Turkish president aspires for 'külliye' instead of university campuses

A ceremony for the opening of new campus at a private university in Ankara offered a stage for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to state that his aspiration to change the jargon of politics also extends to a redesign of the lexicon of academic life.

?It would be more beautiful if we say ?külliye? instead of campus. Esenbo?a Külliye instead of Esenbo?a Campus would be more felicitous,? Erdo?an said on Jan. 7, speaking at a ceremony for the opening of the new Esenbo?a Campus at the private Y?ld?r?m Beyaz?t University.

A külliye is an Ottoman architectural concept that designates a complex with a central mosque and a series of ancillary buildings - such as a hospital, library and public fountain - surrounding it.

?Such a külliye [as this one], which will have an area of one million square meters, will grow strong generations for the future,? Erdo?an said.

Turkey had already announced in November that it is planning to build 80 mosques inside university campuses across the country.

?Mosque constructions are ongoing at more than 80 universities in Turkey. We have opened 15 mosques [inside Turkish university campuses] so far. We will open 50 more by the end of 2015,? Mehmet Görmez, the president of the Directorate General for Religious Affairs (Diyanet), said at the time.

There are already mescids (prayer rooms) in many university campuses across Turkey.

In December, President Erdo?an waded into the heated debate over the possible inclusion of Ottoman language classes in the high school curriculum, vowing that the classes will be introduced ?no matter what they say.?

The ruling Justice and Development Party?s (AKP) apparent enthusiasm for the Ottoman language courses has been widely...