The Fethi Gemuhluoğlu Library Was Opened By Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinç In Bosnia Herzegovina

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, who was in Bosnia Herzegovina for a number of different visits and contacts, conducted the opening of the Fethi Gemuhluoğlu Library established for the Zenica University Philosophy Faculty Turkish Language and Literature Department through the cooperation of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency Directorate and the Yunus Emre Culture Center.

Renovation and equipment support was provided by TİKA to the Zenica University Philosophy Faculty Turkish Language and Literature Department, an institution which has been among other universities that have been active in teaching Turkish in Bosnia Herzegovina for the past 9 years and which acts as a culture ambassador for Turkey. Also the mentioned department was supplied with the Fethi Gemuhluoğlu Library which was established through a cooperative effort between TİKA and the Yunus Emre Culture Center. The Fethi Gemuhluoğlu Library was opened in a ceremony organized for the occasion.

The Fethi Gemuhluoğlu Library opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, Turkey’s Ambassador to Saraybosna Ahmet Yıldız, the Zenica University Rector Prof. Dr. Cevad Zeçiç, Zenica University Philosophy Faculty Turkish Language and Literature Department students and academicians and TİKA, Ziraat Bankası and the Yunus Emre Culture Center authorities as well as a large number of citizens.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, who made a speech at the opening of the library named after Turkish intellectual Fethi Gemuhluoğlu, shared an anecdote about Fethi Gemuhluoğlu. Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç thanked TİKA and all other contributors to the establishment of the library and renovation of the department.

Fethi Gemuhluoğlu
İrfan Fethi Gemuhluoğlu, born in 1922 in Istanbul, graduated from Haydarpaşa High School in 1940 after which he continued on to college at the İstanbul University Law Faculty. From 1950 to 1955 Fethi Gemuhluoğlu taught Turkish Language and Literature in a variety of schools throughout Istanbul and from 1955 to 1963 served as the director of the Istanbul Sports and Exhibits Palace which was the most important center for sports and cultural activities at that time.

After spending some time in Germany between 1963 and 1965, Fethi Gemuhluoğlu served as the Executive Assistant of the Ministry of Education from 1965 to 1966. Fethi Gemuhluoğlu, who was also the Press Correspondent of the Union of Turkish Chambers from 1966 to 1970, founded the Turkish Petrol Foundation, one of the many foundations that were active in education at the time, in 1970 and carried out its General Secretary position until his death. Fethi Gemuhluoğlu died on October 5, 1977 in Istanbul.

The writings of Fethi Gemuhluoğlu, who made his mark as a man of soul and service in our recent history, and those that were written about him after his death in 1977-1978 were collected for the most part in the book called Dostluk Üzerine (Concerning Friendship). Bağlanma (Binding) (1979) which was written by Nuri Pakdil about Fethi Gemuhluoğlu was written in the form of a memoir and experiment.

After the book Gerçek Olan Aşktır (What is True is Love) (2000), in which the poems left to us by Fethi Gemuhluoğlu and the 72 poems most of which were dedicated as well as writings are included the book Dostluk Üzerine (2001) was published.

Fethi Gemuhluoğlu, who expends an intense amount of effort towards societies that are disconnected from each other coming together under the base of a common passion and desire to serve, sets an example for later generations with his approach towards community and humanity as a whole and his unifying paragon of friendship personality.