Today, an international scientific conference titled “The Role of Peace and Trust in Mahmud al-Kashgari’s work “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” took place at the Magtymguly Turkmen State University. The event was jointly organized by the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, the Academy of Sciences of our country, and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.
The forum was attended by Leyla Hasanova, project manager at the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation; Hero of Turkmenistan and Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, Ph.D. in Philosophy Chynar Rustemova; Director of the Magtymguly Institute of Language, Literature and National Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, Davut Orazsakhedov, as well as scientists and researchers from our country. In addition, scientists and researchers from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Iran, Uzbekistan, India, and Moldova joined the conference online.
As noted in the speeches, Mahmud al-Kashgari is one of the outstanding scholars of Eastern literature. He is a figure recognized at the international level. His famous work “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” (“Compendium of the Turkic Dialects”) is currently being studied in depth around the world. Compiling this dictionary, considered a jewel of linguistic heritage, took the master many years. To write this work, Mahmud al-Kashgari undertook numerous journeys and collected an enormous amount of information. He deeply studied the languages and dialects of Turkic peoples.
This remarkable work, which thoroughly examines various issues of the history, literature and language of Turkic peoples from a scientific perspective, tells the historical origins of words, proverbs, and sayings that we use in everyday life. Reading this work allows us to delve deeper into the history, as well as the characteristics and uniqueness of our native language and literary art. This book is an invaluable treasure, serving as an important guide confirming the ancient roots of the language, literature, traditions, and culture of the Turkic peoples.
It is known that on December 13, 2024, an international conference titled “Mapping the World in Lexicography: on the 950th anniversary of the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The forum was dedicated to the 950th anniversary of the first encyclopedic dictionary of the Turkic language – Mahmud al-Kashgari’s “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk”, a valuable treasure of the Turkic world and global cultural heritage, as well as the inclusion of this anniversary in UNESCO’s list of commemorative dates for 2024–2025.
Speaking about this remarkable work of Mahmud al-Kashgari, the scientific star of the East, Hero-Arkadag notes in his book “Culture – the Invaluable Treasure of the Nation”: “The book “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” by Mahmud Kashgari is one of the most remarkable examples of world culture.” Moreover, this work by the famous linguistic scholar is mentioned in several books by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag, including “Turkmen Culture”, “Hakyda Göwheri”, “The Meaning of My Life”, “The Continuation of the Meaning of My Life”, and “Turkmenistan – the Heart of the Great Silk Road”.
In his work “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk”, Mahmud al-Kashgari thoroughly examined both the ancient and contemporary forms of each word at that time, along with their semantic features. Special attention was given to the customs, living conditions, and folk art of the Turkmen-Oguz people. The dictionary includes, alongside the linguistic wealth of other peoples, Turkmen-Oguz words, proverbs, sayings, and fragments of poetry. The work contains around 300 proverbs and poetic verses, most of which were popular among the Turkmen-Oguz at the time. These proverbs are still actively used today. The literary excerpts included in the work reflect the wise teachings characteristic of the Turkmen people: unity, hospitality, respect for elders, mastery of professions, reverence for mentors, and doing good deeds.
As noted in her speech by the Hero of Turkmenistan and Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, Chynar Rustemova, Mahmud al-Kashgari is a figure whose respect and recognition grow with each passing year, and his work “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” is a shining jewel of the scientific world.
Speakers expressed their gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag, for creating opportunities in the country for the preservation, scholarly study, revival, and popularization of the national heritage of the Turkmen people throughout the world.
