Akdeniz İnsani Bilimler Dergisi

Öz

The article addresses the meanings attributed to the concept of kut and tree symbolism in the tradition of the Turkish state. It aims to examine how the relationship between kut and the tree was formed, symbolized, reinterpreted, and sustained in Turkish cultural memory during the first quarter of the 21st century, particularly within Turkish public institutions and organizations. Based on the concept of cultural memory, the study evaluates various practices, ceremonies, rituals, and designs related to kut and tree symbolism in Turkish state tradition from a holistic perspective. In the philosophy of the Turkish state, the sacred tree motif was carried from Central Asia to Anatolia, used during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, and evolved into a cultural image from the Republican period onwards. When examining practices in the first quarter of the 21st century, it is evident that the tree motif continues, drawing from its traditional roots. The symbol of the state’s eternity in Turkish culture is represented through the imagery of kut and the tree, and it is preserved within the cultural memory. This symbolic representation preserves its presence in certain contemporary official practices and institutions. The study concludes that, in the context of cultural memory’s continuity across Turkish cultural geographies, the worldview centred on the eternity of the state continues to be expressed through symbolic tree imagery adapted to contemporary needs. Furthermore, the symbolism of the kut and the tree continues to play a functional role in constructing today’s cultural memory, just as it did in the past.