus agency, I worked with almost all shipping agencies. The person who has never left my mind and has a unique place in my career advancement was Mr. Constantin Miloviç. He was incredibly knowledgeable and wanted both himself and the person he worked with to succeed.

If I were to name them, the shipping agencies I knew and worked with centered around Galata and Eminönü were as follows; Alex Dabcovich, Italico, Theo Reppen, Van der Zee, Madam Scembri, Telemak Alexandridis, Constantino Milovich, Edrintio, Triton, Captain Kuves, Siskidis, Demetrius John Zervoudakis, Teflamba, De Marki, Olivier, Laurent Reboul, Gabriel Couteaux, a very successful Anglo-Levantine brokerage firm Gilchrist Walker, Schult, Comptoir Maritime George Besi, Jacob Lupovitz, Irina Pantgazidis, Menuelidis, Hayri Araboğlu, İhsan Berkin, Kayhan Berkin, Eustathopoulo, Şark Ekspres. The founders of Şark Ekspres were Costa Schoneff, Niko Palavidis, and Bernard Stamboli. They came from the Constantin Milovich agency. The Jan Akavi family's house was on one of the streets next to Saint Joseph High School in Kadıköy, Bahariye (Cevizlik) neighborhood.

His brother Josef was also born in this house in 1919, and his other brother Robert later became a lawyer in France.

The shipping agency for Soviet Socialist Republic ships founded by Arif Erten, Transbosphore Maritime Transport Industry & Trade S.A.-Transbosphore Denizcilik Nakliyat Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ and Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism Travel and Trade AŞ, initially had Ahmet Koral as the general manager. Later, İhsan Tezcan became the general manager.

In this company, Captain Oumar Abbasov, Vladimir V. Ivakhniouk, Captain Y. Tuğsal Ateşalp, and Captain Mehmet Tuğcu all served as general managers and assistants. Bumerang Ship Agency Tourism Travel and Trade AŞ was located at No. 21A, Veli Alemdar Han, Kemankaş Kara Mustafa Paşa Street, Karaköy. It was located on the left at the entrance of Veli Alemdar Han.

The founder of Berkin Ship Agency was İhsan Berkin. After his death, his son Kayhan Berkin took over this agency. "They represented Romline. It was on the top floor of Frank Han towards Salıpazarı. The Dabcovich shipping agency was on the third floor of the same inn. When I met this agency, Alex Dabcovich was in charge. He was an incredibly knowledgeable person and I believe he spoke nine different languages fluently. Madam Schembri was an extremely capable lady who knew her subjects very well. She did her job perfectly among the agencies as a woman.

I would also like to mention Arif Erten; he was a 50% partner with Marflot and lived almost like an emperor with the Transbosphore company during the Soviet Union era for thirty-five years. One day, he borrowed 60,000 lira from Kemal Özgen. However, Mr. Arif concluded that there was profit in this business based on the fact that a seemingly small Bosphorus agency owner could lend such money and suggested establishing a separate company with İsmail Esen to do

Source: SeaNews Türkiye