10 December 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN , ANKARA
The Turkish Parliament granted the Parliament Award of Honor to renowned Turkish historian Professor Kemal Karpat yesterday in an awards ceremony at Parliament.
“Today is the most meaningful day in my whole life. I have never worked to earn an award, my aim is to discover my people and reveal its unknown aspects,” Karpat said after receiving the award from Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin. Şahin stated in his speech at the awards ceremony that Karpat is a distinguished scholar who has lectured at various universities around the world and is considered a leading Turkish authority in the academic world. He also added that his life story will guide future generations.Pointing out that the award was granted to world renowned historian Professor Halil İnalcık last year, the Parliament speaker underlined that the trend of award winner’ being historians proves the importance given to history by Parliament. Karpat is a professor at the University of Wisconsin. He is distinguished for his ability to identify and analyze ties between Ottoman culture and today’s Turkey. He previously taught at several universities including Montana State University, New York University, Princeton University, Harvard University, Bilkent University and Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ).
