The international scientific conference «Ancient culture of Anau», which took place today in the Culture centre of Anau city of Ak bugday etrap of Akhal velayat, became one of the main events on the occasion of declaration of the city as cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024.

As known, the given decision was adopted unanimously following the results of the 39th session of the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of member countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY).

Famous cities for antiquity receive an honourable title of cultural capital, whose rich history, which is inseparably linked with the process of formation of Turkic speaking countries, nowadays is a general property of the Turkic world and serves popularisation of culture and art of our people in the world.

For participation in the large scale forum organised by the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, famous historians, archaeologists, ethnographers, orientalists, eminent professors and young scientists, as well as representatives of museums from foreign countries, including the United States of America, Russian Federation, Germany, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and others were invited.

Within their stay on the hospitable Turkmen land numerous visitors took part in the celebrations, organized the day before in honour of assignment of the status of cultural capital of the Turkic world this year to Anau city as well as visited open air monuments: the ancient fortress of Anau and the mosque of Seyit Jemaletdin – a famous architectural complex «House of Beauty» with its unique ornaments. 

This medieval monument, the mosaic decor of which testified to the great skill of local builders and development of architectural art of that time, as a result of devastating earthquake of 1948 greatly suffered, but anyway remains one of the most attractive places for pilgrims from every corner of the globe.

The beginning of the scientific forum started with familiarization with the exhibition devoted to culture of Anau developed at the entrance to the building. The exhibits presented there, including curiosities from museum funds, reflected the rich colour and many-sided nature of the richest cultural heritage of Turkmen people passed on from generation to generation and by that managed to keep up to now its original primordially national traditions.

The special attention was given to carpet products amazing with their beauty and meticulousness of execution, skilful national embroideries, products of national decorative and applied art, in which one can still elements of surprising ornamental art, characteristic of Anau culture.

As known, it is this ancient culture, to which President Serdar Berdimuhamedov devoted his new book «Änew - müňýyllyklardan gözbaş alýan medeniýet» («Anau - culture from depths of millennia»), which has been published just one of these days.

The work, which has incorporated the invaluable data, became a symbolical gift to the Turkmen people this year, which is marked with the 300th birthday anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi and declared by the decision of TURKSOY  as year of this great poet and thinker of the Turkic world.

In his welcoming message to participants of the opening ceremony of actions on the occasion of announcement of Anau city as cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024, the President of Turkmenistan underlined importance of cultural-humanitarian dialogue with members of the world community, especially with Turkic states and expressed confidence that present cultural actions will even more strongly strengthen friendship and brotherhood bonds between TURKSOY member countries.

As the head of the state underlined in his message, Anau - one of the ancient cities, which played a wonderful role in the glorious history of our people.

On the margins of the plenary session, the gathered with great interest heard memoirs of Lisa Pumpelly - legendary Raphael Pumpelly’s  great-granddaughter thanks to whom, the culture of Anau has found world popularity and has for ever entered into scientific terminology.

Discoveries made during archaeological excavations carried out by him in 1904, were stunning for that time. Having defined development of archaeology for decades forward, they are still of great importance for study of history of humanity.

As was marked in speeches, burial mounds of Anau consist of several layers of human activity, each of which contains unique features of the epoch. The remains of grains of wheat and barley, which had ascertained that ak bugday (white wheat) was selected in Anau, became sensation.

As known, this discovery has allowed to make a conclusion that Central Asia is one of the first regions on the earth where cultivated species of the grain were used. Thus, people of ancient settled agricultural culture of Anau, ancestors of Turkmen people, became one of the first in the history of humanity who began to cultivate wheat and to bake bread of white flour.

At the end of her speech, Liza Pumpelly conveyed words of gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people Hero-Arkadag as well as all Turkmen nationals for the careful attitude to the history and memory of Raphael Pumpelly and other outstanding scientists who have brought an invaluable contribution to study of rich cultural heritage of Turkmen people.

President of the International Turkic Academy Dr. Shahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the Korea-Central Asia Friendship Association Mrs. Lee Ok Ryon and others, who spoke then,  also expressed their gratitude to the Turkmen party for the hospitality and fine organisation of present actions, which become a weighty contribution not only to popularisation of the richest historical and cultural heritage of Turkmen people, but also become an important contribution to further consolidation of bonds of friendship and brotherhoods between Turkic speaking people.

On completion of the plenary session, conference continued its work in two sections: «Study and research of culture of Anau in the Era of Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State» and «Culture of Anau in ancient and Middle Ages».

As was marked in the reports, study of monuments of this earliest farming cultures began in the late XIX century when for the first time in 1886 head of the Transcaspian region general A.V.Komarov paid attention to two high hills nearby the fortress of Anau.

The unique archaeological materials received as a result of complex expedition made subsequently by R.Pumpelly, long time remained a basic source for study of eneolithic complexes of Central Asia.

Discovery of culture of Anau had rather a great significance not only for Turkmenistan, but also for study of history of agricultural culture of the entire ancient East.

It is not without reason that ancient hills of Anau recognised as one of the first and developed centres of human civilisation, remained in the focus of attention of scientists throughout the entire XX century. Obtaining of independence by Turkmenistan started a new stage in exploration of these unique monuments and created many opportunities for fruitful interaction of Turkmen historians and archaeologists with their foreign colleagues.

