The relations between Turkish and Hungarian nations are based on the history of the oldest periods. Turkish peoples have a great impact on the emergence of the Hungarians as a whole nation. This relationship that continued with the Turkish conquest of the Balkans, gained another dimension in Ottoman era. The cultural, economic and political relations continued both during the Ottoman rule lasted more than 150 years as well as after the end of Ottoman rule.
It can be said that throughout the history there has been no other nation that Turkish people have had such intense and continuous relationship with. This relationship and matter of common origin have left countless memories in Hungarian culture from language, traditions, architecture, to cuisine, clothes and handcrafts. At the same time, it left traces on the memory of Turkish nation that “Hungarian” goes along with the definition of “brother”. Even today, the belief that Hungarians and Turks are relatives lives in both communities.
As a result of this long standing tradition, Hungarians and Hungary is one of the few countries in central Europe that does not judge Turks with the prejudice of the other European countries.
The Ottomans, by not dismissing the origin and social memory, perceived Hungarian land as one of the Balkan countries although geographically not in Balkans.
The Hungarians investigated their origin and language with the consciousness of being a non-European nation and found out the relation of their history to the Turkey’s and therefore, Turcology as a science emerged first in Hungary. Intense relations continued after the foundation of Turkish Republic too. Having seen the deep-rooted tradition of Turcology in Hungary, Atatürk decided to establish the Institute of Hungarology within the Faculty of Language, History and Geography in Ankara University in order to benefit from the data of Hungarian Turcology. Along with other philology that gives source to Turkish history, Hungarian Language was also important.
Turkish history and language to Hungarians and Hungarian history and language to Turks is like an endless treasure. Turkish- Hungarian relations, welds not only the recent Turkish history, also the first, middle and new age eras. There are very rich materials in both Latin and Hungarian in Hungary archives. With more than 150 years long of deep rooted tradition, Hungarian Turcology through its scientific methods serves both Turkish and Hungarian histories in regards to Turkish language, history, culture, and geography.
Hungarian Turcology, training valuable scientists worldwide, carries out interdisciplinary studies. Hungarian Turcology, leading the way for other European countries, studies Turcology not only as the Turkish Language education but also in terms of language, culture, ethnography, and archeology of Turkey. Unfortunately, this rich knowledge is highly ignored due to the lack of teaching/learning of Hungarian as the source language.
In retrieving universal knowledge, TÜMACAM will encourage the scientists who investigate Turkish-Hungarian relations and their connections with other cultures, through the interdisciplinary studies carried out by Turcology Centers in Hungary and other disciplines related with history.
Such a center will cooperate with public and private institutions at national and international level, follow and encourage team work, coordinate academic cooperation with Hungarian Universities, and serve the Turkish existence in Hungary with scientific activities.