Minstrel Şeref Taşlıova

He was born in 1938, 10th of April.

After 1967, he has attended to many important annual organizations yearly like Turkish Poets Feast (for 45 years), International Istanbul Festival (for 21 years) and Yunus Emre Memorial.

In 1988, in World Art Series organized by UNESCO, he has represented Turkish poetry tradition. He already has attended to International Storytelling Festival three times in England. In 1996, 21st  to 23rd of June he has been invited to Birth of Vikings and Solstice Traditions Feast in Denmark, and only 24 country was invited. In 1996, a festival organized in Singapore was an another international event that he has been attended too.

He has won 150 medals gold and silver, 130 plates, 180 admiration certificates.

In 1983 by the Indiana University and in 1987 by the Berlin University, by reason of he is the representer of Turkish poetry tradition, his poems have  been collected.

He has introduced lots of notifications to many national and international folk literature and folklore congresses.

His published books are “Gönül Bahçesi” (1990), “Âşık Şeref Taşlıova’dan Derlenen Halk Hikâyeleri” (2008), “Âşık Şeref Taşlıova Hayatı ve Şiirleri” (2010).

He has been performed in Holland, Belgian, Luxembourg, Swiss, Swedish, Austria, Denmark, Germany, England, Singapore, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kirghizistan, Kazakhistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan.

His performances has been shot in some documentaries like “Silk Road” and “Gold Marks of History” for Japanese NHK television. He played a part of  BBC’s documantery “Alexander” for the Turkish episode. He attended to  interviews for German ATT, ZDF radios and English BBC radio. In 2001 he performed as the source person (source of information) for the National Turkish Commission of UNESCO‘s work “Storyteller and the Craft of Story Telling”

He has  made total 40 records in Turkey and Europe.

He rewarded by lots of national and international institutions and communities, some of the award names were “Artist of the year”, “Best Performer”, “Service Award”

Within the Project of Turkish National Inventory for Intangible Cultural Heritage, He has been announced as “2008 Living Human Treasure”  by UNESCO.

In 5th of  june 2010, Ardahan University organized a symposium by the name of Şeref Taşlıova as living human treasure. At the symposium he has been honored with “Honorary Doctorate for Turkish Folklore”.