Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended a literary award ceremony on Friday in Istanbul in the memory of Turkish poet and philosopher Necip Fazil Kisakurek.
"The main success of the Necip Fazil awards is its contribution to liberation, enrichment and variation of our intellectual and artistic world," Erdoğan said at the ceremony of Necip Fazil Kisakurek Awards for Literature and Research.
Necip Fazil was a poet, novelist and activist who contributed to Islamic thought in Turkey. He died in 1983.
Erdoğan said he believed that mission of cherishing the memory of people working for greater causes, such as Necip Fazil, could not be limited to a single group or institution.
He announced the winners of the awards in six categories.
Arif Ay was awarded in the poetry category for his unique poems about suffering of Turkish people in recent history.
Aykut Ertugrul received award in the story-novel category for his technique and authenticity in his stories.
Ahmet Yasar Ocak was awarded in the opinion-research category for his academic works on people reviving Anatolia.
Yasemin Karahuseyin and Fatih Baha Aydin were given award in the first work of art category.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Harb -- who also translated one of Necip Fazil's books into Arabic -- was awarded in the international award category, for encouraging people to learn about Turkish culture.
This year's Prestige Award was given to Prof. Dr. Nevzat Atlig for his efforts to convey Turkish classical music to next generations.
Erdoğan also said he believed that the "strong Turkey" which Necip Fazil dreamed of was going to be handed over to the next generations through these works of art.
The Necip Fazil Kisakurek Awards Ceremony has been held annually since 2014.
