On Saturday, October 27th, a workshop titled “Traditional Healing in Anatolia: Plants, Talismans, Music, Art, Healers, and Ocaks ” was held at our center, KAM. The workshop featured Professor Dr. Ekrem Sezik, President of the Turkish Phytotherapy Association, as the keynote speaker. Other speakers included Associate Professor Dr. Melike Kaplan from Ankara University’s Department of Folklore, who has conducted extensive research on the subject; ANAMED fellow Dr. Deniz Sever Georgousakis; our university’s Vice Rector and Professor of Public Health, Dr. Vesile Şenol; and our university lecturer and KAM director, Şükran Ünser. Also present were Saniye Manici Gezer and Bahadır Dedeoğlu, who have been conducting research on this topic in our region for many years.
The workshop consisted of three sessions. The first two sessions were open to the public and included presentations by the panelists on their respective research areas. The final session was a closed-door roundtable discussion where a general evaluation of the workshop was conducted. During the sessions, presentations were given by experts from various fields such as Pharmacy, Public Health, Folklore, and Art History, as well as valuable researchers who have dedicated many years to the study of “healing” in the Cappadocia region.
This region, where remedies for illnesses have been sought through various plants, talismans, beliefs, and rituals developed over many years, has not been the subject of a comprehensive and serious scientific study until now. This workshop aims to shed light on the subject from different perspectives, initiating a scientific process to illuminate areas that have remained obscure for so long. Furthermore, it is believed that such serious studies will contribute to the region’s rightful place in the world of healing, highlighting its value as a popular tourist destination both domestically and internationally.
