Konya Hosts First International Symposium on Seljuk Civilization

The first edition of the “International Symposium on Seljuk Civilization” is being held in Konya, hosted by Konya Metropolitan Municipality in collaboration with Necmettin Erbakan University, Selçuk University, KTO Karatay University, and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

Speaking at the event held at the Metropolitan Municipality’s Taş Bina Culture and Arts Center, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Küçükdağ, Head of the Department of History at KTO Karatay University’s Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, emphasized that Konya’s role as the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State is a significant advantage for the city.

“This advantage is evident in many aspects of life. When we walk through the city and around Alaaddin Hill, we feel as though we are living in the 13th and 14th centuries. That is a remarkable privilege. Konya also holds an equally important position in terms of cultural heritage,” he said.

A long-term symposium program has been planned to encourage more comprehensive international academic research on the Seljuk State—the founder of Turkish-Islamic civilization in Anatolia—in fields such as history, geography, social life, diplomacy, literature, science, and military organization. The initiative also aims to increase scholarly publications on these subjects and strengthen global awareness of Seljuk civilization.

Within this framework, the first edition of the “International Symposium on Seljuk Civilization,” a series expected to continue for 20 years and to be held every two years, was hosted by Konya.

Organized under the theme “Politics, Diplomacy, and Intelligence in the Seljuk Era,” the symposium brings together national and international scholars with the goal of deepening understanding of the Seljuk legacy and ensuring its transmission to future generations.