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Turkey’s education authorities have rolled out sweeping changes to state‑approved school textbooks ahead of the 2026–2027 academic year, replacing long‑standing historical and geographical terms with language that officials describe as more “national” and ideologically aligned with the country’s conservative‑nationalist outlook. The revisions, introduced under the “Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli” (Turkey‑Century Education Model), are among the most extensive in recent years and have already drawn regional attention and criticism.
One of the most discussed changes is the replacement of the term “Bizans” (Byzantium) with “Doğu Roma İmparatorluğu” (Eastern Roman Empire) across history courses. The move effectively reframes the medieval Christian empire centered on Constantinople as a continuation of the Roman world rather than a discrete “Byzantine” entity, a shift that also resonates with nationalist narratives emphasizing Anatolia’s layered but predominantly “Turkish” historical identity. The term “Byzantine Empire” has previously drawn criticism from some Turkish academics and politicians for its association with Western European historiography that, in their view, marginalizes the empire’s own self‑understanding.
Geography texts have also been overhauled. The Aegean Sea is now labeled “Adalar (Ege) Denizi”—“Sea of the Islands”—with “Ege” kept in parentheses. This formula revives an Ottoman‑era designation that underlines the sea’s physical geography as a sea studded with islands, while subtly distancing it from the Greek‑centric “Aegean” label. The change comes against the backdrop of long‑running disputes over maritime boundaries, airspace, and the status of the eastern Aegean islands, where Turkey and Greece have repeatedly clashed diplomatically and militarily.
Beyond these headline changes, the new curriculum introduces a range of other terminological updates. Central Asia is now to be referred to as “Türkistan,” linking vast Eurasian steppe regions to a broader Turkic world. The classical “Coğrafi keşifler” (Age of Discovery) is renamed “Sömürgecilik politikaları” (colonialism policies), foregrounding the expansionist and imperial nature of European overseas ventures. The Crusades, previously described neutrally as “Haçlı seferleri” (Crusader campaigns), are now called “Haçlı saldırıları” (Crusader attacks), sharpening their portrayal as hostile incursions into Muslim lands.
National‑symbolic terms are also embedded in the new geography syllabus. “Mavi Vatan” (Blue Homeland)—the official maritime doctrine claiming broad Turkish rights in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean—replaces the more technical “su kaynaklarımız” (our water resources). Likewise, “Gök Vatan” (Sky Homeland) substitutes for “Turkey’s airspace,” reinforcing the idea of sovereign sky and sea as extensions of national territory.
A Highly Problematic Conservative‑Nationalist Worldview
These textbook revisions clearly reflect the conservative‑nationalist worldview championed by the ruling coalition in Ankara. By scrubbing or reframing terms associated with Western historiography and emphasizing Ottoman‑ era or Turkic nomenclature, the state education apparatus is shaping how a new generation understands Turkey’s past and its place in the wider world. The shift from “Byzantium” to “Eastern Roman Empire” fits into a broader campaign to re‑narrate Anatolia’s history as a continuous Greek–Byzantine–Turkish transition, with the Ottoman and modern Turkish state positioned as the legitimate inheritors of that space.
Similarly, renaming the Aegean as “Sea of the Islands” and entrenching “Mavi Vatan” language in classrooms serve both domestic and foreign‑policy objectives. Domestically, they appeal to nationalist constituencies by presenting Turkey’s maritime claims as historically grounded and morally justified. Internationally, they signal Ankara’s refusal to accept status‑quo labels, especially in the contested Aegean, where Turkey and Greece continue to spar over sovereignty and resources. In sum, the textbook changes are not merely semantic but part of a long‑running effort to align education with a conservative‑nationalist vision of identity, history, and sovereignty.
Illustration: Perplexity