CALL FOR PAPER
II. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON EVLIYA CELEBI
“Cultural-Historical Trends in Bosnia And Herzegovina From The 15th to the 19th Century”
November 13-15, 2025
Sarajevo
The second International Symposium on Evliya Çelebi, organized by the Evliya Çelebi Studies Center, will be held in Sarajevo on November 13-15, 2025, hosted by the University of Sarajevo - Oriental Institute.
This symposium, jointly organized by the Evliya Çelebi Studies Center of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), and the Oriental Institute of the University of Sarajevo. The symposium is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Oriental Institute. The theme of this year’s symposium is: "Cultural and Historical Trends in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 15th to the 19th Century".
The aim of the symposium is to bring together researchers from various disciplines. Therefore, the topics include the history of Bosnia during the Ottoman period, as well as the development of literature, language, art, culture, architecture, and religious, economic, and social structures in this region, along with subjects related to travel writing.
The focus of the symposium will be the cultural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the way it was shaped through history, and transmitted within social structures, as well as how it has survived to the present day. It is expected that the papers will be based on a variety of sources such as archival documents, chronicles, travelogues, memoirs, oral traditions, as well as visual and material artifacts.
Symposium Theme:
The primary aim of this symposium series is to conduct an in-depth examination of the regions, cities, and countries visited by Evliya Çelebi through
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archival documents,
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chronicles,
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written and oral sources, and
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the narratives of travelers,
in order to present a multilayered historical and cultural panorama.
Each symposium will focus on a specific city or region, evaluating its historical and cultural memory through an interdisciplinary approach.
This year’s symposium, organized in collaboration with the Oriental Institute of University of Sarajevo, focuses on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Theme:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 15th-19th Centuries
The symposium will explore key historical, cultural, and social elements of Bosnia and Herzegovina between the 15th and 19th centuries under the following themes:
- Sites of Memory
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Tekkes, zawiyas, and Sufi culture
- Oral culture and narrative traditions
- Folk beliefs, religious rituals and social practices
- Traditional crafts and artisanal heritage
- Local cuisine/culinary culture
- Architecture, tombstones and inscriptions
- Multilingual forms of expression and linguistic diversity
- Music and Sufi culture
- Book and library culture
These themes aim to examine the rich historical heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina through a multidimensional approach.
On the final day of the symposium, a special city tour will be organized under the theme “In the Footsteps of Evliya Çelebi in Sarajevo.”
The official languages of the symposium are Turkish, Bosnian, and English.
Full texts of the papers presented at the symposium will be requested for publication as book chapters.
Following a peer-review process, accepted contributions will be published as part of the History Series under the auspices of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).
Important Dates
July 30, 2025 - The Deadline for Submitting Abstracts
August 10, 2025 - Announcemenet of Accepted Abstracts
November 13-15, 2025 - Symposium
Symposium venue - University of Sarajevo