The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Türkiye, in cooperation with Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography, and the Turkish History and Culture Foundation (TÜRKTAV) have organized the International Symposium on “The Golden Age of Turks: Sultan Baybars and His Time” in Ankara, on 21 November 2023, on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye and the 800th Anniversary of the Birth of Sultan Baybars. Prof. Cengiz Tomar, Head of Research and Publications, and Prof. Ashirbek Muminov, Consultant for Activities on Central Asia, IRCICA, presented research papers at the symposium. The papers contributed by scholars from universities and research institutions in Kazakhstan and Türkiye were as follows: Dr. Abdullah Gündoğdu: “The Perception of the Sultan Baybars and Kipchaks in Kazakhstan”; Prof. Dr. Kairat Saki: “The Legitimation of Power with the Kipchak Mameluks”; Prof. Dr. Ashirbek Muminov: “The Period of Contacts between Berke Khan and Sultan Baybars and the Development of Islamic Culture”; Prof. Dr. İlhan Erdem: “Relations between the Turkish Seljukids and the Mameluk State during the Reign of Sultan Baybars”; Prof. Dr. İlyas Gökhan: “The Life, Personality and Leadership Features of Sultan Baybars”; Prof. Dr. Mustafa Uyar: “Relations between Mameluks and Ilkhanids during the Reign of Sultan Baybars”; Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar: “The Mameluk System, Sultan Baybars, and Meritocracy”. Following the presentations, Prof. Cengiz Tomar gave interviews to the Kazakh TV 24 and Turkistan TV highlighting the theme of the symposium and outlining IRCICA’s engagement in studies on the history of the Muslim world. Another feature of the symposium was the launching of the book “Sultan Baybars” authored by Prof. Dr. Kairat Saki, Head of the Centre for Research on Baybars, Kazakhstan.
