THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION RAISED 100 YEARS AGO COMES TO LIFE IN THIS EXHIBITION: A JOINT PROJECT OF THE TURKIC CULTURE AND HERITAGE FOUNDATION AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF AZERBAIJAN MARKS THE CENTENARY OF THE FIRST TURKOLOGICAL CONGRESS

On July 2, 2026, the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Baku. 1926: Language, Thought, Unity", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress, was held at the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan as part of the Week of the Turkic World.

The exhibition is jointly organized by the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. The project aims to present to the wider public the historical significance of the First Turkological Congress, the shared scientific and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples, and the major milestones in the development of Turkology as an academic discipline.

Opening the event, Director of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, Academician Naila Velikhanli, noted that the First Turkological Congress was a turning point in the history of science and culture of the Turkic world and laid a scientific foundation for the study of the heritage of the Turkic peoples. In conclusion, she thanked the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan for organizing the exhibition.

President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova, representing one of the organizing institutions, presented the concept of the exhibition to the participants. She emphasized that the answer to the question "Who are the Turkic peoples, what do they aspire to, and where do they unite?" – first articulated one hundred years ago during the First Turkological Congress and becoming one of the defining intellectual questions of its era – finds its reflection in this very exhibition.

Professor Aktoty Raimkulova stressed that, for the Foundation, this exhibition is far more than a cultural project; it is a profound tribute to the shared historical memory, common roots, and rich cultural heritage of the Turkic World.

"Every document, every photograph, every exhibit presented here tells a story. Take a closer look, because within them lie the roots that unite us all", the Foundation's President concluded.

Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mrs. Saadat Yusifova then addressed the audience, emphasizing the particular importance of implementing projects of this kind, which preserve shared historical memory and strengthen cultural ties among nations.

Following the official ceremony, participants toured the exhibition.

The exhibition features key milestones in the shared history of the Turkic World, including the common cultural roots of the Turkic peoples, the alphabet reforms of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the language policy of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the New Turkic Alphabet Movement, the First Turkological Congress of 1926, the political repressions of 1937–1938, and the renewed integration of the Turkic World during the period of independence.