UNESCO Celebrates the 950th Anniversary of "Diwan Lughat al-Turk" in Paris

On December 13, 2024, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation organized an international conference titled "Mapping the World in Lexicography: The 950th Anniversary of 'Diwan Lughat al-Turk'" to commemorate the 950th anniversary of "Diwan Lughat al-Turk," a priceless treasure of the Turkic world and global cultural heritage. This anniversary was included in UNESCO's list of commemorative events for 2024–2025.

The conference aimed to reassess the significance of the monumental work created by Mahmud al-Kashgari in the 11th century, emphasize its relevance in the modern era, and propose new initiatives for preserving this heritage for future generations.

In her opening remarks, Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, highlighted the importance of celebrating the 950th anniversary of "Diwan Lughat al-Turk" under UNESCO's auspices in 2024–2025. She underlined the historical value of the work and its role in promoting intercultural dialogue today. Raimkulova described Mahmud al-Kashgari's 11th-century masterpiece as an encyclopedia of the richness of Turkic languages, the wisdom of Turkic traditions, and the vibrancy of Turkic culture. She emphasized that the commemoration of the anniversary is not just a celebratory event but also a call to strengthen initiatives aimed at preserving the intangible heritage of Turkic peoples in the age of globalization.

The conference brought together ambassadors of Turkic countries accredited in France, general secretaries of national UNESCO commissions, and permanent representatives of Turkic nations to UNESCO, as well as scholars from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the Netherlands, and other countries. Representatives from UNESCO, other international organizations, and academic experts also participated, delivering presentations and speeches.

As part of the conference, a new edition of "Diwan Lughat al-Turk" was unveiled. This edition includes a translation from Arabic into Russian by renowned Arabist-Turkologists Zifa-Alua Auezova and Robert Ermers (Netherlands). Additionally, the Azerbaijani delegation presented a translation of the work into Azerbaijani. These publications were supported by the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. The outcomes of the scientific conference were published as a collection of conference materials.