Research at the International Forum on Turkish-Syrian Relations continued to build intellectual bridges on Saturday evening through sessions addressing collective memory and deepening mutual cumulative understanding between Syria and Anatolia, hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University.
The axes of the second and third sessions varied to include files on ancient manuscripts, extensions of commercial communication between metropolises, and the impacts of journalism, Arabic calligraphy, and cross-border family ties, opening wide horizons for documenting the shared human heritage between the two countries.
Evidence of shared history
Syrian historian Dr. Ammar Al-Nahar opened the evening sessions with a research paper on Ibn Tulun Al-Salih as a living witness to the shared memory between Damascus and Istanbul, highlighting the supreme value of this scholar's manuscripts preserved in the Turkish Suleymaniye Library. For his part, History professor at Ankara University Nuri Sadiq outlined paths of joint national resistance against imperialism and military coordination and ammunition exchanges in the areas of Aleppo, Kilis, and Gaziantep following World War I.
Aleppo, Gaziantep, and Deir Ezzor.. Relations in daily life
History professor at Damascus University Samar Bahelwan traced the history of social interaction between Aleppo and Gaziantep during the 19th century and the early 20th century, explaining that geographical proximity and trade route networks contributed to activating merchant movement and establishing extended trust networks for families. For his part, Arab Writers Union member Rami Al-Dulali presented a reading on customs and traditions in Deir Ezzor during the Ottoman era between 1800 and 1918, recalling the tradition of the children's Quran completion procession as evidence of Euphrates community solidarity.
Journalism, calligraphy, and families.. a memory inherited by generations
Researcher Muhammad Al-Hajji paused at the emergence of the newspaper "Ottoman Syria" issued in the mid-19th century, and the role of its government printing press in Damascus in documenting official laws and decisions. Turkish Writers Union member Muhammad Sadiq Yildirim also shed light on family and social ties between Syrians and Turks, showcasing examples of families whose connections extended between Syrian and Turkish cities during the Mamluk and Ottoman eras. The sessions concluded with an educational presentation by Muhammad Bayan and Haitham Abdullah from the Faculty of Education at Damascus University, addressing a contemporary vision for teaching Arabic in Turkish educational institutions.
It is worth noting that the forum is organized by the Turkish Writers Union and Ankara University of Social Sciences, with support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and constitutes a documentary ground that rebuilds academic partnerships between Syrian metropolises and their Turkish counterparts.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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