[5] In 1937, upon Atatürk's demand, Tankut attended an Anthropology and Archaeology Conference in Bucharest, to introduce the Sun Language Theory.

[10] In 1940 on another journey which included visiting Bitlis, he noticed with satisfaction that the Sharafname of the Kurdish author Sharaf Khan Bidlisi was not read anymore by the local population.

[11][8] During his lifetime he published several ethnological studies about the Zazas, Kurds and the Alevis,[12] and books about the Sun Language Theory.

[13] He also served several terms in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as a representative for the provinces Muş, (1931-1935), Maraș[14](1935-1950), Hatay (1950-1954), and Mardin (1957-1960).

[2] In 1940 he undertook a journey to the provinces of Siirt, Van, Bitlis and Muş in order to secure the loyalty of the population in the case an eventual participation in the World War II.