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Qabil Ashirov

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One of the priority areas of activity of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation is the large-scale promotion of the historical, cultural, and literary heritage of the Turkic world and its transmission to future generations. In pursuing this mission, the Foundation implements publishing projects of a high international standard and consistently presents its publications at prestigious book fairs and cultural platforms around the world.

Over the past two years, the Foundation has established five new book series: “Outstanding Figures of the Turkic World”, “Literary Pearls of the Turkic World”, “Scholarly Pearls of the Turkic World”, “Historical Pearls of the Turkic World” and “Diplomatic Pearls of the Turkic World”.

The first publication in the “Outstanding Figures of the Turkic World” series was the book “Heydar Aliyev and Muhammad Fuzuli”, which includes decrees and orders of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, his speeches, as well as photographs related to the jubilees of the great poet Muhammad Fuzuli. The book was published to mark the 530th anniversary of the poet. Another publication in this series was a collection of articles by the classic of 20th-century Azerbaijani literature Mir Jalal entitled “The World of Nizami Ganjavi”. Both publications were issued in the Azerbaijani language.

Within the Scholarly Pearls of the Turkic World series, the fundamental work of Mahmud al-Kashgari, “Divan Lughat al-Turk”, was published in Russian with extensive scholarly commentary. The presentation of the book took place in France at a conference jointly organized with UNESCO on the occasion of the 950th anniversary of the work’s creation. The materials of the presentation and the academic conference were also published as a separate volume. In the same series, the book “History Carved in Stone” by the renowned Kazakh scholar Darkhan Kydyrali, dedicated to inscriptions on monuments of the Turkic world, was published.

This year, within the “Historical Pearls of the Turkic World” series, the scholarly work “The Gem of Wisdom” by the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, was published. In addition, the Foundation released the book “Shusha — Historical and Cultural Heritage” by the well-known researcher Elchin Ahmadov, dedicated to the past and present of the city of Shusha, one of Azerbaijan’s most important historical and cultural centers, which has played an exceptional role in the development of the nation’s culture, arts, and spiritual life. Another notable publication in this series is the collection of scholarly articles “Coryphaei” by the prominent Kazakh scholar Sautbek Abdrakhmanov.

The Foundation attaches special importance to anniversary events held in accordance with the Decrees and Orders of the Presidents of the Turkic countries. For example, guided by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated October 22, 2025, “On the Celebration of the Centennial of the First Turkological Congress”, the Foundation prepared for publication the book “The First Turkological Congress” by Nizami Jafarov, Mahira Huseynova, and Aysel Garibli in three languages – Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Russian.

In the Literary Pearls of the Turkic World series, in 2024 the ghazals of the great poet Muhammad Fuzuli were translated into Kazakh and published under the title “Ghazals and Gasidas of Muhammad Fuzuli”. The presentation of the book took place during the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Kazakhstan. Also presented in Turkmenistan and at the 10th Baku International Book Fair were other publications of this series: the poetry collection “I'm in love” by the outstanding Turkmen poet Magtymguly Pyragy (in Turkmen and Azerbaijani), the novel “Special Assignment” by the renowned Kazakh writer Kemel Tokayev, the work “My Name Is Kozha” by the Kazakh author Berdibek Sokpakbayev, and the book of philosophical parables and essays “The Long-Awaited Happiness” by Kazakh public figure Malik Otarbayev.

This year, the poetry collection “From Time to Time” by the outstanding Kyrgyz classic Alykul Osmonov was published in Kyrgyz and Azerbaijani, with presentations held in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. In 2025, to mark the 100th anniversary of the People’s Poet of Azerbaijan Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh, his work “The Sword That Pierces Us Ourselves” was published in Azerbaijani and Turkish and presented in Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Another publication in the Literary Pearls of Turkic Literature series was the historical novel “Gultakin Khagan” by Elchin Huseynbeyli, Secretary of the Writers’ Union of Azerbaijan, dedicated to the era of the Göktürks.

The Foundation also pays special attention to multilingual publications. This year, on the instructions of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the 180th anniversary of the outstanding Kazakh poet, great thinker, and educator Abai Kunanbayev is being widely celebrated at the international level. In this regard, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has made a significant contribution by publishing the multilingual collection “Selected Poems” in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Hungarian. The book “Our Magzhan”, dedicated to the outstanding Kazakh poet Magzhan Zhumabayev, was published in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Uzbek, English, and Russian. This year, the novel “The Year of the Wolf, or We in Turkestan” by Askar Kumyran was also translated from Kazakh into Azerbaijani and published.

Recognizing the importance of academic conferences on the literary and cultural heritage of the Turkic world, the Foundation published as a separate book the proceedings of the conference “From Ashig Alasgar to Uzeyir Hajibeyli: Cultural Codes of the Turkic World”, dedicated to the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli.

The Foundation pays particular attention to the diplomatic heritage of the Turkic world. The work “The Ambassador’s Manifesto” by the distinguished Azerbaijani diplomat and statesman Hafiz Pashayev has been translated into the Kazakh language. In addition, the book “Ethnic Roots of the Azerbaijani and Hungarian Peoples” by the renowned Azerbaijani statesman Hasan Hasanov has been prepared for publication, and the study “Azerbaijan–Georgian Relations (1918–1922)” by historian Fakhri Valehoghlu has been published.

The Foundation also places great importance on encyclopedic publications. Last year, in cooperation with the Baku Music Academy, the atlas “National Musical Instruments of the Turkic Countries” was published. Another such project was the book “Ajami Nakhchivani – A Genius of Azerbaijan’s Architectural Heritage”, prepared jointly with the Union of Architects of Azerbaijan and presented at UNESCO Headquarters.

Continuing its systematic work in this field and going beyond the framework of the aforementioned series, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation is implementing a multi-volume, multilingual publishing project – the Anthology “Heritage of Turkic Folklore”, carried out within the framework of the instructions of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and supported by the Leaders of all Turkic States.

For the first time in global scholarly practice, this Anthology represents a unified, fundamental academic publication. The project is designed for three years and envisages the publication of 21 volumes in print and digital formats. At the first stage, five books of the first volume, dedicated to the heroic epics of the Turkic world, have already been published. For the first time, the anthology brings together within a unified concept the most significant examples of epics, myths, legends, traditions, and folklore of the Turkic peoples in a multinational and multilingual format, forming an integral corpus of their oral heritage and ensuring its preservation and international promotion.

Another important publication of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation this year was the first multilingual Catalogue of the Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World – “The Cultural Code of the Turkic World”. This edition was created in close cooperation with international experts and researchers and is distinguished by the fact that all presented materials were officially approved by the Foundation’s member states: each country presented its heritage objects in its national language, emphasizing authenticity and respect for its own cultural traditions. The catalogue was prepared by an authoritative international editorial team and produced in a popular-scientific format, making it accessible to a wide audience – from specialists to young people and schoolchildren.

The catalogue covers seven countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hungary, featuring ten tangible and intangible cultural heritage items from each Turkic country, for a total of 70 unique monuments and traditions. These include iconic historical sites, cultural landscapes, traditions, and crafts which, taken together, reflect the spiritual unity of the Turkic world and the diversity of its cultural expressions shaped at the crossroads of history, geography, and civilizational routes.

By publishing and translating into various world languages the works of Nizami Ganjavi, Alisher Navoi, Muhammad Fuzuli, Abay Kunanbayev, Magzhan Zhumabayev, Magtymguly Pyragy, Alykul Osmonov, Chingiz Aitmatov, Ashig Veysel, Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh, and many other classics, the Foundation widely promotes Turkic literary heritage. The Foundation also prepares special editions for children, including “The World of Nizami Ganjavi of Children”, “The Rainbow of the Turkic World” (Turkic folk tales), “My Name Is Kozha” by Berdibek Sokpakbayev, and others.

All publications issued by the Foundation are accompanied by presentation events, round tables, and academic conferences featuring in-depth discussions of the books, as well as artistic and literary performances based on selected excerpts. The published works are donated to national libraries of Turkic countries, thereby contributing to the promotion of common Turkic heritage, raising international awareness, and expanding access to the cultural legacy of the Turkic world among a broad global audience.

In conclusion, we would like to note that over the past two years, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has published approximately 50 books within the aforementioned series and other publishing projects, making a significant contribution to the preservation and international promotion of the literary and cultural heritage of the Turkic world.

Building on the achievements attained, the Foundation will continue its systematic work in this area, expanding publishing and cultural-educational initiatives aimed at promoting the literary and historical-cultural heritage of the Turkic world.