Национальная Академия Наук Азербайджана

The Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated October 22, 2025, “On the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the First Turkological Congress,” opens broad prospects for expanding and further developing relations among peoples who share common historical roots and national-spiritual values in a new historical stage.

Studying the historical lessons of the First Turkological Congress, preserving its traditions, and passing them on to new generations are relevant and significant for the modern era. In this regard, an extensive action plan has been prepared and is being implemented at the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Science and Education, and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In accordance with the implementation of the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated October 22, 2025, “On the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the First Turkological Congress,” an international scientific conference titled “Founders and Lessons of the First Turkological Congress: History and Modernity” will be held on February 27–28, 2026, in the Grand Assembly Hall of the National Academy of Sciences, located on Istiglaliyyat Street.

It should be noted that 100 years ago, the First Turkological Congress was also held in this same Grand Assembly Hall of the building on Istiglaliyyat Street, from February 26 to March 6, 1926, over a period of 10 days.

At the time, 131 prominent linguists, literary scholars, historians, ethnographers, as well as well-known poets and writers from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, the Central Asian republics, Georgia, the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, the Altai Autonomous Republic, and Yakutia participated in the First Turkological Congress. Issues of common history, literature, terminology, orthography, and ethnography were discussed, and the foundations of Turkology as a field of study were established.

On February 29, 1926, the First Turkological Congress adopted a historic decision on the introduction of a unified Latin alphabet for Turkic peoples.

The former Soviet regime exiled participants of the First Turkological Congress and sentenced many of them to death.

The international scientific conference to be held at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan on February 27–28, 2026, titled “Founders and Lessons of the First Turkological Congress: History and Modernity,” is a tribute to the memory of the prominent scholars, poets, and writers who made significant contributions to the scientific and cultural integration of Turkic peoples at the First Turkological Congress, adopted the historic decision on the transition to the Latin script, and later faced tragic fates. It also represents the triumph of their great ideals in the 21st century.

In addition to Azerbaijan, the international scientific conference will feature presentations by distinguished scholars from Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and other countries.

Participants of the international scientific conference are also expected to attend and deliver speeches at a symposium dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress at Khazar University.

Participants of the conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress will visit the grave of National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honor.

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

© All rights reserved. Reference to www.science.gov.az is required when using materials from this site.