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Laman Ismayilova

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The 14th International Altay Communities Symposium, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress, has kicked off at the Presidium building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).

This year's symposium focuses on "Altaic Studies: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." It is organized by ANAS and the Institute of Folklore with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), TURKSOY, the Turkish Historical Society, the International Turkic Academy and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).

Scholars and specialists from 15 countries are taking part in the four-day event. Alongside Azerbaijan, participating countries include Turkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, India, China, Japan, North Macedonia, Hungary, Germany and Russia.

Opening the event, President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS),Academician Isa Habibbayli said that international scientific gatherings devoted to Altaic studies make an important contribution to the development of Turkological research around the world.

He noted that holding the symposium in Baku, at the same historic venue where the First Turkological Congress was held in 1926, gives the event particular historical and academic significance. According to Habibbeyli, discussions held a century ago on the future of the languages, history, culture and scholarly study of Turkic peoples remain relevant today.

Isa Habibbayli stressed the importance of continuing the scholarly traditions established by the First Turkological Congress and enriching them through contemporary research. Habibbeyli expressed hope that the 14th International Altay Communities Symposium would further expand international academic cooperation with Azerbaijan and wished the participants success.

Professor İlhan Şahin, President of the Academic Society of the Altaic Communities and Professor at Istanbul 29 May University, said that holding the symposium in Baku was particularly meaningful. He noted that the centenary of the First Turkological Congress gave this year's meeting a special historical significance.

İlhan Şahin recalled that scholars who gathered in Baku a century ago held important discussions on the languages, history, cultures and societies of Turkic peoples. He said that the Altay Communities symposium series, now being held for the 14th time, has become an important forum for examining these issues from a scholarly perspective.

This year's programme covers a wide range of subjects, including the migration and movements of Altay peoples, language, literature, history, religion and beliefs, family values and traditions.

Academician Shahin Mustafayev, President of the International Turkic Academy, said the First Turkological Congress held in Baku in 1926 marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of Turkological studies.

He noted that over the past century, Turkology has moved beyond the study of language and literature to become a broad interdisciplinary field encompassing history, archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, art history, genetics and digital humanities.

Shahin Mustafayev stressed the particular importance of Altay for the Turkic world, describing the region as an important reference point for studying Turkic history, languages and early cultural processes across Eurasia.

He also drew attention to the distinction between preserving a shared heritage and claiming exclusive ownership of it. According to Mustafayev, historical and cultural heritage should not be presented as the exclusive property of any single people or state.

Shahin Mustafayev pointed out that the research on Altay should instead be based on an open and comparative scholarly approach that takes into account historical contacts and cultural exchanges among different peoples.

Other speakers at the opening included Alptekin Cihangir İşbilir, Counsellor at the Embassy of Turkiye in Azerbaijan; Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation; Professor Haluk Selvi, President of the Turkish Historical Society; Academician Govhar Bakhshaliyeva, Acting Vice President of ANAS; and Halit Eren, former President of TIKA.

The speakers stressed the importance of studying the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Altay communities in greater depth and expanding the exchange of academic experience.

The symposium also features discussions on various aspects of the history, culture and civilizational heritage of the Altay communities, which played an important role in the historical and cultural development of Eurasia.

Over the four-day programme, scholars and specialists from 15 countries are expected to deliver a total of 121 presentations.

Note that the First Turkological Congress, held in Baku from February 26 to March 6, 1926.

The historic congress gathered 131 delegates, including linguists, historians, ethnographers, writers, scholars, and public figures from Turkic-speaking regions of the former Soviet Union, along with invited participants from abroad.

Among its landmark achievements was support for adopting a Latin-based alphabet for Turkic languages. Participants endorsed replacing the Arabic script with a common Latin alphabet to promote literacy, improve language standardisation, and advance modern education.

The congress also played a defining role in establishing Turkic linguistics as a modern academic field by encouraging research into grammar, dialectology, etymology, and comparative language studies.

In addition, it strengthened scholarly ties among researchers from across the Turkic world, fostering lasting academic cooperation and cultural exchange.

The discussions held during the congress also helped advance the study of Turkic history, culture, folklore, and ethnography, providing an important foundation for future research into the shared heritage of Turkic peoples.