The 14th International Altay Communities Symposium, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress, has kicked off at the Presidium building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS). This year's symposium focuses on "Altaic Studies: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." It is organized by ANAS and the Institute of Folklore with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), TURKSOY, the Turkish Historical Society, the International Turkic Academy and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). Scholars and specialists from 15 countries are taking part in the four-day event.
Alongside Azerbaijan, participating countries include Turkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, India, China, Japan, North Macedonia, Hungary, Germany and Russia. Opening the event, President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS),Academician Isa Habibbayli said that international scientific gatherings devoted to Altaic studies make an important contribution to the development of Turkological research around the world. He noted that holding the symposium in Baku, at the same historic venue where the First Turkological Congress was held in 1926, gives the event particular historical and academic significance.
According to Habibbeyli, discussions held a century ago on the future of the languages, history, culture and scholarly study of Turkic peoples remain relevant today. Isa Habibbayli stressed the importance of continuing the scholarly traditions established by the First Turkological Congress and enriching them through contemporary research. Habibbeyli expressed hope that the 14th International Altay Communities Symposium would further expand international academic cooperation with Azerbaijan and wished the participants success.
Professor İlhan Şahin, President of the Academic Society of the Altaic Communities and Professor at Istanbul 29 May University, said that holding the symposium in Baku was particularly meaningful. He noted that the centenary of the First Turkological Congress gave this year's meeting a special historical significance. İlhan Şahin recalled that scholars who gathered in Baku a century ago held important discussions on the languages, history, cultures and societies of Turkic peoples.
He said that the Altay Communities symposium series, now being held for the 14th time, has become an important forum for examining these issues from a scholarly perspective. This year's programme covers a wide range of subjects, including the migration and movements of Altay peoples, language, literature, history, religion and beliefs, family values and traditions. Academician Shahin Mustafayev, President of the International Turkic Academy, said the First Turkological Congress held in Baku in 1926 marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of Turkological studies.
He noted that over the past century, Turkology has moved beyond the study of language and literature to become a broad interdisciplinary field encompassing history, archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, art history, genetics and digital humanities. Shahin Mustafayev stressed the particular importance of Altay for the Turkic world, describing the region as an important reference point for studying Turkic history, languages and early cultural processes across Eurasia. He also drew attention to the distinction between preserving a shared heritage and claiming exclusive ownership of it.
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