In the book «Änew - müňýyllyklardan gözbaş alýan medeniýet»,  which came into light in many respects thanks to the data collected by Hero-Arkadag from historical sources, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov focused attention on world famous archaeologists, in particular, R.Pumpelly, V.Masson and V.Sarianidi, discoveries which confirm the great past of our people.

As was marked, the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov happened to work with them and their descendants, to participate in organisation of archaeological expeditions to different corners of the country, as a whole to promote their researches, which declared to the whole world of antiquity and glory of the Turkmen land.

In the late 1990-ties and early 2000, archaeological researches on the northern hill of Anau were carried out by the Turkmen-American expedition under the leadership of famous archaeologist Frederick Hibert following the results of which a special scientific monograph was published.

Having become one more guest of honour of the present conference, this researcher underlined an exclusive importance of innovative researches of professor Raphael Pumpelly in the scientific light during his excavation at the site of ancient settlement of Anau and noted that recent archaeological works here and the Central Kopet Dagh have completely confirmed their accuracy - the Akhal region was an important centre of one of the developed and unique ancient civilisations in Eurasia.

Deputy Director of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences Natalia Solovyova in turn pointed out that the territory of Turkmenistan since ancient times was an important centre of cultural genesis where there was an epoch-making change of cultural standards, interaction of various worlds that found reflexion in enormous quantity of archaeological monuments of world value, which draw attention of researchers from every corner of the globe.

In particular, the excavation carried out by joint efforts of the Russian and Turkmen experts, not only promotes success of archaeological science, but also serves the further strengthening of cultural and humanitarian links of Russia and Turkmenistan.

As known, now in the country several international archaeological expeditions work. Local scientists and experts together with their foreign colleagues study cultural layers of archaeological monuments, which have in a considerable quantity remained on open spaces of the Turkmen land.

Being invaluable national property, monuments of the great past reflect spiritually historical experience of the people, sign marks of Turkmen statehood and serve as the certificate of the huge contribution of our ancestors in world civilisation development.

The fact of inclusion of Turkmen monuments Ancient Merv, Koneurgench and Nisa - in the List of the World Heritage of UNESCO testifies to the international recognition of the highest value of objects of cultural heritage of our country.

In the general opinion, Anau, also being one of the greatest archaeological monuments of Turkmenistan, should be kept as evidence of ancient culture of the region.

The main message of all speakers was that the Turkmen land, which yielded rich harvests, is one of the most ancient cradles of world agriculture.

So, at the place where by the undeniable evidence of scientists the most ancient centre of irrigated agriculture settled, in July, 2005 the first and unique museum of wheat museum in the world - the national museum «Ak bugday» was opened. By its architectural embodiment, this unique building reminds a sheaf of wheat, which crowns a huge golden ear reaching for the sky.

The most important exhibit of the unique collection collected here are grains of wheat found in 1904 by Raphael Pumpelly's expedition and grown on the Turkmen land in the 5th millennium B.C., that is seven thousand years ago.

Here one can also see the finds, which were made in other agricultural settlements of the Kopetdag valley. These are stone grinders, manual mill millstones, a bronze mattock and knife, churns, fragments of ceramic ware, other instruments of labour and house utensils.

Conducted researches testify to existing cultural interaction of settled farmers and steppe cattlemen of the Central Asian region during the Eneolithic and Bronze epoch.

It is remarkable that today here, in the national museum «Ak bugday», within the  celebrations on the occasion of declaration of Anau as cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024, one more conference with participation of heads of state and national museums of TURKSOY member countries took place.

As was marked, thanks to the favourable geographical position, the territory of modern Turkmenistan from time immemorial has been the place of crossing of trading routes and cultural traditions of the West and the East, an important link of the Great Silk road as well as the land, which gave birth to great scientists, philosophers and poets.

During the new historical epoch, our country again displays a special role, carrying out responsible mission - to promote mutual understanding and trust between the people by means of consolidation of traditional cultural relations.

In Era of Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State, the history, material and spiritual heritage of ancestors, become a subject of national pride of Turkmen people, are carefully studied on a scientific basis.

So, in his book «Medeniýet halkyň kalbydyr», National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov accurately expressed his views of the cultural policy, spiritual development and national traditions.

Formation of the state ideology based first of all on cultural wealth of Turkmen people, remains among priority areas of the many-sided policy of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who worthily continues the initiatives of Hero-Arkadag.

Today, the country carries out a great deal of work to study comprehensively, preserve and popularise the richest national historical and cultural heritage in the world and the fact of announcement of Anau city cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024 became its next acknowledgement.

Taking an opportunity, the gathered expressed their sincere gratitude to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty Hero-Arkadag for a high organizational level of the festivities as well as for the many-sided activity aimed at expansion of many-sided cooperation of Turkic speaking countries, strengthening of bonds of friendship and brotherhood of their people, popularisation of national property, general cultural traditions and spiritual-moral values.

Participants of the forum expressed their sincere admiration with modern Anau, which draws attention not only with its glorious history of thousands of years, but also with its present wonderful look.

According to scientists, each handful of the Anau soil is really a true treasure, which possesses invaluable finds, which, probably, in the future will throw more light on unsolved secrets of history.

All materials of the forum were published as a separate collection.

At the end of the international scientific conference «Ancient culture of Anau», its participants prepared their message to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.