3 journal of azerbaijani studies in search of 'khazar

Hamlet ISAXANLI

recommendations of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Republic". Baylar gave me a very worried phone call from Baku: "There is talk around that Hamlet is not fit to be a rector, he has run away and left all his work incomplete, he has gone to Turkey to have some fun and will never come back. What shall we do? What is your advice? We must find a way out of this situation, and some kind of prompt action must be taken".

I took this news quite cold-bloodedly, indeed I saw no reason to be overly concerned. I advised Baylar to be patient: "Get on with your work, teach your classes with enthusiasm. Do not get pessimistic. Just let the university live and function, nobody can take it away from us. Start looking for another place, look for anything, let it be very small, far from the city center, old, semi-destroyed - it makes no difference. I will take care of the rest, just wait for me to come back.

Thoughts about our university were the air and water of my everyday life. Sometimes I had some inconceivable ideas. I held on to reality with one hand and with the other one I wanted "to rip stars from the sky". That is when a word came to my mind - "Khazar". The name of our university will be "Khazar" (Caspian)! There are universities in Turkey named after various seas - "Kara Deniz", Ak Deniz ⁴⁴, there are Agean and Marmara Universities, why not name our university Khazar University. My Khazar University will live "in my magnificent Baku on the Caspian Sea".⁴⁵ My Khazar University will be as* beautiful as the mysterious Khazar created by nature - the Caspian Sea.

In December the Soviet Union had completed its life after 69 years. The agreement about the formation of the USSR signed on December 30, 1922 became obsolete on December 8, 1991. The New World set about revising its material and moral values, and the independent Azerbaijan Republic took its first stumbling steps. On December 25, a resolution was adopted in Azerbaijan to return to the Latin alphabet.⁴⁶ Indeed this New Year was bringing us a completely new and different life.

Sami Ercan mentioned that there was a possibility for Azerbaijani

students to do graduate studies at the school of Engineering at Marmara University, and he suggested that I could look into this opportunity. I discussed it with the Dean Ahmed Serpil and Orhan Oguz and the decision was taken to allocate all existing five vacancies to Azerbaijani students. It was decided that the Azerbaijani students would study for free at Marmara University and they would pay their tuition fee in Baku to our University. It would definitely help our financial situation.

Generally speaking I lead a very active life in Turkey. On the request of the School of Education I began to teach one more mathematics course. At the same time I reached an agreement with the chancellors of Marmara and Anadolu Universities and gave lectures on "The Essentials of Functional Analyses" for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members once a week in Eskishehir. I taught in English at Marmara University and in Turkish at Eskishehir. I made a lot of contacts - I attended various meetings and conferences at different universities in Istanbul - Bogazichi (Bosphorus), Istanbul and Yildiz, Bilkent University in Ankara, and Agean in Izmir. I also had a very close relationship with Technical University in the Middle East in Ankara.

But one of the most interesting and useful things was my observation of Orhan Oguz's activity as a rector. He never failed to invite me along to all the meetings connected with university administration and educational issues, even when the meetings carried a very private character.
20. On the way to the new home
In January 9, 1992 I returned to Baku and went to my office the next day. My meeting with Rahim Rahimov was very quiet and careful. He did not mention that he had appointed himself the rector of the English Language Azerbaijan University. Perhaps he was waiting for me to mention it first, to accept the situation as natural development, reconcile myself to it and get on with my work under his

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