Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) collaborate on a significant scientific initiative under the TÜBİTAK 2542 Turkey-Azerbaijan Bilateral Cooperation Support Program.

The project, titled “Tracing the Earliest Evidence of Turkic Culture in Turkey and Azerbaijan,” aims to uncover the most ancient traces of Turkic culture across the territories of both countries.

Tangible and intangible cultural heritage to be examined comparatively

The two-year project will cover both tangible heritage examples—such as rock carvings, balbals, and ram-headed tombstones—and intangible elements like oral traditions. These cultural components will be studied in depth and evaluated comparatively within the two geographies.

The project team includes expert academics from both countries

The project is led on the Turkish side by Prof. Dr. İbrahim Tellioğlu, Chair of the Department of History in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Other team members from OMU include Assoc. Prof. Dr. Okay Pekşen from the Department of History and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Bahadır from the Department of Geography. On the Azerbaijani side, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrada Mammadova and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aynur İbrahimova are contributing scientific expertise.

Extensive field research to be conducted across a broad geography

Field studies in Türkiye will be conducted in historically rich provinces including Rize, Kars, Erzurum, Ankara, İzmir, Ordu, Hakkâri, and Artvin. In Azerbaijan, research will focus particularly on historically significant regions such as Gobustan. Additionally, two scientific workshops will be organized in Samsun and Baku.

Historical and cultural ties to be reinforced through scientific evidence

The project’s objective extends beyond merely uncovering historical traces; it also seeks to scientifically document the cultural unity shared between the two brother nations. With this initiative, the cultural foundations of the widely embraced slogan “Two States, One Nation” will be further solidified.

Scientific publications to contribute to academia and public discourse

Findings from the project will be published in national and international academic outlets, contributing to scholarly literature while informing the public. In doing so, the project will help fill a significant gap in historical, cultural, and sociological knowledge.