High Participation in the Opening Session

The opening session of the symposium, held at the İsmail Çetişli Conference Hall of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pamukkale University (PAU), was attended by PAU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ersan ÖZ, Denizli Director of Youth Services Dr. Hasan Sarı, Denizli Youth Center Director Ömer Yasin Kocalar, Vice Deans of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Ercan Haytoğlu and Dr. Lecturer Zeynep Erdoğan Yıldırım, Head of the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literatures Prof. Dr. Nergis Biray, Pamukkale Youth and Sports Director Burak Şevket Aktaş, as well as many academic and administrative staff, students, and guests.

Prior to the opening session of the symposium, an art exhibition prepared by Pamukkale Youth Center was inaugurated. Following the opening, a folk dance performance prepared by students of the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literatures was presented.

The opening session of the symposium began with a one-minute moment of silence in memory of the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and all martyrs, followed by the singing of the Turkish National Anthem. Speaking at the opening session, Vice Rector Öz stated that they were proud as a university to host young Turkology scholars from various regions of the Turkic World within the scope of this symposium, and emphasized that PAU would continue to organize such symposiums to increase academic cooperation among the Turkic World. Denizli Director of Youth Services Sarı expressed their satisfaction with supporting an international symposium attended by young Turkology scholars and wished the symposium to be productive and successful. Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Haytoğlu stated that they were honored to host a symposium reflecting the spirit of the congress on the 100th anniversary of the 1st Baku Turkology Congress. Head of the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literatures Biray stated that they would continue to increase academic cooperation and build cultural bridges among the Turkic World through both scientific studies and scientific and cultural events.

Before moving on to the scientific sessions, a special section was dedicated to folk songs, one of the strongest symbols of our culture. The folk songs, described as “the memory of a nation,” were presented to the participants through a performance by Burhan Himmetli and Derya Atmaca Kocabıyık.

Opening Panel Addressed Turkology Studies on the 100th Anniversary of the Baku Turkology Congress

Following the opening speeches, the program continued with the opening panel chaired by Prof. Dr. Nergis Biray, Head of the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literatures. In the opening panel, Prof. Dr. Erol Sakallı from Uşak University, Associate Professor Erhan Solmaz, Associate Professor Esra Gül Keskin, and Dr. Lecturer Önder Sezer participated as speakers. The panel evaluated the current state of Turkology studies in the Turkic world in terms of language, alphabet, and cultural policies on the 100th anniversary of the Baku Turkology Congress, and presented suggestions and opinions for future studies.

Following the opening program, papers were presented in face-to-face sessions within the scope of the symposium. The symposium continued with online sessions held on April 22. A total of 60 young Turkologists from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan participated in the symposium.