UNESCO declares 2016 as Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and Fuad Köprülü Year

After UNESCO announced the 2016-2017 season as Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and Fuad Köprülü Year, the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) began preparations to commemorate Köprülü, the historian, Turcologist, politician and literary researcher, with various activities. The chairman of the TTK, Associate Professor Refik Turan, explained to Anadolu Agency the significance of Köprülü as a man of science and politics in the history of Turkey.

Turan said it was crucial that UNESCO declared 2016 as Fuad Köprülü and Khoja Ahmed Yasawi year – on the 850th anniversary of his death – in order to remind people of the importance of the man and introduce these two valuable men to new generations, Turan added. "Köprülü was the first man to introduce Yasawi, who is a leading name in Turkish culture and social history, to modern Turkish history with his book, ‘First Sufi Mystics in Turkish Literature,' " added Turan.

Köprülü was an important name in Turkish history who has been a huge influence on researchers in the Republican years and he is one of the first historians that gets introduced to history students. Turan underlined that the respect and regard for Köprülü is due to his genius in social sciences.

Köprülü finished his first book, "First Sufi Mystics in Turkish Literature," at the age of 28, by which time he already had the ability and knowledge to complete such an important work. He started researching at the age of 18, which given the circumstances around those times was no easy task, Turan highlighted the fact that Köprülü was not only a historian but also an important literary name, sociologist, solicitor and economist, and that he even researched the "First Minstrels in Turkish Literature," and added, "I've never seen such diverse knowledge in another Turkish historian."

Along with his literary works, Köprülü also published a legal journal called "Journal of Law," and left behind more than 500 important works and was considered a leading name by both historians and literary researchers.

Köprülü stood out among other social scientists of his time because he was the first historian who could refute the West's claims regarding Turkish history at conferences he attended abroad, thus introducing a more accurate vision of Turkish history. Turan said Köprülü, who received the title of ordinary professor, was mostly known more for being a politician than a social scientist in Anatolia and his political life started in the Republican People's Party (CHP) and continued with the Democratic Party (DP). In the various activities the TTK is organizing next year, under the title of "Leading Names in Turkish Historical Research," there will books published, symposiums and conferences organized, along with various activities in celebration of Turkish history. "Historians, their works, research and the respect shown to various leading names in Turkish history research will be presented in detail," added Turan. Along with Köprülü, ordinary professor and the founder of the TTK, Mükrimin Halil Yinanç, and historian and Turcologist Zeki Velidi Togan are other names to be included in the commemoration of important Turkish historians. With this project, which was first presented by UNESCO's Turkish National Commission and accepted by Administrative Affairs, Budget, Human Resources and Foreign Affairs (APX) Commission, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi will be remembered on the 850th anniversary of his death and Fuad Köprülü on the 50th anniversary of his death.