The “International Symposium on Turkish Cypriot Foundations with Legal Dimensions” was held on 7-8 November 2024 in cooperation with the Cyprus Foundations Administration (Evkaf) and the Social Sciences University of Ankara Northern Cyprus Campus (ASBU) and with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and Saray Hotel Grand Pasha.

The first day of the symposium was held at the Bilal Ağa Cultural Center in Closed Maraş and the second day at the Bedesten in Nicosia. This event, which was held for two days within the foundation properties, was recorded in history as a first.

The local and international legal dimensions of Turkish Cypriot Foundations were discussed at the symposium. 18 scientists shared their current knowledge and developed new perspectives on topics such as Foundation Law, Turkish Cypriot Foundation Properties in the Context of the Sea of ​​Islands, International Law and Foundation History. In addition, solution proposals for existing problems were presented and a roadmap was created to be followed.

"Evkaf is trying to make the foundation issue and the existence of Ahkamül Evkaf known to the world."

With the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in 1571, various foundations were established on the island and the foundations were governed within the framework of the law called Ahkamül Evkaf until 1878. However, with the temporary transfer of the island to the British in 1878, these rules were violated and many foundation properties were usurped.

The Cyprus Foundations Administration has been trying to make its voice heard legally for years with the written documents in its archives. In this context, the "International Symposium on Turkish Cypriot Foundations with Legal Dimensions" will address the legal status of the foundations, their deficiencies and the problems encountered, and will contribute significantly to the evaluation of existing documents and information, thus contributing new information and suggestions to the literature.