On December 18th (Wednesday), 2024, the Oriental Philology study program at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Tetova organized an event to celebrate December 21st – Turkish Education Day.
This date also coincides with December 18th – the World Arabic Language Day. It should also be noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Tetova and the 15th anniversary of the foundation of the study program of Oriental Philology.
The event was attended by the Vice-Rector for Education, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Neziri, the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Prof. Dr. Ibish Kadriu, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Skopje, Fatih Ulusoy, the General Director of Halkbank Skopje, Dr. Bilal Sucubaşı, the Director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Skopje, Arif Konak, the Rector of the Balkan International University, Prof. Dr. Lytfi Sunar, the Head of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University, Prof. Dr. Osman Emin. The event also included the doyen of Oriental studies in Kosovo and North Macedonia, Prof. Dr. Ismail Ahmedi and Prof. Dr. Abdulla Hamiti.
The program was opened by the Head of the study program of Oriental Philology, Prof. Dr. Sulejman Baki, who emphasized that since its establishment, 162 students have graduated, including 27 master’s students and 5 PhD holders. The majority of the graduates are from North Macedonia, with a large portion from the cities of Štip, Radoviš, and Strumica, while some graduates are from Kosovo, the Preševo Valley, and the Republic of Turkey. Prof. Dr. Sulejman Baki mentioned that he took on the role of head of the study program two months ago and, on this occasion, expressed his gratitude to Prof. Dr. Adnan Ismaili, who has led the department since its foundation and has made an extraordinary contribution. He also thanked the professors and the leadership of the Faculty of Philosophy for their trust.
On behalf of the Faculty of Philosophy, the welcoming speech was given by the Vice Dean for Science, Prof. Dr. Musa Musai, who congratulated everyone on the anniversary and praised all the lecturers of the Oriental Philology program.
In his speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Skopje, Fatih Ulusoy, emphasized that “The departments of Turkology in the major universities of North Macedonia have a significant task in ensuring the proper understanding of the Turkish language, culture, and literature, presenting them to the academic community, and transmitting them to new generations”.
The second part of the program was the scientific panel on the topic “Poetic Personalities of Our Civilization: Mevlana, Mehmed Akif Ersoy, and Yahya Kemal Beyatlı,” moderated by Asst. Prof. Dr. Gurkan Moralı, with speakers Prof. Dr. Metin Izeti, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Samsakçı, and Dr. Eljesa Ismaili.
At the end of the program, the speakers were presented with certificates of appreciation on behalf of the study program, while special plaques were given to the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Skopje, Fatih Ulusoy, Prof. Dr. Ismail Ahmedi, Prof. Dr. Abdulla Hamiti, and Prof. Dr. Adnan Ismaili, and also was commemorated Prof. Dr. Mehdi Polisi, one of the doyens of Oriental Philology in Kosovo and North Macedonia.
The program concluded with an artistic performance prepared and performed by the students of the study program Oriental Philology of the department of Turkish Language and Literature, featuring two poems by Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, as well as a musical performance.
