OPENING OF THE THEMATIC EXPOSITION
“1926–2026: THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST BAKU TURKOLOGICAL CONGRESS”
Date: May 22, 2026, 15:00
Venue: National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
(Samal-1, 44, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan)
Organizers:
Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation
National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (hereinafter – the Foundation), jointly with the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter – the Museum), will hold the ceremonial opening of the thematic exposition entitled “1926–2026: The 100th Anniversary of the First Baku Turkological Congress” on May 22, 2026, at 15:00 in the Museum premises. The exposition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Baku Turkological Congress — one of the largest and most significant historical events in the spiritual and cultural life of the Turkic world in the early 20th century.
Within the framework of this landmark event, bringing together distinguished scholars of the Turkic world as well as representatives of international and national organizations, a unique exhibition reflecting the shared historical memory, scholarly continuity, and spiritual unity of the Turkic peoples will be presented to the residents and guests of Almaty for one month.
The principal value of the exhibition lies in the systematic presentation of rare documents and photographic materials preserved in the collections of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan and the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The official protocols, reports, periodical press materials, and visual sources included in the exposition comprehensively reveal the scientific, organizational, and ideological scope of the First Turkological Congress. Furthermore, these archival materials provide deeper insight into the cultural revival of the Turkic peoples during the 1920s–1930s, including the historical process of introducing the new Latin-based alphabet in Kazakhstan.
Among the 130 delegates who participated in the Congress were prominent representatives of the Kazakh intelligentsia, including Akhmet Baitursynov, Nazyr Torekulov,
Eldes Omarov, Bilyal Suleyev, and other distinguished figures. They actively contributed to discussions on the key issues of the agenda and made an invaluable contribution to shaping the future development of Turkological studies. The scholarly legacy of these outstanding personalities laid a solid foundation for the subsequent development of Kazakh linguistics, literary studies, education, and methodological reforms.
Today, this invaluable heritage, which served the spiritual development of the nation, is regarded not only as a treasure of Kazakhstan, but also as a common cultural and scientific legacy of the entire Turkic world.
In accordance with the instruction given by the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States during the 12th Summit held on October 6–7, 2025, in Gabala, regarding the broad celebration throughout 2026 of the 100th anniversary of the First All-Union Turkological Congress across the brotherly Turkic states, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation is implementing a number of systematic international projects in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and other countries.
As part of these large-scale initiatives, the Foundation, jointly with the Turkic Academy, TÜRKSOY, the Turkish Language Association, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Baku State University, will organize the International Turkological Conference entitled “The Legacy of the First Baku Turkological Congress and the Turkic World in the 21st Century” in Almaty on May 21–22, 2026. In addition, the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan will host the ceremonial presentation of the scholarly work “The First Turkological Congress” authored by Azerbaijani scholars Nizami Jafarov, Mahira Huseynova, and Aysel Garibli, as well as the visual chronicle “1926–2026: The 100th Anniversary of the First Baku Turkological Congress.”
Contact Information:
+7 705 802 20 58 (Serik Nurmolda, Representative of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation)
+ 7 700 573 30 11 (Kuralay Murat, PR-manager)
_____________(Representative of the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan)