Hakan Değirmenci traces Turkish linguistic history in Balkan travelogue

Associate Professor Hakan Değirmenci, a faculty member at Dumlupınar University, shared details of a 15,000-kilometer family road trip through the Balkans and Central Europe during a talk at the Eskişehir Türk Ocağı.

The journey, which spanned three summers, focused on tracing the linguistic and historical footprints of the Turkish language. Değirmenci described following a path of “sounds” through cities such as Manastır, Skopje, Prizren, Sarajevo, and Mostar, noting the vitality of the Turkish language and presence in these regions.

A significant portion of the route followed the Danube River from Vienna to Edirne. Değirmenci highlighted the river as a historical witness to Ottoman military movements, including victories and retreats at locations such as Petrovaradin, Semendre, and Karlofça. He characterized the Danube not merely as a river, but as a “witness carrying the memory of victories, losses, and changing borders throughout history.”