Ziya Gökalp's Intellectual Heritage is Kept Alive with an Exhibition at the National Library on His 150th Anniversary

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy inaugurated the "Treasures of the National Library: Ziya Gökalp Exhibition" held at the National Library on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Ziya Gökalp's birth.

Speaking at the program held at the National Library, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that exceptional figures who guide nations during critical periods of history are the bearers of national identity and memory. Emphasizing that Ziya Gökalp was one of the leading names in Turkish intellectual, literary, and cultural life during the process extending from the late Ottoman period to Republican Turkey, Ersoy stated that Gökalp made significant contributions to the state philosophy of the newly established Republic through the synthesis he established between national culture and contemporary civilization.

Recalling that within the scope of the 150th anniversary of his birth, his work titled "To Be a Turk, To Be a Muslim, To Be Modern" was previously published in five different dialects of Turkish—namely Uzbek, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Kyrgyz, and Turkmen—Ersoy noted that this time, an exhibition prepared by the General Directorate of Libraries and Publications was brought together with visitors. Consisting of five main sections, the exhibition showcases a wide collection ranging from Gökalp's poems to his intellectual writings, first editions, photographs, documents, newspaper reflections, and archival documents.