Six Turkology students from Tbilisi State University (TSU) and five Kartvelology students from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University’s Department of Georgian Language and Literature participated in a Turkish language summer camp held in the Lagodekhi Nature Reserve.     

Organized by the Department of Turkish Studies at TSU’s Faculty of Humanities, the event provided students with the opportunity to improve their practical Turkish language skills and learn more about Turkish culture, history, and ethnography. 

The goal of the intercultural camp is to help students from the two friendly countries socialize, establish new contacts, improve their language skills, and gain a better understanding of cultural diversity. Most importantly, the camp helps students plan joint student research projects.

The camp program consisted of two parts: cognitive and cultural. Along with lectures on various topics prepared by Georgian and Turkish professors, the participants received daily practical lessons in communicative Georgian and Turkish languages led by TSU Associate Professor Giuli Shabashvili and Turkish Embassy Lecturer Dr. Kadriye Hayır. 

The lectures covered interesting and diverse topics, such as cultural and social stereotypes in language (Associate Professor Elisabed Bzhalava); a comparative analysis of Georgian and Turkish literary processes (Assistant Professor Mzisa Buskivadze); common traditions of Georgians and Turks (Turkish Embassy teacher Rukiye Başak Yalçınkaya); and historical and ethnographic studies of Kakheti (TSU visiting professor Nino Okrostsvaridze).

Students and lecturers from both universi ties participated in various cognitive and cultural activities, including an interview about partner cultures; a cultural evening with master classes where students taught each other traditional Georgian and Turkish dances; a literary circle with bilingual literary readings; a game about typical mistakes in Georgian and Turkish; and a “Translator’s Battle,” a bilingual rapid translation competition.

According to Elisabed Bzhalava, the project’s author, head of the Bachelor's and Master's Programs in Turkish Studies, and TSU Associate Professor, “The summer camp once again showed that Tbilisi State University maintains a leading position in the field of Turkology. The TSU Bachelor's Program in Turkish Studies not only offers students in-depth theoretical knowledge but also gives them the opportunity to gain practical experience through participation in international exchange programs, summer schools, and cultural camps. The program pays special attention to mastering the language at a high level, and to the in-depth study of the history, literature, and culture of Turkey and the region.”

Satisfied with the camp's work and the positive feedback from the students, the supporters of the summer camp - representatives of the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center and the Georgian and Turkish Businessman Association in Georgia (GURTIAD) - expressed their desire to support the students in future events.

The first Turkish language summer camp was held in Svaneti last year.