Educational cooperation between Uskudar University and Iran

Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “We are two branches of the same roots.”

A training cooperation protocol was signed between Uskudar University Institute of Sufi Studies and the Cultural Attaché of Iran's Istanbul Consulate General. Speaking at the protocol signing ceremony held online, Uskudar University Founding President Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “We are two branches of same roots. We should live together without destroying our differences. In order to ensure and increase the study of works written in Persian in the field of Sufism, it is aimed to carry out studies on teaching Persian with a joint protocol. Within the scope of the protocol, Persian lessons included in the curriculum of the graduate programs of the Institute for Sufi Studies will be given by the Saadi Institute, the international language teaching and culture center of Iran.

At the protocol signing ceremony held online via the ZOOM platform, the founding president of Uskudar University, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Javad Maboudi Far, Consul General of Iran in Istanbul, Cultural Attaché of the Consul General of Iran in Istanbul, and representative of the Saadi Foundation in Istanbul Kourosh Muktederi and Vice President of the Saadi Foundation Prof. Dr. Reza Morad Sahraei, additionally Dr. Meraj Niknam, Director of Education at the Saadi Foundation's representative office in Istanbul, and Dr. Mehdi Metin Cavid, advisor to the Consulate General of Iran in Istanbul, as well as Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Director of the Institute of Sufism Studies at Uskudar University, Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Sufism Studies, Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören and faculty members of the institute attended also.

Prof. Dr. Tarhan's genealogy based on “Emirnebizadeler”

Founding President Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that Muslim geographies are trying to be opposed to each other and that they should act in common against enemies. Speaking at the ceremony, Tarhan also touched on the story of the nine meters and three-centimeter-long genealogy found in their home, saying, “The genealogy on the roof of the house was in a leather sheath. Then, in 2017, I had Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akgunduz, an expert in reading genealogies, examine this genealogy and the story of the genealogy came out. In the genealogy, we saw that our ancestry is based on Emirnebizadeler. After uncovering the story of this genealogy, we sent it to the Topkapi Palace to be examined. It is currently forbidden to carry the genealogy abroad”.

“We want to teach Persian to our youth.”

Expressing that Persian has great importance in Sufism, Prof. Dr. Tarhan continued his words as follows:

“We know that Persian has settled in our culture. Because we are two branches of the same roots. There is a motto in Anatolia. Sibling fight is like boatman fight. I watch fights in the Muslim world, it's always a brotherhood fight like that. The whole world is playing tricks on us and trying to turn us against each other. We need to act with our collective aspects against them. We must coexist without destroying our dissimilarities. That's why we want to teach Persian to our youth. Despite young people want to get away, we want to teach and explain this culture to them. As universities, we are institutions trying to yield culture. After cultures come together, we can realize other collaborations as well. We are pleased to cooperate with you not only for cultural but also to exchange in many other subjects”.

Javad Maboudi Far: “This cooperation is very important for the continuation of cultural studies.”

Javad Maboudi Far, Consul General of Iran in Istanbul, said that cooperation is very important for cultural exchanges. Maboudi Far said, “I remembered the importance of Persian Language Literature, the Divan Literature, and the Ottoman Literature. We have six thousand common words between Turkish and Persian. Most of our students learn Persian to access resources. This effort of Uskudar University Institute for Sufi Studies to examine further studies in Persian makes us very happy. Five universities have a Farsi department. I hope this deal will lead to a good start. This cooperation is very important for us as a part of our cultural sharing."

Kourosh Muktaderi: “We are ready to cooperate with universities”

Iran-Istanbul Cultural Attaché Kourosh Muktaderi also stated that they are always ready to cooperate with universities; “I express my thanks for this protocol ceremony. As Iranian Cultural Attachés, we are ready to cooperate with universities. We are ready to carry out this cooperation with Uskudar University further and to undertake important works”.

“Our language will become much stronger with this cooperation.”

Drawing attention to the importance of Persian in the field of Sufi education, Prof. Dr. Reshat Ongoren pointed out that they need three languages as mother tongue in academic studies and said, “These languages are Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and Persian. In the field of Sufism, the language area we feel the most deficient in is Persian. In order to learn and develop Persian, we have more limited opportunities than in other fields. Thanks to this cooperation, the Persian language education of the Institute for Sufi Studies will become much stronger”.

Prof. Dr. Reza Morad Sahraei: “Our international Persian teaching system consists of 7 levels.”

Saadi Foundation Vice President Prof. Sahraei made a presentation about the work of the Saadi Institute, an international Persian language teaching and culture center. He gave detailed information on standard language teaching systems based on 7 levels developed by the Saadi Institute. Professor Sahraei, who is very warm to the request of the lecturers of the Institute of Sufi Studies to direct workshops on the reading of classical texts in Persian, stated that they can bring the academicians from Tehran and they can bring the institute with online courses together remotely.

Dr. Meraj Niknam, Director of Education at the Istanbul Representative Office of the Saadi Foundation, which is teaching Persian courses initiated in the fall semester of 2019-2020 at the Institute of Sufism Studies, said that students who completed two levels of Persian courses that can be taken after Ottoman Turkish courses have reached above the intermediate level in Persian. Students who take their courses on credit will also be eligible to be certified by the Saadi Institute at the above-middle level.

During the talks, Dr. Mehdi Metin Cavid, Advisor to the Consulate General of Iran in Istanbul, also gave goodwill messages regarding cooperation.  

 Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, director of the Institute of Sufism Studies, added that this cooperation protocol is an important step for the institute and that all units of Uskudar University are supportive in this process.

Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA)