This spring the National Institute of Manuscripts of Turkmenistan celebrates the 15th anniversary. By the historical criteria 15 years are the age of infancy. However, it is very significant for the large-scale work of national importance carried out by the Turkmen scientists.

In his address to the specialists of the Institute President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov focused on significant importance of this date in the country’s social and cultural life. The Turkmen leader said that the activity of the National Institute of Manuscripts of Turkmenistan, the largest scientific and cultural center in Central Asia was aimed at preserving and reviving, studying and popularizing the ancient history, culture, literature and language that constituted the cultural heritage of the Turkmen people.

The Institute takes a pride in its unique collection including over 10,000 rare manuscripts in Turkmen, Arabic, Persian and other languages. The huge wealth includes the priceless written monuments, which help to study the history and culture of the Turkmen people as well as the peoples of the East. The folios include the autographs of Andalib, Azadi, Mollanepes, Mollamurat and the other world-known Turkmen classical writers, the texts of Turkmen folklore preserved by a miracle. The book Taryh written by a historian Salyrbaba Ibn Salyr Haridari in 1553-1554 is a pearl kept at the Institute. The rare books include Nasreddin Tusi’s commentaries on Abu Ali Ibn Sina’s work dated back to 1318, the manuscripts by Abu Ali Ibn Sina and Abu Al Hasan Ali Bin Muhammed an Nazandusi as well as the book Al Muhit by Muhammed Sarahsi, which weighs 18 kilogramme, 58 cm x 3 cm and 15.5 cm thick.

Within the past 15 years the scientists of the Institute restored the unique documentary materials of the medieval Turkmen historians, the works of the outstanding writers and philosophers, prepared the masterpieces of Turkmen literature - the Book of Gorkut Ata, the collected poems created by the famous Turkmen authors, numerous destans and treatises recognized as the outstanding written monuments of the national and universal history for publication.

Since opening the Institute over 160 research works and manuscripts have been written and translated. Within the past three years over 60 books were prepared by the scientists of the Institute and the specialists of the Miras National Cultural Center for publication. Due to the specialists’ creative work we knew the names of the little-studied or unknown Turkmen thinkers and got acquainted with their priceless works. The works of great interest to the scientists all over the world include Description of the Turkic Written Manuscripts, The History of Seljuk Turkmen, the pearls of Turkmen folklore Turkmen Proverbs and Turkmen Riddles, the joint work of the Turkmen and the Armenian researchers The Armenian Source Material about Turkmen Akgounly and Garagounly States and many others.

The considerable work has been carried out to return the valuable manuscripts kept at the research centers, libraries and archives in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Iran, India, Pakistan and many other countries to Turkmenistan. Over 10,000 manuscripts, whose uniqueness and diversity are of great professional interest to the Turkmen scientists as well as the foreign specialists vividly evidencing the recognition of the role and place of Turkmen ancient culture on the world arena, are kept at the Institute.

Having established the close relations with the foreign scientists and specialists the workers of the Institute regularly go on study tours to exchange experience, to study and search for the new data and information on the relevant issues. The Institute regularly hosts the international scientific conferences. It is very important to create the favourable conditions for keeping the manuscripts exposed to the destructive effect of the time. The up-to-date equipment installed at the depository maintains the specific temperature and moisture. To prolong their life the manuscripts are scanned and saved on the electronic carriers. Restoring ancient manuscripts is the very difficult and delicate process, therefore it is very important to study and apply the technological innovations in the process. Last month the specialists of the Institute took part in the seminar on restoration of ancient manuscripts in Dubai, UAE.

The epoch of Revival prioritizing development of science, education and culture guides the work of the National Institute of Manuscripts. The priority goals set to the Institute at the current stage include training young scientists, expanding the contacts with the leading scientific centers all over the world, carrying out joint research that enable to determine the place and significance of the heritage of the Turkmen people in the world as well as using advanced technologies to collect, classify, restore and keep the historical, cultural and folklore materials.

Nowadays, the National Institute of Manuscripts of Turkmenistan opens a new page of its biography. May it be full of new remarkable discoveries and achievements that are worthy of those priceless values kept at the unique scientific center.