Prof. Dr. Ahmet Necdet Sözer: His Professional Life and Contribution to the Geography of Turkey
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Necdet Sözer graduated from the Department of Geography at Istanbul University in 1954. At first, he worked as a geography teacher in different cities of Turkey. In 1960, he was appointed as an assistant to the Faculty of Business Administration at Erzurum Atatürk University. He completed his doctoral studies at Istanbul University in 1963. He resided in Germany between 1963-1965 to improve his foreign language (German) and academic skills. He became an associate professor in 1968 with his dissertation about Diyarbakır basin and gained the title of professor in 1974 with his work on transhumance in Northeast Anatolia. Professor Sözer, who conducted research in the field of human and economic geography, has followed a different method from other colleagues, mostly by associating natural environmental conditions with human activities. He devoted his life to science, culture and art (especially poetry). In his research on geography as well as in his literary writings, he made use of elements and symbols that constituted culture. Professor Sözer died on 4 May 2010. He will, without a doubt, be always remembered through his works on geography and his literary personality.
Asaf Koçman
