Head of Department Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taşağıl was given the Hacı Süleyman Service to Turkish Culture Award.

The 8^th Hacı Süleyman Service to Turkish Culture Award, which is traditionally given by the Nazilli Turkish Hearth Branch every year, was awarded to Yeditepe University History Department Head Historian-Writer Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taşağıl by decision taken on 24^th December 2016.

Hacı Süleyman Efendi 
(1855-1923)

He was an Islamic scholar born in Nazilli. Son of a mufti, Süleyman received Qur’an education at a young age. He finished primary and secondary education in Nazilli and later went to Istanbul for his higher education. He was appointed as a kadi (Islamic judge) to the İstanbul Nuriosmaniye Madrasa. He was an Ottoman historian who knew Arabic, Persian, Greek and French. He became the MP of Aydin in the parliament during the Ottoman Constitutional Monarchy Period.

After the Occupation of İzmir on May 15 1919, he started to inform the public about the Independence Movement. He founded the Nazilli Resistance Organization and gathered the Council of Representative. He was admired by Rauf Orbay when he came to Nazilli in June 1919 and with his suggestion participated in the Sivas Congress even though he was old and sick.

He went into politics again as İzmir MP in the first period of the Turkish Republic Parliament. He worked in the parliament in religious law, education and land registry councils. When the first parliament period was terminated because of the new elections, he returned to Nazilli. Hacı Süleyman Efendi, who was an open supporter for the proclamation of the republic, died in an accident on 5^th October 1923.