To the

symposium; Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Batuhan Mumcu, Former Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koç, Deputy Governor of Nevşehir Ramazan Yıldırım, Kayseri MP Ayşe Böhürler, Ürgüp Kaymakamı Ömer Coşkun, Head of Cappadocia Area Aydın Cem Aslanbay, Trustee of the University of Cappadocia Heheil President Funda F. Aktan, President of Cappadocia University Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar, Rector of Kayseri University Prof. Dr. Kurtuluş Karamustafa, Rector of Erciyes University Prof. Dr. Fatih Altun, Rector of Abdullah Gül University Prof. Dr. Cengiz Yılmaz, Nuh Naci Yazgan University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Fazıl Özsoylu, artist Günseli Kato, Prof. Dr. Iskender Öksuz and Prof. Dr. Cemil Şinsa Türün attended, as well as academics, students and Alatlı's lovers.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Dr. Batuhan Mumcu: “Remembering Alev Alatlı is to keep the cultural memory alive.” Deputy

Minister of Culture and Tourism Dr. Batuhan Mumcu stated in his speech that commemorating Alev Alatlı is not only a gesture, but a will to possess culture, language and depth of thought. Noting that Alev Alatlı was a bachelor who knew the West but did not break from his own roots, studied modernity but did not imitate it, Mumcu stressed that his struggle for intellectual independence and indigenous thought remains relevant today.

Emphasizing that

Alev Alatlı considers culture not an element of the past, but as a fundamental force that establishes the future, Mumcu expressed that his call to “think with understanding” is a guide, especially in the face of information that is becoming superficial in the digital age.

Our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar: “Alev Alatlı was an ally with a direction.” Our

Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar stated in his speech that Alev Alatlı left behind a lasting legacy both with his works and his will to establish a university. Emphasizing that Alev Alatlı's call to “look not at the finger, but in the direction the finger points” points to a direction centered on truth, compassion and human dignity, Karasar said that his struggle for mental independence remains valid today.

Pointing out that

Alev Alatlı is a thinking person who refuses to get stuck in narrow intellectual circles, Karasar said, “Is there anyone there?” He stated that his question was answered all over Anatolia. He stated that the University of Cappadocia's motto “reason, morality, justice, adoration and love” is also an institutional reflection of this intellectual heritage.

Funda F. Aktan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees: “The University of Cappadocia is a counterpart to the intellectual stance of Alev Alatlı.”

Our Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Funda F. Aktan, emphasized in his opening speech that the meaning of the symposium is not only academic, but also a strong vefa dimension. Drawing attention to Alev Alatlı's line of thinking that has centered Turkey throughout his life, Aktan said that his call to “look at the whole” is a guide today

. Aktan stated that

Alev Alatlı considers knowledge not as a force but an area of responsibility, and stated that this ideological stance, shaped by the principles of “reason, morality, justice, decency and love”, was embodied in the University of Cappadocia. Emphasizing that the university was “founded with love”, Aktan said that Alev Alatlı expressed his will to establish a university with the approach “knowledge is power and the source of this power is

universities”.

In the two-day symposium, sessions and talks will be held under the topics of society, identity, power, criticism of enlightenment, indigenous thought and criticism of modernism. Alev Alatlı's works and world of ideas will continue to be addressed with an interdisciplinary approach.

Click here for detailed information about the symposium.