Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

One of the key contemporary significances of the First Turkological Congress lies in the reassessment of the structure of Turkology as a field of science. Within the framework of the congress, alongside linguistics, orthography, and methodology, reports were presented and extensively discussed in areas such as literature, art, art studies, history, philosophy, ethnography, and other disciplines, leading to the adoption of important decisions. In this regard, the First Turkological Congress served as a principal platform that defined the overall framework and development directions of Turkology.

These remarks were made by President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Academician Isa Habibbeyli, at the International Conference on Turkological Studies dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress.

He noted that although today Turkology is often primarily associated with linguistics, the First Turkological Congress established a much broader and more multifaceted system for this field: “At the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, particularly at the Institutes of Linguistics and Oriental Studies, Turkology has long developed mainly within the framework of linguistics. Currently, however, new scientific approaches and research directions are being formed, taking into account the broad format defined by the congress. One of the most significant contributions of the Turkological Congress was the promotion of a unified Latin alphabet. The first transition to the Latin alphabet in the Turkic world was carried out by the Republic of Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Today, Turkic states have adopted a unified Latin alphabet consisting of 34 letters as a common script, and the publication of books using this alphabet has significantly expanded. The Latin script continues to serve as an important bridge strengthening scientific, cultural, and information exchange among Turkic peoples in the modern era.”

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.

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