Turkey, UNESCO work to introduce wise men from Anatolia

KIRSEHIR, Turkey

Turkey and UNESCO are working together in a bid to introduce the wise men from Anatolia, with various activities planned both in Turkey and abroad.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Selahattin Ekicioglu, the mayor of central Kirsehir province, praised UNESCO’s cooperation to introduce the philosophers from Anatolia.

"We are very happy that UNESCO declared 2021 as the year of Ahi Evran, Yunus Emre and Haci Bektas ... We will hold meetings, panel discussions and symposiums in Turkey and abroad. We will make our best in 2021 to introduce these three wise men," he said.

In 2019, UNESCO included Ahi Evran Veli, a Turkish philosopher and the founder Ahi-order, and other philosophers Haci Bektas Veli and Yunus Emre, in its 2020-2021 program for the celebration of anniversaries.

Ekicioglu also recalled that Kirsehir is the only city from Turkey that was added to UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in 2019 and it is home to the shrines of Ahi Evran and Yunus Emre.

Emphasizing that the city has come to the forefront worldwide in terms of both culture and art, the mayor said that they organized different events in the field of music last year.

He said local municipalities established a committee as part of promotion efforts. They will especially endeavor to keep the teachings of these philosophers alive when the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down, Ekicioglu added.

*Writing by Burak Dag