Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation preparing digital catalog of Turkic cultural heritage

By Meiramgul Kussainova

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AA) - The head of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation said the group is preparing a digital catalog of tangible and intangible cultural heritage for the Turkic world.

The foundation headquarters in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku wants to preserve, restore and promote the cultural heritage of the Turkic world across different domains, Aktoty Raimkulova told Anadolu in Kazakhstan.

"We have well-trained experts in fields such as history, archaeology, architecture, art, and folklore in our countries. Therefore, we need their expertise to preserve our common cultural heritage," he said.

Raimkulova said the catalog follows direct instructions from the heads of state at the Eighth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Istanbul on Nov.12, 2021.

"A working group comprising experts from Turkic states has been formed, and work has commenced. The list and catalog of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Turkic world will be available both digitally and in print," he said.

On projects planned this year by the foundation, Raimkulova said the group would organize training for restorers from the Turkic world in Istanbul, focusing particularly on palace restoration.

In cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the foundation plans to conduct a training program based on the restoration of a 12th-century Quran preserved in the National Library in Almaty, said Raimkulova.

Raimkulova noted that the foundation would host an international conference at UNESCO to mark the 950th anniversary of the writing of Divanu Lugati't-Turk -- the first Turkish dictionary written by Kashgari Mahmud.

Raimkulova, who is also the former Culture Minister of Kazakhstan, was appointed president of the foundation at the 10th Summit of the Heads of State of the OTS in November in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.