With the cooperation of Tirana Yunus Emre Institute and Turkish Alumni Association (TUMED), a talk on "Those Who Left Traces from Bukhara to the Balkans" was held with the participation of Assoc. Prof. Oğuzhan Aydın.

The event, hosted by the Institute on December 17, 2022, was attended by Tirana Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Ömer Osman Demirbaş, Director of Turkish Maarif Foundation in Albania Mesut Özbaysar, Counsellor for Religious Services at the Turkish Embassy in Tirana Adem Gerlegiz, researchers, writers and students.

"WE BECAME YUNUS EMRE IN ANATOLIA, AND SARI SALTUK IN THE BALKANS"

Explaining that they came to Anatolia with the love, education and culture they received from Bukhara and with the Alperens raised by Ahmed Yesevi, Aydın said: "We became Yunus Emre in Anatolia and Sarı Saltuk in the Balkans. We created a line from Bukhara to the Balkans. These are our great sons, our pioneers, who left us fundamental values. Justice, mercy and decency are at the top of these values."

"WE ARE ONE, WE ARE TOGETHER AND WE WILL WALK TOWARDS THE FUTURE TOGETHER"

Pointing out that there are common names from Turkey and Albania in the figures who embodied justice, mercy and decency, Aydın continued:

"The most important person connecting Albania to Turkey and Turkey to Turkestan is undoubtedly Mehmet Akif Ersoy. Mehmet Akif Ersoy's father was Albanian and his mother was from Bukharan, while he himself was Turkish. Şemsettin Sami is Albanian but he is originally Turkish. He wrote Kamus-ı Turki, our greatest dictionary. Yahya Kemal Bey is from Ussuk but he wrote the most beautiful poems of Turkish and Turkey Turks. They are those who left traces. Today, these spiritual guides and poets remind us: 'We are the wing of an eagle and the son of a father. Although we come from different states, we are one, we are together and we will walk towards the future together."