After the restructuring of AKMED, which started in early 2016 through its merger with Koç University, the scope of interest and research of AKMED now covers the entire Mediterranean world from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Eastern Mediterranean coasts and southern Europe to North Africa. The staff at AKMED has carried on its activities with enthusiasm and eagerness since my appointment as AKMED Director on January 1st, 2017, and my “introduction period” to the university and the institution.

We started our activities in 2017 by hosting an international congress. “The Second International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World” shed light on the history of money and the economy of the city-states, kingdoms and empires in the light of coins that have been unearthed in archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean region in recent years or that are displayed in museum collections. Weekly conferences brought together academicians as well as enthusiasts of archaeology and history. Since January, eighteen conferences had been organized on subjects ranging from the pre-historic era to the Ottoman Empire.

The desire to fulfill our social responsibilities has added a whole new excitement to us. At the end of March, a meeting on ancient civilizations and archaeology was held at AKMED for sight-impaired citizens and their companions in cooperation with the Antalya branch of the Altınokta Körler Association on the occasion of the 53rd Library Week. As the AKMED team, we celebrated April 23rd by participating in the activity held at the Kızıllı Köyü Primary School by the Antalya branch of TEGV. We played ball, painted our faces, and embraced the Republic with our children.

In the coming months we will be sponsoring new events. We are organizing “Monetary History and Numismatics Summer School” in July which, although limited to twenty people, has received close to seventy applications. Such a record number of applicants has encouraged us to continue the summer school in the coming years. We are about to announce and begin to publicize “The History, Culture, and Archaeology of Antalya Certificate Program,” which will be organized in November targeting tourism professionals. We have no doubt that AKMED’s reputation will be recognized wider and farther by means of temporary exhibitions to be held in the Kaleiçi Museum and by the opening of our book sales office. AKMED will continue to provide scientific contributions to archaeology, history, art history, urban history, and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean world with its support to undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral projects, archaeological excavations, surface explorations, museum studies, and field works. We aim to be an effective scientific platform for researchers of the Mediterranean world and to reach far more people with our renewed web page. I would like to emphasize that we aware that AKMED’s success-oriented journey is only possible if we work and progress together.

Oğuz Tekin

AKMED Director