The study of Turkish language, history and culture is one of the most rewarding courses available at the ANU- and the ANU is the only university in Australia that offers Turkish Studies as a distinct area of specialisation. Turkey has an ancient history and rich culture, as do the Turkic peoples, including the inhabitants of modern Turkey themselves. Much work on Turkish or Turkic studies, however, is written in the native languages of the region, so the Turkish language is key to understanding Turkey and the rest of the Turkic world. In addition to unlocking Turkey itself, Turkish facilitates an understanding of the Central Asian languages: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tuva, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Northern Cyprus (KKTC), and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region (Uyghuristan/East Turkestan), all use languages closely related to Turkish, and the great Turkic empires of the past also left many records in their own languages (not to mention the significant Turkish and Turkic minorities present virtually all over the world, from Finland to Indonesia). Thus learning Turkish is not only intellectually stimulating, but opens a whole world of travel experiences, valuable historical sources, fascinating cultural documents, and beautiful literature, to the student. In addition, the rapid rise to international prominence of Turkey, combined with the relatively small number of non-Turkish-origin speakers of the language, makes proficiency in Turkish an extremely attractive asset in certain sectors of the jobs market. Studying Turkish is not just an interesting and rewarding experience in its own right, it is also a smart choice for the student looking to the future.