Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Ahi Evran Symposium from IMM

İBB organized the 'Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Ahi Evran Symposium'. IMM President, who made the opening speech of the symposium Ekrem İmamoğlu; He emphasized that they took care to act with Yunus's language of tolerance, Hacı Bektaş's philosophy embracing all humanity, and Ahi Evran's understanding of unity and solidarity. Expressing that Ahi Evran's economic predictions also shed light on today, İmamoğlu said, “I find it very valuable to meet with some basic ground statements and concepts that make up philosophy, perhaps beyond today's economic descriptions and theories, when we are most stuck. Especially in today's world, in an environment where everyone says 'I know', I would like to underline that it will be an example of how deep sharing can create wealth. I would like to express that our managers should constantly take lessons from such a depth.”

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Turkish National Commission, “13. Century Sufi Thought and Its Effects on Today: Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Ahi Evran Symposium as the Source of Love, Light and Brotherhood in Anatolia. The opening speech of the symposium to be held on December 4-5 at Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center, IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu made. Emphasizing that 13th century Anatolia resembles a fertile land where virtue, tolerance, peace and solidarity flourish, İmamoğlu said UNESCO's 2021; He underlined that the 750th anniversary of Hacı Bektaş Veli's death, the 700th anniversary of Yunus Emre's death, and the 850th anniversary of Ahi Evran's birth are proofs of this. Pointing out that all 3 names are universal and transcending identities, İmamoğlu said, “In this sense, the 13th century; He brought together Thomas Aquinas, Dante, William of Ockham (William of Ockham) with Yunus, Hacı Bektaş and Ahi Evran. Within this simultaneity, a universal word has been built with the language of peace and brotherhood.”

“WE STAND TOGETHER WITH SAYING AND BREATHING”

Emphasizing that they take Yunus's humanism, Hacı Bektaş's sharing and Ahi Evran's determination as their guides, İmamoğlu stated that as IMM, they try to carry out activities in a wide range from festivals to exhibitions, from publications to symposiums. Reminding that they have provided many support to the Hacı Bektaş district from reconstruction activities to restoration works, İmamoğlu said, “With the support we have given, we have provided support for this holy place to reach the respect it deserves. We held the meeting of brotherhood, humanity and justice enthusiastically at the 'Serçeşme Hünkar Hacı Bektaş Veli Festival', which serves as a bridge between Hacı Bektaş and Istanbul. We stood side by side with words and breaths,” he said.

“OUR ELEMENTS sheds light on us in an environment where EVERYONE SAYS 'I KNOW'”

Sharing the knowledge that with the completion of the restoration works, they will bring the "Museum of Sufi Culture" in Feshane, where valuable works will be exhibited, to Istanbul, İmamoğlu said, "Yunus' language of tolerance, Hacı Bektaş's philosophy that embraces all humanity, Ahi Evran's unity and solidarity at the center. He noted that they took care to act with the understanding of space. Expressing that Ahi Evran's economic predictions also shed light on today, İmamoğlu said:

“When we are most stuck, I find it very valuable to meet with some basic ground statements and concepts that make up philosophy, perhaps beyond today's economic descriptions and theories. I would also like to underline that, especially in today's world, in an environment where everyone says 'I know', it will actually set an example of how much richness sharing can create. We want to experience these beauties of Anatolia once again. At first, it makes us feel that managers like us feel the depth of these lands while they are working, and when they think about going back a few hundred years and working in an environment where a civilization and a culture meet, they will feel much more meticulous, much more attentive and much more diligent. I would like to express that our managers should constantly learn from such a depth.”

“WE ARE WE worthy?”

Emphasizing that we are very lucky to live in a land that has had countless valuable people in this sense, İmamoğlu said, “Are we worthy? Can we justify it? I wonder if we can evaluate the legacy that was conveyed to us or transferred from that period to us today? By asking questions whether we can convey it to the future in a stronger way, by finding the answers in our practices, at the point where we cannot find it or at the point where there are people who cannot express or show this, we show our resistance to this with reason, science and patience, by acting cautiously against those people and meticulously in creating environments that suit the society. I would like to express that it is a must to work with the responsibility of a manager”. “Today, we aim to think and discuss this heritage and historical ground together with our esteemed professors and researchers. Saying "We want to reach the Source of Love, Light and Brotherhood in Anatolia", İmamoğlu concluded his words with Yunus Emre's lines, "Let's meet / Let's make things easy / Let's love, let's be loved / The world will not be left to anyone".

WHAT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE SYMPOSIUM?

In the event; Symposium Organizing Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Bülent Bilmez and IBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat also made speeches. UNESCO Turkey National Commission President Prof. Dr. Öcal Oğuz, on the other hand, made a short presentation by participating in the symposium online. “13. Century Sufi Thought and Its Effects on Today: Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Ahi Evran Symposium as the Source of Love, Light and Brotherhood in Anatolia; The cultural heritage that created Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Ahi Evran, gained a new identity with them and transformed the Anatolian geography over the centuries will be discussed. At the same time, the symposium will shed light on the world of the thirteenth century as part of the 2021 UNESCO Memorial Year. In the organization where researchers from different disciplines will participate, the global context of concepts and people will come to the fore. The thoughts of Ahi Evran, Hacı Bektaş and Yunus Emre, the historical context in which they emerged and their effects on the following centuries will be discussed. The gains that can be made for the 21st century will be discussed.