Eminent philology professor Hrachya Acharyan initiated the foundation of a Department of Oriental Philology at Yerevan State University in 1940. This was followed by the successful establishment of the Department of Oriental Languages and Literature with its two branches: Persian and Arabic. In 1968 the Faculty of Oriental Studies was introduced as a separate body.

The faculty currently includes three departments: Persian Studies, Arabic Studies and Turkish Studies. The current curriculum features language courses in Hindi, Afghani, Sanskrit, Belujian, Kurdish and Hebrew.

The faculty has established relations with leading centres of Oriental Studies abroad, developing scientific cooperation with the chairs of universities and scientists in Iran, Egypt, Syria, the UAE, Lebanon and other countries.

A total of 525 students currently study at the faculty. The Faculty accepts 100-110 students annually, out of which 35-40 join the Chair of Turkish Studies.

Yerevan State University
1 Alex Manoogian
0025 Yerevan

Tel: +374 10 555240
Fax: + 374 10 554641

E-mail: info@ysu.am
Web: www.ysu.am/site/index.php?lang=1&page=3&p_num=&id=17

Turkey scholars

Ruben Melkonyan

Assistant Professor Ruben Mekonyan has been the Deputy Dean of the Faculty since 2009, having received his PhD in modern Turkish literature in 2005. He has authored three monographs, more than two dozen academic articles, and more than 50 op-eds. He has also translated books from Turkish into Armenian. In addition to modern Turkish literature Melkonyan is interested in current political relations between Armenia and Turkey, as well as religious and ethnic minorities in Turkey (with a particular emphasis on the Armenian minority). He is actively involved in various Armenian-Turkish conferences and forums. He is fluent in Turkish.

E-mail: rubmelk@yahoo.com
Tel: +374 10 556077 (inner line 292)

Alexander Safaryan

Head of Chair of Turkish Studies

Safaryan studied Turkology at Yerevan State University and has chaired the Department of Turkish Studies since 1986. He is the author or more than 50 academic books, articles, and Turkish Language books for Armenian students. He supervises students in Turkish linguistics and Turkish literature. He is considered one of the best Turkish speakers in Armenia.

Tel: +374 10 573324 (inner line 468)

Ashot Soghomonyan

Dr. Ashot Soghomonyan is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Yerevan State University (since 1999). He teaches courses of Turkish history and language, as well as supervises Master and PhD theses. He has also been the secretary of the Turkish-Armenian Buisness Development Council (TABDC) since 2000. He has supported most TABDC activities and projects related to Turkish and Armenian business, culture, women activists visits to Turkey and Armenia. He is the founder of Narekavan Tour LLC, a tour operator in Armenia that organizes tours in the Caucasus and Turkey (Anatolia).

Email: asoghomonyan@yahoo.com

Vahram Ter Matevosyan

Vahram Ter Matevosyan is Advisor to the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Defence and a lecturer of Turkish studies at the History Faculty of Yerevan State University. A historian and a specialist in Islamic and Turkish studies, he teaches Kemalism and Modern Turkish History. He has studied at Yerevan State University, Lund University (Sweden) and Bergen (Norway). He was a Fulbright fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in 2009-2010. His academic works (a monograph and several dozens of articles) are on Islamism and Kemalism in Turkey. His monograph, Islam in the socio-political life of Turkey between 1970-2001, has been translated into English. Ter-Matevosyan is fluent in Turkish.

E-mail: termatevos@yahoo.com