Scientific and social life in the traditional madrasahs (The case of Siirt and Ağrı)

Madrasa education has been one of the predominant educational institutions in the Islamic world for centuries. The education, which was carried out through mosque-centered activities in the early periods of Islam, later continued in madrasas as independent and closed-form education. Madrasas, which were established in many parts of Anatolia during the Seljuk and Beylik periods, became more systematic during the Ottoman period. However, they were closed with the Tevhid-i Tedrisat law during the Republic period. Nevertheless, madrasas that have continued to exist in practice until today have been encountered. Madrasas located in the Eastern and Southeastern regions of Turkey continue their activities based on volunteering as a social and educational reality in today's Turkey, beyond being a historical reality. This study aims to examine the institutional structure, administrative bodies, educators, curricula, teaching techniques, teaching periods, and relationships with the community of some madrasas in the Eastern and Southeastern regions of Turkey from the perspective of stakeholders and analyze the current situation in different dimensions. In the study, a case study, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was utilized to identify the participants' views and experiences on the subject. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis techniques. As a result of the data analysis, it was understood that the institutions are still preferred with strong demand depending on the number of students in the madrasa and the education offered here is considered important by a section of the community. Stakeholders see the educational environment they are in as an advantage, and the teachers think that the functioning of the environment they are in is beneficial.