The First Ten Years with Edirne Red

Abstract

The Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine (EJFM) is completing its 10th volume with this issue as one of the first products of the dreams of a group of academicians devoted to family medicine. Eurasian Society of Family Medicine (ESFAM) has been established in 2009 with the aim of carrying out scientific education and research activities, supporting ongoing scientific activities, and informing the society, carrying out activities for community education, and establishing a foundation to operate in this field. Shortly after its establishment, the first product of the association was organizing Trakya Family Medicine Congresses (TAHEK). At first, TAHEK was organized as a national congress in 2010 but since 2016 it became an international one with the participation of scientists from many countries (1). Next year on March 23-27, 2022 TAHEK will bring together Family Medicine academicians in Edirne for the 11th time (2). Edirne (Orestia, Orestas, Uscudama, Hadrianopolis, Edrenos, Edrenaboli, Edrene, finally Edirne) being the headquarters of ESFAM, is one of the ancient civilization centers of the world with its eight thousand years of history (3,4). After its conquest by the Turks in 1361, it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire until the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. Edirne has an important place in medical and academic history. The Complex of Sultan Bayezid II, which was opened in 1488, is one of the oldest universities in Europe with its medical faculty and hospital (5,6). In addition, the smallpox vaccine was first used in Edirne, its usage was later disseminated to Istanbul and Europe (7). Another imperial legacy that Edirne has is Edirne Red. Edirne Red was a natural dye obtained from the Rubia Tinctorum plant and very resistant to sunlight and washing, and was used in Turkish carpets and silk and cotton fabrics (8). While preparing the first issue of the Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine in 2012, we have chosen Edirne Red as the color of the cover of our journal, aiming to express our respect for the city where the association was established. Over the years, Trakya Family Medicine Congresses (TAHEK) have become one of the leading Family Medicine congresses of the Eurasian region, especially in the Balkans; It has made significant progress in becoming the meeting point of distinguished Family Medicine researchers and academicians from all over the world. During this time, our journal contributed to the dissemination of thousands of academic papers in the participating countries and increased the number of its followers. Likewise, Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine (EJFM) has enriched the international literature with many researches published over the years. It is a pride for us to express that the Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine has started to be indexed by many respected international scientific indexes. Scopus and DOAJ were added to these indexes this year. At the end of the tenth volume of our journal, we are happy to express our appreciation and gratitude to our authors, reviewers, distinguished international advisory board members, editors and all our stakeholders who shared our dreams and contributed to our products.