The State Library of the State Cultural Centre of Turkmenistan hosted a round table discussion on the topic «Kitap – gymmaty egsilmejek hazyna» about the attitude of Turkmens to the book as a priceless treasure and source of wise thoughts.
Participants of the event noted that throughout its centuries-old history, the Turkmen people have always valued spiritual values and placed them above material wealth. In this regard, they reminded the story of the famous Turkmen writer Nurmyrat Saryhanov «The Book», which contains an artistic narrative about how people highly valued the poems of the great poet Magtymguly Fragi and how his creative heritage was preserved.
The story says that on instructions from the Institute of Literature, the author traveled around the regions, looking for ancient manuscripts and books. One day, fate threw him into the depths of the Garagum Desert, into a small cattle-breeding village lying among the sands. Residents of the village said that old Velmyrat Aga has a book, which, according to him, should be kept in a golden chest, because «any word in it is worth a camel and a baby camel».
The old man said that in his youth, having heard the verses from the book, without hesitation, he gave up his only camel-nurse for her and kept her for forty years in the carpet closet of his house. For many years no one could read it, but even the illiterate in the village treasured the books and did not want to part with them. We don’t read it ourselves, but when our sons grow up, they will read it, they said.
So Velmyrat-Aga, the owner of the handwritten treasure, did not agree to part with the family heirloom for any money, and the author of the story had to rewrite Magtymguly’s poems without bending over for two weeks. Then he brought them to Ashgabat, where scientists added many others to them, collected from Turkmen villages, so that a large book was published - a complete collection of poems by the great poet. So that this book is read by the entire Turkmen people and then translated into other languages.
The story «The Book» by the talented Turkmen writer Nurmyrat Saryhanov, who lived a short but bright creative life, ends with prophetic words that Magtymguly’s immortal poems will be heard throughout the world, that all cultured people will own the precious treasure of our literature.
