"Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World Meets in Turkistan: Divanu Lugati’t-Turk Exhibition"
"Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World Meets in Turkistan: Divanu Lugati’t-Turk Exhibition"
The spiritual capital of the Turkic world, Turkistan, is hosting the exhibition "The Beginning of Wisdom is Language: Divanu Lugati’t-Turk", specially organized to mark the 950th anniversary of the writing of Kashgari Mahmud’s Divanu Lugati’t-Turk dictionary.
The exhibition, held in cooperation with the Turkic World Foundation and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, previously attracted great interest in Bishkek and Astana, and is now open to visitors in the city of Turkistan, Kazakhstan.
The exhibition, opened at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, is also supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
In her opening speech, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Aktoty Raimkulova, emphasized that Divanu Lugati’t-Turk is a work that strengthens the common cultural identity of Turkic peoples.
“As a foundation, we are proud to reintroduce this ancient work, which offers unique insights into the daily life, culture, and traditions of Turkic peoples, in its 950th year,” Raimkulova said.
President Raimkulova also extended her gratitude to Nabi Avcı, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkic World Foundation, as well as to TİKA and YTB, for their collaboration on the exhibition.
Türkiye’s Consul General in Turkistan, İlker Pak, reminded that the soul of a nation lives in its language, stating, “It is our shared responsibility to preserve and carry forward the richness of our Turkish language rooted in our heritage.”
Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Turkic World Foundation, Osman Özsoy, also highlighted in his speech that Divanu Lugati’t-Turk is not only a dictionary, but also a document of civilization: “The work contains nearly 250 proverbs. Ten of these, selected as examples, are presented to visitors in the exhibition. The fact that proverbs like ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ and ‘Drop by drop, a lake is formed’ are used both in Anatolia and in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan points to our common language and cultural unity.”
Rector of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Janar Temirbekova, expressed her delight in hosting such a meaningful exhibition.
The exhibition presents the historical journey and content of Divanu Lugati’t-Turk, which serves as a collective memory of the Turkic world, in detail to its visitors.
The exhibition also includes a facsimile replica of the work, prepared in accordance with the original, selected words and proverbs from Divanu Lugati’t-Turk, and a modern interpretation of the world map centered on the Turkic world drawn by Kashgari Mahmud.
Within the scope of the work—which holds the distinction of being the first dictionary of the Turkish language written in the 11th century by Kashgari Mahmud—objects, thematic costumes, and contemporary designs that offer clues about the aesthetic understanding, clothing style, and social life of the period are also on display.
Women’s and men’s clothing specially designed by fashion designer Ezgi Karayel, inspired by the details in the Divan, visually bridge the past and the present.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors until June 30.