Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “We are two branches of the same root.”
Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies and the Cultural Counsellor's Office of the Iranian Consulate General in Istanbul signed an educational collaboration protocol. Speaking at the online protocol signing ceremony, Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “We are two branches of the same root. We must live together without destroying our differences.” The collaboration aims to study Persian-language works in the field of Sufism and conduct studies on teaching Persian. Within the scope of the protocol, Persian language courses included in the curriculum of the Institute of Sufi Studies’ graduate programs will be taught by Iran's international language teaching and culture center, Saadi Institute.
The online protocol signing ceremony, held via the ZOOM platform, was attended by Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Iranian Consul General in Istanbul Javad Maboudi Far, Iranian-Istanbul Cultural Attaché and Saadi Foundation Istanbul Representative Kourosh Muktederi, and Saadi Foundation Vice President Dr. Reza Morad Sahraei, as well as Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies Director Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Institute of Sufi Studies Deputy Director Prof. Dr. Emine Yeniterzi, Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören, and institute lecturers.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan’s Genealogy Tracing Back to Emirnebizades
Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that Muslim geographies are being pitted against each other and emphasized the need to act with common ground against enemies. In his speech at the ceremony, Tarhan also touched upon the story of the nine-meter three-centimeter genealogy found in his home, saying, “The genealogy was in a leather case on the roof of the house. Later, in 2017, I had this genealogy examined by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akgündüz, an expert in reading genealogies, and the story of the genealogy came to light. We saw that our lineage traces back to the Emirnebizades. After discovering the story of this genealogy, we sent it to Topkapı Palace for examination. Currently, it is forbidden to take the genealogy out of the country.”
“We want to teach Persian to our youth.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing the great importance of Persian in Sufism, continued his words as follows:
“We know that Persian has settled into our culture. Because we are two branches of the same root. There is a saying in Anatolia: a sibling quarrel is like a boatman’s quarrel. When I look at the conflicts in the Muslim world, they are always like sibling quarrels. The whole world is playing games with us and trying to pit us against each other. We need to act with our commonalities against them. We must live together without destroying our differences. That is why we want to teach Persian to our youth. Despite those who want to distance themselves from the youth, we want to teach and explain this culture to them. As a university, we are institutions that strive to produce culture. Once cultures come together, we can also realize other collaborations. We are pleased to collaborate with you not only for culture but also for exchanges on many other issues.”
Javad Maboudi Far: “This collaboration is very important for the continuation of cultural studies”
Iranian Consul General in Istanbul Javad Maboudi Far stated that the collaboration is very important for cultural exchanges. Maboudi Far said, “I recalled the importance of Persian Language and Literature, Divan Literature, and Ottoman Literature. There are six thousand common words between Turkish and Persian. Most of our students learn Persian to access sources. We are very happy that the Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies has also started preparing for Persian courses. There are currently five universities with Persian departments. I hope this agreement will lead to a beautiful beginning. This collaboration is very important for us for the continuation of our cultural exchanges.”
Kourosh Muktaderi: “We are ready to collaborate with universities”
Iranian-Istanbul Cultural Attaché Kourosh Muktaderi also stated that they are always ready to collaborate with universities; “I extend my thanks for this protocol ceremony. As Iranian Cultural Attachés, we are ready to engage in such collaborations with universities. We are ready to take this collaboration with Üsküdar University further and undertake significant projects,” he said.
“With this collaboration, our language will become much stronger”
Prof. Dr. Reşat Öngören, drawing attention to the importance of Persian in Sufi education, pointed out that they feel the need for three languages as if they were native languages: “These languages are Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and Persian. The language area we feel the most need for in the field of Sufism is Persian. Persian is more limited for us compared to other areas. Thanks to this collaboration, the language of the Institute of Sufi Studies will become much stronger,” he said.
Prof. Dr. Reza Morad Sahraei: “Our international Persian language teaching system consists of 7 levels”
Saadi Foundation Vice President Prof. Sahraei gave a presentation on the work of the Saadi Institute, an international Persian language teaching and cultural center. He provided detailed information about the 7-level standard language teaching systems developed by the Saadi Institute. Prof. Sahraei also warmly responded to the request from the Institute of Sufi Studies faculty members for workshops on reading classical Persian texts, stating that they could connect the institute with academics from Tehran through remote online lessons.
Dr. Meraj Niknam, Education Director of the Saadi Foundation's Istanbul representation, which has been providing Persian language courses started in the 2019-2020 Fall Semester at the Institute of Sufi Studies, stated that students who completed two levels of Persian courses, which can be taken after Ottoman Turkish courses, have reached above an intermediate level in Persian. Students taking these courses for credit will also be entitled to receive a certificate at an above-intermediate level from the Saadi Institute.
During the discussions, Dr. Mehdi Metin Cavid, Advisor to the Iranian Consulate General in Istanbul, also conveyed messages of goodwill regarding the collaboration.
Prof. Dr. Elif Erhan, Director of the Institute of Sufi Studies, added that this collaboration protocol is an important step for the institute and that all units of Üsküdar University have provided support throughout this process.