A presentation ceremony for the book “The First Turkological Congress of 1926: In Historical Context, Archival Documents and National Press” authored by Azerbaijani scholar and publisher, Professor Nadir Mammadli, Director of the Institute of Linguistics named after Nasimi of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), and member of the Azerbaijan Journalists Union and Azerbaijan Writers’ Union, was held at Mingachevir State University (MSU) on May 12, 2026.

The event, organized in the university’s assembly hall, brought together representatives of the Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, members of MSU’s academic and administrative staff, students, and master’s degree candidates.

The ceremony began with a one-minute silence in memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland, followed by the performance of the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Opening the event with an introductory speech, MSU Rector Anar Eminov emphasized that the First Turkological Congress was one of the landmark events in the scientific, cultural, and intellectual history of Azerbaijan and the Turkic world. He noted that the congress held in Baku in 1926 made a significant contribution to the formation of scientific, cultural, and linguistic unity among Turkic peoples and laid the foundation for a new stage in the development of Turkology.

The rector stated that the publication authored by Professor Nadir Mammadli presents a modern scientific perspective on the historic congress while contributing to a deeper study of Turkological heritage through rich archival materials and period press sources. He also highlighted that expanding scientific activities in the humanities and philology, promoting research on national and spiritual heritage, and raising awareness among young generations remain among MSU’s priority directions.

At the same time, Rector Anar Eminov highly appreciated the donation of more than 500 books to the MSU library fund by the Institute of Linguistics of ANAS and expressed gratitude to the institute’s leadership and staff for this valuable initiative. He underlined that such publications significantly contribute to enriching the university’s research environment and expanding students’ and researchers’ access to scientific resources.

Speaking afterwards, Professor Nadir Mammadli thanked the leadership of Mingachevir State University for the high-level organization of the presentation. He noted that the book comprehensively examines the socio-political environment in which the First Turkological Congress was held, the issues related to a common alphabet and literary language among Turkic-speaking peoples, and the congress’s historical role in the integration of the Turkic world. He emphasized that the publication includes archival documents, transcripts, and press materials that had remained inaccessible to the scientific community for many years. According to the professor, such studies are of particular importance for preserving the scientific heritage of Turkologist scholars who suffered repression and transmitting it to future generations.

In his speech, Professor Nadir Mammadli also highlighted the significance of studies conducted on Mahmud Kashgari’s renowned work Divanü lüğat-it-türk for the development of Turkological science. He noted that the work is not merely a dictionary, but a rich scientific and cultural monument reflecting the language, ethnography, folklore, geography, and cultural memory of Turkic peoples. According to the professor, the work contains linguistic features of Turkic tribes, dialects, proverbs, poetic samples, and one of the earliest thematic world maps.

Professor Mammadli further stated that the rediscovery of long-lost parts of the first Azerbaijani translation of the work from Arabic by Azerbaijani scholar of Uzbek origin Khalid Said Khojayev in the 1930s became a remarkable event for Turkological studies. It was emphasized that, as a result of research conducted under Nadir Mammadli’s leadership, those materials were identified in the archives of the Institute of Linguistics of ANAS and reintroduced to the scientific community.

Head of the Department of Turkic Languages of the Institute of Linguistics, Professor Ismayil Kazimov, noted in his speech that the First Turkological Congress served as an important platform for strengthening scientific and cultural solidarity among Turkic peoples. He stressed that the decisions adopted during the congress significantly influenced the future directions of Turkological studies. Professor Kazimov highly appreciated the scientific value of Nadir Mammadli’s research and described the publication as an important source for both researchers and young philologists.

In accordance with the event program, several academic presentations were subsequently delivered by MSU scholars and doctoral researchers on the historical significance of the congress, the preservation of Turkological heritage, linguistic and stylistic features of the publication, and the transition to the Latin-based alphabet.

The presentations were received with great interest by participants. Discussions mainly focused on the historical significance of the First Turkological Congress, its influence on strengthening scientific and cultural ties among Turkic peoples, the idea of transition to the Latin alphabet, the preservation of national and spiritual heritage, and the importance of Nadir Mammadli’s book as a valuable scientific source for Turkological research.

At the end of the event, participants exchanged views with the author and held discussions on the scientific and historical significance of the publication. The event concluded with a commemorative group photo.