Within the framework of the SDG "Quality Education", a professor of the Faculty of Oriental Studies visited Turkey on a scientific visit

From October 21 to 31, 2024, within the framework of the "SDG 4: Quality Education" program, Professor Zubaida Shadkam, Director of the "Written Monuments and Spiritual Heritage" Research Center at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, conducted significant scientific research during a business trip to Istanbul (Republic of Turkiye).

Cooperation and Scientific Research.During the visit, Professor Shadkam worked at the Istanbul University Institute of Turkic Studies (İstanbul Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları Enstitüsü), the Farabi Eurasian Studies Research Center (Farabi Avrasya Çalışmaları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi), and explored the extensive collections of the university library. The Manuscripts and Documents Library of Istanbul University houses about 20,000 manuscripts in Turkic, Arabic, Persian, and other languages, which are considered a treasure of world scientific heritage. Over 8,000 of these manuscripts have been digitized.

The head of the Manuscripts and Documents Library, Muhammad Zangali, provided exceptional support to the professor in locating the necessary manuscripts and ensured access to their digital copies. Agreements were reached to carry out joint projects and events in the future.

Conference and International Relations.As part of her visit, Professor Zubayda Shadkam delivered a presentation titled "Turkic Texts Written in Arabic Script in Kazakhstan" at a conference organized by the Istanbul University Institute of Turkic Studies. The presentation highlighted the importance of these texts as a unique part of Kazakhstan's cultural heritage and their historical role in Islamic culture, science, and education. It was emphasized that after gaining independence, Kazakhstan has placed greater emphasis on preserving and studying this heritage.

In addition to the libraries of Istanbul University, Professor Shadkam also visited the ISAM Library (Islamic Research Center) and Suleymaniye Libraries, where she examined manuscript books relevant to her research topic. From these collections, she brought back seven documents in Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish in PDF format.

This visit by Professor Zubaida Shadkam was a significant step in enhancing cultural and scientific cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkey. The data and materials obtained during the research and conference in Istanbul will provide a fresh impetus to the preservation and study of Kazakhstan's spiritual heritage. This trip has strengthened Kazakhstan's position in the global scientific community and paved the way for future international projects on cultural heritage research.

14.11.2024
N.N. Kairanbayeva