The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage included telling tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/ Molla Nesreddin/ Molla Ependi/ Apendi/ Afendi Kozhanasyr Anecdotes in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 17th session in the capital of Morocco.
According to MFA Kazakhstan, This element is submitted jointly by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Khoja Nasreddin is an oriental folklore character, the hero of short humorous and satirical miniatures and anecdotes, and sometimes of household tales. He combines an internally contradictory image of an anti-hero, a vagabond, freethinker, rebel, foolish man, cunning man, trickster and even a philosopher, mocking human vices, misers, prudes and hypocrites.
Nasreddin anecdotes often break with accepted norms, with the narrator finding unexpected ways out of complicated situations and always coming out as the winner by the power of word.
Although there are slight differences across communities in terms of imagery, character names and stories, the key features are shared as a common heritage in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. ///nCa, 2 December 2022