Held as part of November 10 Atatürk Remembrance Day activities, the event examined Atatürk’s passion for reading, the sources that shaped his intellectual outlook, and the works he authored.

The intellectual background, passion for reading, and identity as an author of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk were explored at a Science Café event themed “Atatürk and Books,” organized by the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Science Communication Office as part of November 10 Atatürk Remembrance Day activities.

Held at the OMU Central Library in cooperation with the Atatürk’s Principles and History of the Turkish Revolution Research and Application Center and with the support of the Department of Library and Documentation, the event attracted strong interest from academic and administrative staff, OMU Lifelong Learning University participants, and undergraduate students, who contributed through their questions and comments.

Atatürk’s passion for reading and writing discussed at OMU

Moderated by Burcu Düzgün Çoban, the event featured a presentation by Dr. Nazlı Murzioğlu, a faculty member in the Department of History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Director of the Atatürk’s Principles and History of the Turkish Revolution Research and Application Center.

In her presentation titled “A Future Built Through Reading: Atatürk and Books,” Murzioğlu discussed Atatürk’s deep interest in books and knowledge, together with the sources that shaped his intellectual world, drawing on striking examples.

Lecturer Dr. Ercan Yalçın from the Atatürk’s Principles and History of the Turkish Revolution Research and Application Center delivered a presentation titled “Through the Witness of History and the Pen: Atatürk as an Author.”

Yalçın examined the works written by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk one by one and discussed different dimensions of his identity as an author.

Atatürk photographs and handcrafted works exhibited

As part of the event, an “Exhibition of Atatürk Photographs and Motifs” was opened to visitors in the foyer of the Central Library.

The exhibition, which welcomed hundreds of visitors, featured photographs of Atatürk preserved in the OMU Rector’s Office archives, along with works prepared by students and academics from Samsun Vocational School and Vezirköprü Vocational School.

The Science Café was also attended by Prof. Dr. Rıza Karagöz from the Department of History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Mucize Ünlü from the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Afitap Özdelikara, Director of Vezirköprü Vocational School, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Senem Gürkan, Coordinator of the Lifelong Learning University, and Uğur Donbay, Head of the Department of Library and Documentation.

Science Communication Office Coordinator Lecturer Mürsel Kan and Lecturer Dr. Elif Şevik İnal thanked the participants for their interest and contributions to the event.

Exploring Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s commitment to knowledge, science, and reading from different perspectives, the event concluded following the discussion session and visits to the exhibition.