HASAN KILCA: WE WILL CONTINUE OUR SERVICES THAT PROTECT THE HISTORY OF KARATAY AND SHAPE ITS FUTURE.

METIN AKSOY: CITIES THAT VALUE SCIENCE ARE SPOKEN OF WITH THE QUALITY OF THEIR CIVILIZATIONS

RIZA TIRES NOT: CHOOSING KONYA FOR THE WORKSHOP IS NOT A COINCIDENCE

"City and Civilization Workshop" was held with the contributions of Karatay Municipality, Selçuk University, and Cihannüma Solidarity and Cooperation Association. Mayor of Karatay Hasan Kılca gave a speech at the opening of the workshop and said that they produced projects that protect and introduce Karatay's historical and cultural assets and carry them to the future.  Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, the Rector of Selcuk University, emphasized that cities that value science keep their civilizations at the highest quality, while Rıza Yorulmaz, the President of Cihannüma Solidarity and Cooperation Association, pointed out that it was not a coincidence that the City and Civilization Workshop was held in Konya and drew attention to Konya's ancient past and the value it attaches to its city culture.

The "City and Civilization Workshop", organized with the contributions of Karatay Municipality, Selcuk University, and Cihannüma Solidarity and Cooperation Association, was held at Celaleddin Karatay Congress and Youth Center.

Mayor of Karatay Hasan Kılca who gave a speech at the opening of the workshop held at Celalettin Karatay Youth Center, talked about the importance of holding the program in Karatay.

OUR PROJECTS PROTECTING KARATAY'S IDENTITY WILL CONTINUE

Mayor Hasan Kılca said, “Cities are the spatial equivalent of civilizations. These are the places that build, carry and sustain civilization. Our ancestors, who respected differences in these lands they dominated for more than 200 years, left a very rich legacy to our future with the importance they attached to trade, their education, culture and art. Therefore, this city has a meaning, a soul, and most importantly, an identity. We also produce projects that protect and introduce historical and cultural assets of our district and carry them into future. We have completed the restoration of Obruk Inn, which dates back 800 years. By reorganizing the surroundings of the Kızören Pothole right next to the historical inn, we bring it to the tourism of Konya and our country. We are trying to bring these regions to tourism with the completion of the excavations on the Ancient City of Savatra, located within the borders of our Yaglibayat Neighborhood, and the Boncuklu Höyük located in our Hayiroglu Neighborhood. Once again,  we are carrying out many projects related to the urban transformation that both preserve the urban identity of our Konya and pave the way for regular urbanization in our county town. In addition to these projects that protect our district's past, we also endeavor to raise future generations with the consciousness of rewriting history. On the one hand, we produce training facilities, materials, and many projects that make the education life of our youth easy, on the other hand, we carry out sportive projects. We know that the future of our country is our youth. We will continue to work for them, sweat, and make them the hope of our country.”

KONYA HAS NEVER LOST ITS IDENTITY OF BEING A CITY OF CIVILIZATION

Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, the Rector of Selcuk University emphasized that cities that value science keep their civilizations at the highest quality and underlined that Konya always maintains its identity as an ancient civilization.

Rector Aksoy said; “Konya has never lost its identity as a city of civilization. It maintains this identity today. Today, the livability of cities is one of the primary elements of the continuity of a civilization. Cities keeping people alive are at the center of the blend of civilization. The two titles chosen for the workshop are priceless. Civilization affects society as well as it is affected by society. Being able to direct a civilization is related to the sense of ownership of the society. Cities accompanying civilizations remained. Today, cities are the laboratories of those civilizations. That laboratory is important for building future generations. A city that values ​​science and scientists is an indicator of the quality of civilization. The city provides the continuity of civilization. The main factor that unearths this is the university. The quality of the university shows the power of one civilization to influence another civilization. Karatay Madrasah, named after our Karatay Municipality, is one of the main elements in which the most important madrasah culture is sustained. A city was memorialized with a university in history, as it is today, and it was valued in that respect. Today, Selcuk University is an indicator of the quality of this city. Selcuk University is the continuation of the madrasah culture that started in Karatay. We, the Selcuk University,  will continue to contribute to our city with the quality of our education. I would like to thank Cihannüma Solidarity and Cooperation Association, Karatay Municipality, and all participants who contributed to the realization of our workshop.”

IT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE CITY AND CIVILIZATION WORKSHOP WAS HELD IN KONYA.

Rıza Yorulmaz, the President of Cihannüma Solidarity and Cooperation Association, pointed out that it was not a coincidence that the City and Civilization Workshop was held in Konya and drew attention to Konya's ancient past and the value it attaches to its city culture

Rıza Yorulmaz, who mentioned that the perspective to have emerged in the workshop is crucial, used the following statements. “It is not a coincidence choosing Konya for the workshop. Konya is the capital city of our Seljuk Empire, the symbol of tolerance, and the land of Mevlana. I think that the perspective that will be suggested in this workshop will be crucial. We are the owners of a deep-rooted civilization. The solutions to be presented here will be discussed in the field of application even 100 years later. The three main words of this workshop are the concepts of home, neighbor, and guest. Home is not only a generation but also a school. In our civilization, great importance is attached to neighbor relations. In our civilization, the guests are blessings. I hope that our workshop will turn out at advantage, especially for our Konya, our country, and all humanity. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy, the Rector of Selcuk University, Hasan Kılca, the Mayor of Karatay, and all the participants in our workshop for their contributions.”

CITY ​​AND CIVILIZATION WORKSHOP ADDRESSES AN IMPORTANT ISSUE

Yavuz Erdal Kayapınar, the Director General for Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate thanked those who contributed to the implementation of the City and Civilization Workshop and said; “The title of city and civilization was chosen very well for the workshop. I think this workshop is a very important milestone. We compare the city to a microorganism. The cities are is initiated by the hands and labor of architects and then emerge with the growth of these cells. An architect builds the residence after getting the needs of a family. The city, on the other hand, turns into a mechanism created for the reflection of that residence to the outdoor. At this point, cities shape society. I hereby would like to thank all the collaborators who supported the City and Civilization Workshop.”

After the speeches, the workshop was initiated. In addition to Selcuk University, academicians from many universities in Turkey, and representatives of public, private, and non-governmental organizations discussed in detail many subjects such as the City Ecosystem, Local Government, Future Cities, City Identity and Cultural Heritage, Social Life, Urban Sociology, City Security and Housing Typology.