“DIVAN LUGHAT AL-TURK” EXHIBITION OPENS AS A PERMANENT DISPLAY: THE LEGACY OF MAHMUD KASHGARI TO LIVE ON AT ISSYK-KUL

On September 30, 2026, an opening ceremony was held for the permanent exhibition dedicated to Divan Lughat al-Turk at the Kurmanjan Datka Nomadic Civilization Center, located in the Issyk-Kul Region of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The travelling exhibition, first presented in Bishkek in 2024 and subsequently displayed in Astana and Turkistan in 2025–2026, will now be permanently housed at Issyk-Kul. The project was implemented at the initiative of the First Lady of the Kyrgyz Republic, Her Excellency Mrs. Aigul Japarova.

The project was implemented by the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Turkic World Foundation.

President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova, delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. The President of the Foundation expressed her satisfaction that the exhibition, whose journey began in Bishkek in 2024, had now found a permanent home at Issyk-Kul. She described Divan Lughat al-Turk as an important window into the cultural and linguistic world of the Turkic peoples, emphasizing the significance of the exhibition in transmitting their shared heritage to future generations.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Kyrgyz Republic Mustafa Kemal Ökem, President of TİKA Abdullah Eren, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Turkic World Foundation Osman Özsoy, and Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic Soyuzbek Nadyrbekov. In their remarks, they highlighted Mahmud Kashgari’s historical connection with Issyk-Kul and the Barskan region, the importance of his work in the collective memory of the Turkic world, as well as the exhibition’s contribution to promoting and preserving Turkic cultural heritage in the region.

The opening ceremony was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kyrgyz Republic, representatives of state and cultural institutions, scholars, as well as local and international guests.

The opening of the permanent Divan Lughat al-Turk exhibition at Issyk-Kul is of great importance for transmitting the legacy of Mahmud Kashgari to future generations and preserving the shared cultural memory of the Turkic world.

The participants expressed confidence that the exhibition would become a space for a living dialogue between history and the present day, offering visitors an opportunity to discover the richness and distinctive character of the Turkic world.