As part of the activities commemorating the 103rd Anniversary of the Adoption of the National Anthem and the 109th Anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Victory, the Faculty of Education at Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKÜ) organized a conference program with the theme ‘The Essence of the Turk, the Words of Akif.’
The event, which began at the HKÜ Law Amphitheater with a Moment of Silence for our Martyrs and the recitation of our National Anthem, followed by the screening of the documentary ‘Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the Martyrs of Çanakkale,’ prepared by TRT, was attended by HKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Şener Büyüköztürk, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Administrative, and Social Sciences (FEASS) Prof. Dr. Hanifi Aslan, Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at FEASS Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Keser, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Sakine Hakkoymaz from the Department of Primary Education, faculty members, and students.
During the program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Keser, Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at FEASS, delivered a presentation titled ‘Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the Spirit of Çanakkale.’ He stated, ‘Our national poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who penned our National Anthem dedicated to our heroic army, and Colonel Mustafa Kemal, who wrote the entire picture of victory into words as the hero of Anafartalar in the Çanakkale battles, have become synonymous. The fact that the writing of our National Anthem by Mehmet Akif and the Çanakkale Naval Victory both occurred in March, close to each other, is a pleasant coincidence in history. With this in mind, we prepared an integrated conference presentation this year.’
After sharing excerpts from the life of our Independence Poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the events surrounding the writing of the National Anthem, and significant observations about the Çanakkale Naval Victory, Dr. Ahmet Keser was presented with a gift by HKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli. At the end of the program, copies of Mehmet Akif Ersoy’s book ‘Safahat’ were presented as gifts to the students.
