Celebrations Mark 732rd anniversary of Turkish becoming official language

Anniversary celebrations of a 13th century decree issued by Anatolian leader Karamanoglu Mehmet Bey making Turkish the official language of his territory and all its institutions began yesterday in the central Anatolian province of Karaman with the participation of President Abdullah Gul. Addressing a luncheon given in his honor, Gul touted Karaman's economic progress of recent years, saying it would soon be attracting considerable attention. In his decree (firman) of May 13, 1277, just over 732 years ago, Mehmet ordered, "Starting from today, in dervish convent, in council, in the palace, in Parliament and in squares, no language other than Turkish is allowed." Before him, the Seljuk elite in Anatolia used Persian in literature and Arabic in governmental affairs and science. The Turkmen, however, could not understand these languages. Although not ultimately successful, Mehmet's decree is important as it marked the first time in Anatolian history that Turkish became the official language. The celebrations sponsored by the Presidency, Prime Ministry, Culture and Tourism Ministry, Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA), and Turkish Language Agency /TDK) will continue through June 27. As part of the celebrations, Karaman will be declared the permanent cultural capital of the Turkish world.