Within the scope of "Yunus Emre and Turkish Year" activities, International Anatolia's Age of Lore Symposium was hosted by Selçuk University. Within the scope of the symposium, the opening of the painting, poster and graphic exhibition themed "Yunus Emre and Turkish Year" prepared by the Faculty of Fine Arts was also held.

International Anatolia's Age of Lore (XIII - XIVth Centuries) Symposium, organized in cooperation with Selçuk University, Seljuk Research Institute, Institute of Turciyat Studies, Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Seljuk Municipality, Meram Municipality, Karatay Municipality and Writers Union of Turkey Konya Branch, was held at Sultan Alparslan Cultural Center. Konya Technical University (KTUN) Rector Prof. Dr. Babür Özçelik, Writers' Union of Turkey Konya Branch President Ahmet Köseoğlu, academicians and students attended the program.

"KONYA IS ONE OF THE VERY IMPORTANT ACTORS OF NEW TURKEY"

Mustafa İsen, 25th and 26th Term Ak Parti Sakarya Deputy Mustafa İsen, who made the opening speech of the program, said, "Konya played a great role in the transformation of Turkish into a written language. Turkish was born as a written language in Konya region and from this region it has reached a framework that can reach all Anatolia, the Balkans and other geographies where Turkish is spoken. Konya owes this central position to its geography. In the past, it was one of the most active centers of transportation, science and culture. Konya has developed itself again in recent years and will be able to contribute to Turkey again. With its cultural background and universities, Konya is one of the very important actors of the 'New Turkey'. I believe that it will develop this position in a way that will attract even more attention in the future." 

"THE INSTITUTE OF SELJUK STUDIES UNDERTAKES AN IMPORTANT TASK"

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Hacıgökmen, Director of the Institute of Seljuk Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Literature at Selçuk University, said: "The Institute of Seljuk Studies plays an important role in raising young people who will research Seljuk history and civilization in Turkey. We give Arabic and Persian lessons to our students. With the support of our Rector Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, we aimed to train important researchers in this field after a certain period of time. We aimed to train young people who are trained in Seljuk history, archaeology and art, who are dynamic and have developed Arabic and Persian."

"YUNUS EMRE IS AN IMPORTANT VALUE FOR ALL HUMANITY"

Selçuk University Rector Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy said, "The period subject to the symposium, namely the 13th and 14th centuries, is a period of time that stands out with its exceptional importance in the formation of Anatolian Turkish culture. Another issue that is as important as the wars of armies and the heroism of conquerors is the conquest of hearts. The Turks, who came to Anatolia as a manifestation of the Turkish World Dominance Mission, had higher aims than just burning and destroying the land. The Khorasan Eren, who were the servants of these lofty goals, came here by crossing thousands of kilometers to fulfill this mission; they conquered the hearts by assuming a leading role in the guidance of Anatolia and kneaded the dough of Anatolia with the yeast of Turkishness and Islam. It should be known that if Anatolia is a Turkish homeland today, the importance of those heroes and their guidance activities is very important in this. In this context, Yunus Emre, the great poet of Anatolian Sufi literature, who guided humanity with his advice by inculcating values such as conviction, tolerance, generosity, goodness and virtue centuries ago, is an important value for all humanity."

Emphasizing that Yunus Emre, who conveyed the language of love and Turkish Islamic civilization to humanity with his own style and pure Turkish, is a name known and respected in all Turkish geography today, Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy said, "2021 was declared as 'Yunus Emre and Turkish Year' by UNESCO on the 700th anniversary of his death. At the point we have reached today, the world needs more than ever to understand and live Yunus Emre with his unifying and tolerant perspective. In addition, it is necessary to carefully examine and try to understand Yunus Emre's teachings at the point of expressing our traditions and beliefs in our own language. Today, the fact that such an event is being held in our city and our University is not only very pleasing for me personally, but also very appropriate for a city like Konya, which has hosted many of these masters and has played an important role in the formation of Anatolian Turkish culture."

The opening program of the International Anatolian Age of Lore Symposium organized within the scope of "Yunus Emre and Turkish Year" activities ended with a music concert by Selçuk University Dilek Sabancı State Conservatory artists, poems about Yunus Emre recited by Ugandan, Kyrgyzstan and Caucasian students at Selçuk University Turkish Language Teaching Center, and the opening of the "Yunus Emre and Turkish Year" themed painting, poster and graphic exhibition prepared by the Faculty of Fine Arts.