The First Turkological Congress of 1926, which became one of the most significant historical milestones in Turkology, will be revisited a century later at a memorial meeting held in the same city and the same historical venue.
The memorial session titled “The 100th Anniversary of the Baku Turkological Congress,” organized through the cooperation of the Yunus Emre Institute, the Turkish Language Association, the Institute of Turkic Studies at Marmara University, Khazar University, and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, will take place in Baku on 27–28 February 2026.
The program aims to explore the scientific, cultural, and intellectual heritage of the 1926 Baku Turkological Congress, which defined the search for a unified language, alphabet, and scientific methods for the Turkic world. It will provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the century-long development of Turkology within the context of history, culture, and literature.
Loyalty to Historical Memory in a Historical Setting
The memorial session is scheduled to begin in the same hall of the historical building where the first congress was held a hundred years ago (now the Presidium building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences) and, if possible, at the exact same hour. In this regard, the program is not only an academic gathering but also carries symbolic significance aimed at preserving historical memory.
Over 60 Turkologists to Gather in Baku
With the participation of more than 60 scholars from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tatarstan, Moldova, and Albania, the meeting is organized in an interdisciplinary format. Current trends in Turkology will be discussed across nine panel sessions covering Turkic language, literature, history, culture, and folklore.
The program will feature panels named after Mahmud al-Kashgari, Ali bey Huseynzade, Ismail Gasprinsky, Abai Qunanbaiuly, Magzhan Zhumabayev, Bekir Çoban-zade, Ahmet Caferoğlu, Nasib bey Yusifbeyli, and Ayaz Ishaki. A collection of reports is planned for publication following the congress.
The 1926 Congress: The First Turkological Congress, held in Baku from February 26 to March 6, 1926, is considered one of the key stages in the Turkic world’s pursuit of a unified alphabet, common terminology, and scientific coordination. Attended by 131 delegates, the congress adopted the principle of transitioning to the Latin alphabet, as well as strategic decisions on coordinating native-language education, historical research, and folklore studies.
The congress is regarded not merely as an academic gathering but as a historical threshold in terms of the cultural integration and modernization of Turkic peoples.
High-Level Participation
The meeting is expected to be attended by ministers, academy presidents, university rectors, and representatives of international organizations, primarily from Turkey and Azerbaijan. The program aims to strengthen academic cooperation within the Turkic world and initiate discussions on new directions in the field of Turkology.
The common step in science and culture taken in Baku a hundred years ago is being revisited a century later in the same city and with the same spirit./// nCa, 26 February 2026 (in cooperation with the Embassy of Türkiye in Turkmenistan)