Our University carries out academic, scientific, and cultural activities aimed at documenting, preserving, sustaining, and transmitting elements of intangible cultural heritage such as local folklore, traditions, folk dances, oral culture, and traditional knowledge to future generations. These activities cover a wide range of areas, from researching and recording traditional knowledge to sustaining regional folk dances, documenting local occupational cultures, and increasing the visibility of the cultural traditions of different communities.
Institutional Approach to Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage
Within the framework of our University’s official sustainability policy, the preservation and documentation of intangible cultural heritage such as local folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge are regarded as an institutional responsibility. Our University recognises cultural heritage as a fundamental component of collective memory and cultural identity and supports the continuation of these values through scientific and artistic activities and their transmission to future generations.
In this context, our University’s Folk Dance Team preserves traditional folk dances specific to the Black Sea Region within its repertoire, while also contributing to the learning, practice, and transmission of folk dances from different regions of Türkiye to younger generations. In this way, the continuity of traditional dance knowledge, music, figures, and regional performance practices is supported.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/surdurulebilirlik/kulturel-mirasin-kaydedilmesi-ve-korunmasi
English institutional page:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sustainability/record-and-preserve-cultural-heritage
2025–2029 SMART-RURAL Project for the Preservation of Traditional Knowledge
One of the international initiatives launched by our University in 2025 is the project titled “Building Resilient Rural Communities through Synergy of Traditional Knowledge and Technological Innovation – SMART-RURAL.” The TÜBÄ°TAK–EU COST project, implemented between 2025 and 2029, focuses on integrating traditional knowledge with technological innovation to strengthen the resilience of rural communities.
By addressing the relationship between locally rooted and intergenerational knowledge and contemporary technological approaches, the project is directly connected to the preservation, sustainability, and intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge, one of the key components of intangible cultural heritage. Faculty members from our University have participated in this international research network since 2025.
Evidence:
https://avesis.ktu.edu.tr/berkyilmaz/projeler
Academic Documentation of Local Folklore and Traditional Occupational Knowledge
Various scientific projects have been carried out within our University’s Department of Turkish Language and Literature to document local folklore and traditional ways of life. These studies constitute an important part of our University’s academic knowledge base for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
Within the TÜBÄ°TAK project entitled “Shepherding and Animal Husbandry Culture in the Eastern Black Sea Region,” field studies were conducted in Giresun, Trabzon, and Rize, and the folkloric and ethnographic elements associated with shepherding culture were documented. In this way, the knowledge, practices, and folkloric elements of a traditional way of life and occupation undergoing rapid transformation were recorded through scientific methods.
Similarly, the study titled “The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Fishermen from Giresun and Trabzon” examined and documented the traditional occupational structures, hierarchies, fishing practices, and oral cultural heritage associated with maritime life through in-depth interviews.
In addition, the project entitled “Oral and Material Cultural Elements of Maçka District” compiled, classified, and evaluated the oral literary products and traditional cultural elements of the Maçka region from a folkloristic perspective.
These projects demonstrate that our University goes beyond organising cultural events and actively records region-specific oral culture, traditional occupational knowledge, folklore, and ways of life through fieldwork, interviews, and scientific documentation methods.
Evidence – Faculty of Letters Projects:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/edebiyat/projeler
Preservation and Intergenerational Transmission of Traditional Folk Dances
The preservation and transmission of folk dances, an important component of intangible cultural heritage, is one of the continuing areas of our University’s cultural activities. Our University’s Folk Dance Team learns, performs, and presents folk dances particularly associated with Trabzon and the wider Black Sea Region at various events.
These activities are not limited to stage performances. By enabling students to learn the figures, music, and performance practices of traditional dances, they contribute to the continuity and intergenerational transmission of this living cultural heritage.
Our University’s course content also demonstrates that folk dances specific to Trabzon are taught systematically. The relevant course includes practical instruction in male and female horon dances from Trabzon, sıksara, kozangel, düz horon, and other regional figures.
Evidence – Preservation of Cultural Heritage:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/surdurulebilirlik/kulturel-mirasin-kaydedilmesi-ve-korunmasi
Evidence – Folk Dance Course Content:
https://katalog.ktu.edu.tr/dersbilgipaketi/course.aspx?dbid=103315&lang=1&pid=21
In 2025, our University’s Folk Dance Team continued to promote and transmit this living heritage by performing regional folk dances at different University events. For example, the Faculty of Science Graduation Ceremony held on 25 June 2025 opened with a regional performance by our University’s Folk Dance Team.
2025 Evidence:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/fen/haber/2024-2025-egitim-ogretim-yili-mezuniyet-torenimiz-buyuk-bir-coskuyla-kutlandi
Preserving and Promoting the Traditions and Cultures of Different Communities
Our University provides an environment not only for preserving local Black Sea culture but also for sustaining and promoting the traditions, music, dance, oral expression, food culture, and other cultural practices of students from different countries.
In this context, the “Cultural Night” held on 22 May 2025 was dedicated to enabling international students studying at our University to share their cultural heritage with the wider University and local community. During the programme, students presented:
Through these activities, students shared their cultural traditions with both the University community and the wider Trabzon community.
The official description of the event states that its purpose was to promote “the traditional dances, foods, and cultures of students coming from different countries around the world.” This contributes to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage by supporting the continuation, visibility, and intercultural transmission of living cultural practices belonging to different communities.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/YLuqECf67q
Preservation of Traditional Music Culture
Our University also supports the continuation of local and traditional music culture. During the 2025 Science, Culture and Art Week, the TAKA Music and Folk Dance Association Concert brought works from the traditional Black Sea and Turkish folk music repertoire to a broad audience. The event attracted approximately 750 participants, including members of the University and residents of Trabzon.
Such activities contribute to presenting traditional musical repertoires as living cultural heritage and support their transmission between generations.
Cultural Heritage and Sustainability Research Group
The Cultural Heritage and Sustainability Research Group (CulTage_S) operating within our University also conducts interdisciplinary studies on the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The group’s areas of activity include the identification of local identity components, documentation of traditional knowledge systems, ensuring cultural continuity, preservation of traditional environments, and transmission of cultural heritage to future generations.
This institutional research structure demonstrates that our University approaches cultural heritage preservation not only through periodic events but also through academic research and documentation activities.
Evidence:
https://avesis.ktu.edu.tr/arastirma-grubu/scultage/hakkimizda
In 2025, activities carried out within the scope of this research group also included the on-site examination and photographic documentation of natural and cultural heritage, traditional street patterns, crafts, and traditional arts.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/mimarlik/haber/kultur-tarih-doga-deneyimi-teknik-gezisi-g
Our University continues to preserve intangible cultural heritage at an institutional level through research, fieldwork, scientific documentation, recording of traditional knowledge, education, cultural transmission, and support for living heritage practices.
