The Turkish presence in Egypt began with the Tulunids in the 9th century, and gained a new dimension with Yavuz Sultan Selim’s “Egyptian Expedition” in the 16th century. During the Ottoman period, the two nations became partners in administrative, financial, social and military terms. Traces of the culture left by the Turks in Egypt are still preserved. There are over twenty Turkology departments in Egyptian universities. While the first representative office of the Yunus Emre Institute in Africa was opened in Cairo in 2010, studies in the field of Turkology are also gaining momentum after the revival of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were suspended due to political developments in Egypt.
MEHMET AKIF ERSOY STARTED
In this context, Egyptian Turkologists came to Turkey last month to examine a 3,300-year-old letter in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The Egyptian Turkology and Cultural Diplomacy Delegation hosted by the Yunus Emre Institute in Turkey includes Turkologists, art historians and academics. Representatives from the delegation drew attention to the fact that Turkish has been taught at Cairo University since 1926, when the poet of the national anthem Mehmet Akif Ersoy was in Egypt, and that Turkology studies have a colorful history in Egypt.
FIRST GRADUATES IN THE 1960s
While Mehmet Akif Ersoy was teaching Turkish at the Faculty of Letters at Cairo University during his years in Egypt, the teaching of Turkish in a more systematic manner began with the opening of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Ayn Shams University. The department, which began accepting its first students in 1954, was initially taught by professors from Al-Azhar University. The department started producing its first graduates in the 1960s. The first Turkish teachers in Egypt were chosen from among these first graduates.
“UMMUL-AL-AKSAM IN EGYPT”
Turkish language students in Egypt take two years of general courses under the umbrella of Eastern Languages, while the last two years are completely in the Turkish language field. Students at Ayn Shams University’s Turkish Language and Literature Department take Turkish courses throughout their education. That is why the Department of Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Letters of Ayn Shams University is called “ümmü’l-aksâm”, meaning “the largest department”.
HERE ARE TURKISH LESSONS
While there is great interest in Turks and Turkish in Egypt, the main courses taught at the undergraduate level are as follows: Turkish Grammar, Turkish Speaking, Turkish-Arabic, Arabic-Turkish Translation Course, Ottoman Turkish, Manuscript Analysis, Divan Literature, Tanzimat Literature, Modern Turkish Literature, Seljuk History, Ottoman History and Turkish Republic History. At the graduate level, “Turkish Language”, “Turkish Literature and Turkish History and Civilization” courses are given.
CONTACT WITH ANATOLIA IS OLD
Mohamed Sarhan, an Egyptian Turkish Artifacts Specialist and academic who visited Turkey, examined a letter written in Akkadian by Naptera, the wife of the Egyptian King Ramses II, to Puduhepa, the wife of the Hittite King Hattusili III. This situation reveals that, beyond Turkish-Arab relations, Anatolia and Egypt have had close relations since ancient times.
IT WAS FOUND IN BOĞAZKÖY
The correspondence between the Egyptian Queen Naptera and the Hittite Queen Puduhepa was found in the Boğazköy archives. In the letter, the Egyptian Queen addresses the Hittite Queen as “my sister.” It is also recorded that gifts such as dresses and gold ornaments were sent from Egypt to the Hittite country.
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