Turkish Language Institute at the Faculty of Arts (Filozofická fakulta) of Comenius University in Bratislava traces its institutional roots to 2006. Building on initiatives undertaken during Ambassador Suna Çokgür Ilıcak’s tenure in 2005–2006, a Cooperation Protocol signed between TİKA (the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) and Comenius University on 28 January 2006 launched the program, establishing Turkish-language courses at the university and providing for lecturers to be sent from Türkiye.
When TİKA’s turkology projects were transferred to the Yunus Emre Institute on 12 November 2011, a Turkology Project Cooperation Agreement was subsequently signed between the Institute and Comenius University on 4 June 2012. That agreement remains in force today; on 23 December 2025, the Yunus Emre Institute initiated a new effort to update it. Turkish Language Institute currently continues under the institutional cooperation of Turkish embassy in Bratislava, relevant Turkish institutions, and Comenius University.
Courses are offered through the Faculty of Arts’ Department of Classical and Semitic Philology, under the heading “Turkish Language and Culture.” Rather than constituting a stand-alone, diploma-granting department or program, Turkish is taught as an elective open to the university’s students and public audience.
The Institute follows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), spanning levels A1 through B2. Beginner and intermediate courses run in both the autumn and spring semesters, each meeting two hours a week, for a combined total of ten hours of Turkish language weekly. Courses are open to students across all of Comenius University’s faculties and departments, as well as to international students studying at the university through the Erasmus program.
Since 16 March 2026, the position of Turkish lecturer has been held by Dr. Nilgün Aydın. Students from across the university’s faculties and departments are invited to enroll in Turkish courses for the new academic term beginning in September 2026.
To extend Turkish instruction beyond the university community, an initiative is also underway to launch a public A1-level Turkish course in the 2027–2028 academic year; preparations are progressing favorably.
