Prof. Dr. Shahin Mustafayev: “The First Turkology Congress Successfully Accomplished the Historic Task of Transitioning Turkic Peoples to the Latin Alphabet”
President of the International Turkic Academy, Prof. Dr. Shahin Mustafayev delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the international scientific conference entitled “The Founders and Lessons of the First Turkology Congress: History and Modernity,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkology Congress and held in Baku.
Below is the text of his address:
“Distinguished members of the presidium, dear participants of the conference,
On behalf of the International Turkic Academy, I extend my heartfelt greetings to you.
First and foremost, I would like to sincerely congratulate the organizers of this significant and distinguished scientific conference.
Exactly one hundred years ago, in this very magnificent hall, the First Turkology Congress commenced its work — an event that holds an exceptional place not only in the history of Azerbaijan, but also in the history of the entire Turkic world.
Certainly, the historical conditions of that period, the reasons for convening the Congress, and the political context surrounding it — including the underlying intentions of the Soviet leadership and the Bolshevik Party — allow it to be assessed from various perspectives.
However, one fact remains indisputable: the outcomes of the Congress marked a turning point in the scientific and cultural development of the Turkic peoples, as well as in the broad dissemination of education and literacy among Turkic communities. In this regard, the First Turkology Congress played an outstanding role in the cultural history of the twentieth century.
The Congress occupies a special place in the history of the Turkic peoples for a number of reasons. A careful study of its documents shows that, despite the organizers’ adherence to Bolshevik ideology, they attached particular importance to the historical mission of the Congress and, in many instances, accurately assessed its significance both scientifically and politically. This was made possible by the relatively greater freedom of thought and expression that existed in the Soviet Union in the mid-1920s.
The historical importance of the Congress is vividly reflected in the words of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Samad Agha Agamalioglu, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan, who stated in his opening address:
“For the first time in history, representatives of all Turkic-Tatar peoples have had the opportunity to gather at a fraternal congress to discuss and resolve the most important and pressing issues concerning their culture. Never before in the entire history of the Turkic-Tatar peoples has such an event taken place.”
Indeed, in 1926, for the first time, representatives of all Turkic peoples — intellectuals, scholars, statesmen, and public figures — gathered in Baku to jointly discuss matters of shared history, culture, ethnography, Turkic languages, and alphabet reform, and to adopt decisions of great importance.
Another crucial aspect of the Congress was the recognition of the need for profound cultural and economic advancement among the Turkic peoples. It became imperative to overcome backwardness in literacy and cultural development. Addressing the historical causes of this situation, Mirza Davud Huseynov, Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan, spoke on this issue at the Congress:
«The Turkic peoples, in terms of population, occupy one of the leading positions among the nations of the Soviet Union. It is easy to see that they inhabit vast territories – from the Altai Mountains to the great Volga River, from the majestic Caucasus Mountains to the beautiful Crimea.
In the recent past, only about ten years ago, these peoples lived under the heavy yoke of the Tsarist regime. As is well known, Tsarism oppressed not only Russian workers and peasants but all other nations as well. This oppression was felt particularly sharply by national minorities.
It is also known that the Tsarist government pursued a policy of Russification towards all non-Russian peoples. Its essence was the attempt to eliminate non-Russian peoples and assimilate them into Russian culture. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain the Tsarist government’s annexation of the territories of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. Nor could one otherwise explain the fact that even the word “Turk” was prohibited by the Tsarist authorities; it was considered illegal.».
At an important international meeting attended by Russian state and scientific figures, openly stating this historical truth about the past and the fate of the Turkic peoples undoubtedly required courage. Considering this, it is unsurprising that by the late 1930s, not only the scholars who participated in the Kurultai but also the representatives of the Soviet state and the Bolshevik Party who organized the event were subjected to harsh repression and purges. The participants of the Kurultai and the witnesses of this meeting, whether they openly expressed similar views or merely heard them, were declared enemies of the new Stalinist policies in the 1930s and could not escape the wave of repression.
Another important aspect of the historical significance of the Turkological Kurultai is its connection to the issues of alphabet, orthography, and terminology of Turkic languages, as well as the need to take measures aimed at enlightening the masses, increasing literacy, and, especially, expanding education in the mother tongue.
In his speech, Mirza Davud Huseynov noted:
“Our peoples, especially the Turks, face extremely serious difficulties in the spheres of culture and literacy. Even in the most advanced republics, such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, literacy levels amount to only 10–15 percent. Yet we could have advanced much further, and our experience shows that literacy is what we need most. In this matter, we face a major obstacle – our alphabet, that is, the Arabic script. Everyone recognizes that, at least in its current form, this alphabet represents a significant barrier for us.”
On this issue, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR) Gazanfer Musabekov also spoke in his opening address:
“The Turkological Kurultai faces tasks of practical significance. These are not only major objectives such as the development of language, terminology, and the elimination of illiteracy, but also the organization of education in the mother tongue in secondary and higher educational institutions, and the translation of textbooks into national languages. These important efforts often encounter the problem of insufficiently developed language and terminology. In addressing these crucial issues, we place great hopes in the Turkological Kurultai.”
Thus, the First Turkology Congress was aimed at resolving the most pressing issues of the scientific and cultural life of the Turkic peoples and, in particular, successfully accomplished the historic task of transitioning Turkic peoples to the Latin alphabet. Although these achievements were interrupted during the period of political repression in 1939, the significance of the Congress was not forgotten. After many Turkic peoples regained their independence in 1991, the issue of adopting the Latin alphabet once again came to the forefront.
I am proud to note that in 2023, at the initiative of the International Turkic Academy and the Organization of Turkic States, the Interstate Commission on the Common Turkic Alphabet was established. The Academy worked closely with language institutes, the Turkish Language Association, and leading linguists throughout this process. As a result, on 11 September 2024, at the Commission’s third meeting in Baku, a Common Turkic Alphabet based on Latin script and consisting of 34 letters was adopted.
In this way, the International Turkic Academy and its partner institutions have, at least in part, fulfilled their duty to the participants of the 1926 Congress and to the cherished memory of the great intellectuals who devoted their lives to the enlightenment of our peoples and the development of our national culture.
May the Almighty grant mercy to all our great enlighteners, educators, and scholars who dedicated their lives to this noble cause.
Today’s conference demonstrates that their ideals continue to live on and that their work endures.
