The Second Meeting of the Association of Research Institutes and Centers of Archaeology of the Turkic World (ARICA), organized in cooperation with the Turkish Historical Society, the Turkic Academy, Hacettepe University, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute, was held in Ankara and Gaziantep between 20-23 October 2025.
Hacettepe University hosted the inaugural session of the event on 20 October 2025. The program commenced with opening remarks delivered by Prof. Dr. Şahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Academy; H.E. Prof. Dr. Derya Örs, President of the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History; Prof. Dr. Yüksel Özgen, President of the Turkish Historical Society; Prof. Dr. Sibel Aksu Yıldırım, Vice Rector of Hacettepe University; Prof. Dr. Emine Erdoğan Özünlü, Dean of the Faculty of Letters; and Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Selim Erdal, Head of the Department of Anthropology. The event also brought together representatives of archaeological institutions from the Turkic World, who visited the university’s anthropology laboratories.
As part of the program, the activities held on 21 October were hosted by the Turkish Historical Society. The event—attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Gökhan Yazgı; President of the International Turkic Academy, Prof. Dr. Şahin Mustafayev; President of the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History, H.E. Prof. Dr. Derya Örs; President of the Turkish Historical Society, Prof. Dr. Yüksel Özgen; Prof. Dr. Ruhi Ersoy; and representatives of archaeological institutions from the Turkic World—featured the opening of the exhibition entitled “The Early Years of Archaeology in Türkiye through Photographs from the Archives of the Turkish Historical Society.” The meeting, which presented an overview of the archaeological activities undertaken by the Turkish Historical Society, also included discussions with the heads of the visiting institutions regarding potential collaborative projects across the Turkic World.
The final session of the meeting was convened in Gaziantep on 22 October, under the auspices of the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute. The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Şahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Academy; Prof. Dr. Yüksel Özgen, President of the Turkish Historical Society; Gaziantep Deputy Governor Bülent Uygur; Gaziantep Provincial Director of Culture Selçuk Korkmaz; Deputy Director General of Cultural Heritage and Museums Bülent Gönültaş; President of the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute, Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan; President of the Gaziantep City Council, Erdem Güzelbey; Şehitkamil Mayor Umut Yılmaz; and representatives of archaeological institutions from Turkic World countries. The program also included the inauguration of the host institute’s Archaeometry Laboratory.
