ABOUT SYMPOSIUM
Izmir, known as Smyrna in ancient times, has been an important settlement centre that stands out with its strategic geographical location and cultural richness throughout history. Archaeological findings show that the history of Izmir dates back to 8000 BC, which reveals that the city has been an uninterrupted settlement throughout human history. Throughout history, Izmir has been under the rule of different civilisations such as the Ionians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Turkish principalities and Ottomans, thus creating a rich cultural heritage. The fact that Izmir is a harbour and a city of trade has led various cultures to flock to the city and leave permanent traces here. Following the division of the Roman Empire into two, Izmir, which remained within the Byzantine borders, gained importance as a religious and cultural centre and was declared the capital among the cities other than Istanbul. The fact that three of the seven churches of the early Christian period are located in Izmir shows how important the city has a place in the history of Christianity.
After the 1071 Battle of Malazgirt, Çaka Bey, who was appointed by Sultan Alparslan for the conquest of Anatolia, established sovereignty in İzmir for a while as a result of his struggles with the Byzantine Empire (1081-1096). However, this rule did not last long, and the city fell back under Byzantine control for about two centuries. Izmir was reconquered in 1310 or 1317 by the Aydinogullari Principality (1308-1426) and in 1390 it came under the Ottoman Empire. However, the coastal part of Izmir was reconquered by Timur in 1402 and remained under Latin rule for 54 years. Finally, Izmir was annexed to the Ottoman Empire by Murat II and remained under Ottoman rule from this period onwards.
Although İzmir has been under Muslim rule since the period of Aydınoğulları Principality, it preserves its heterogeneous cultural structure today by preserving the traces of the pre-Islamic period. Turkish-Islamic culture, which was built on the ruins of Greek and Byzantine civilisations, found a unique place in and around Izmir from 1081 onwards, and thanks to this cultural synthesis, the city became an important centre where scientific, cultural and artistic activities were carried out in the Islamic period. The existence of surviving madrasas in districts of İzmir such as Ödemiş and Tire indicates that there were madrasas in the centre of the city. However, these madrasas in the centre have not survived to the present day. In addition, it is known that mosques also functioned as educational and training institutions, and mosques and libraries in the city are the main elements that ensure the vitality and continuity of scientific and cultural life.
This international symposium, which will be held as the first event of the Symposiums on Scholarly and Cultural Life in İzmir, aims to examine in detail the scholarly and cultural life of İzmir and its surroundings between the 14th and 16th centuries, starting from the period of Aydınoğulları Principality. The madrasas built in and around Izmir, the scholars who were educated or trained here and their scientific studies, scientific studies and artefacts in the fields of social, humanities, science and health sciences of the period, etc. will be discussed in a way to reveal the scientific and cultural level of the city in the Principalities and Ottoman period. In the symposium, the scientific and cultural life in İzmir between the 14th and 16th centuries will be analysed comprehensively within the framework of various fields such as Basic Islamic Sciences (Arabic Language and Literature, Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Kalam, Sufism and Islamic Law) and Islamic History and Civilisation, Literature, Art, Architecture, History of Religions, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, Geography, Health and Art History.
The aim of this symposium is to discuss the scholarly and cultural richness of Izmir in a scientific framework and to introduce important personalities who contributed to the history of the city and the world of science. In this direction, scholars who lived between the 14th and 16th centuries, their works and the prominent madrasas of the period have been identified as a result of scans made through various archival sources and digital databases. It is aimed to investigate all aspects of the scholars who lived in this period and attract attention with the importance, multiplicity and diversity of their works within the scope of the symposium. Within the scope of the symposium, the personalities and their works attributed to Izmir, who lived between the 14th-16th centuries and played a role in the cultural and scientific life of the city, are also discussed as research topics.
Scholarly and Cultural Life in İzmir-1 is organised in order to understand the scholarly and cultural mobility of İzmir between the 14th-16th centuries and to contribute to the accumulation of knowledge on this subject. It aims to encourage research in this field and to share the findings obtained in an academic framework. The symposium is expected to contribute to the unearthing of the historical and cultural richness of Izmir and to the advancement of studies in this field. In this context, the symposium is seen as an important step in bringing new perspectives to the history and culture of Izmir and diversifying academic studies in these fields.
