On February 27–28, 2026, Baku hosted a solemn meeting and an international conference dedicated to the centenary of the First Turkological Congress. The event took place in the very same historical building where Turkologist-linguists first gathered a century ago.
This large-scale forum was organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS) in collaboration with leading scientific centers, including the Yunus Emre Institute, the Turkish Language Association (TDK), Marmara University, and Khazar University.
The opening ceremony brought together the elite of modern Turkology: leaders from the International Turkic Academy, the Organization of Turkic States, the Turkish Historical Society, the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History, and other specialized institutions.
In his keynote address, the President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, emphasized that the 1926 First Turkological Congress in Baku laid the historical foundation for the scientific and cultural unity of the Turkic peoples.
Turkmenistan was represented at the conference by Davut Orazsahedov, Director of the Magtymguly Institute of Language, Literature, and National Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.
He reminded the audience that Turkmen scholars were active participants in the 1926 congress, even under the challenging conditions of that era. The decisions made back then formed the bedrock of modern Turkmen linguistics. Orazsahedov detailed the country’s achievements in philology and history during the years of Independence, noting that the study of the mother tongue is currently elevated to a priority of state policy.
Participants transitioned from historical overviews to discussing practical steps for integration. Key topics included development of the unified alphabet for Turkic languages. The speakers also advocated for terminological unification via the development of shared dictionaries to facilitate scientific and cultural exchange.
The participants exchanged views on the future publication of books, newspapers, journals, and scientific monographs in a common Turkic language.
As part of the forum, delegates visited the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature, which houses the Magtymguly Pyragy Center of Turkmen Literature. During these meetings, Azerbaijani and Turkmen scholars discussed the joint study of the literature of the two brotherly nations, the preparation of an anthology of Turkmen literature, and deeper research into the lives and works of their classic poets.
The ideas sparked 100 years ago remain not only relevant but are being transformed into concrete projects aimed at creating a unified scientific and educational space for the Turkic World in the 21st century. ///nCa, 6 March 2026 (Based on materials from the “Turkmenistan” newspaper and TURKSOY)