Turkic Culture & Heritage Foundation marks Manas Day

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has celebrated Manas Day, devoted to the ancient epic of the Kyrgyz people.

"The Manas Epic and the Turkic Epic Tradition" book was presented as part of the event, Azernews reports.

The book was written by the Manas scholar and prominent poet, Adil Jamil, and was released in the Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz languages.

Many officials, deputies, ambassadors, culture and art figures, intellectuals, and media representatives took part in the event.

In her speech, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva outlined that the centuries-old sagas and epics of the Turkic people are among the richest examples of folklore in the world, along with the all-Turkic oral literature.

The foundation president valued the Manas epic as a vital part of the spirituality of the Kyrgyz people.

"Manas reflects the inner world, opinion, and thinking of the Kyrgyz people, that is, their national identity. Furthermore, Manas is the power of the Kyrgyz. It is because, in the epic, the heroic pages of the Kyrgyz, their love for the motherland, and their ever-standing desire to defend the land are manifested. On the other hand, Manas is a heritage. It is a legacy that is passed down from generation to generation, despite various obstacles, and difficulties. And finally, Manas is a factor that unites the Turkic World," she said.

Gunay Afandiyeva recalled the statements by Azerbaijani National Leader Heydar Aliyev on the 1,000th anniversary of Manas held in 1995 in Bishkek: "Our immortal epics like Manas are the eternal wealth of all mankind. The extent to which Manas belongs to the Kyrgyz people is the same for Manas belonging to the Azerbaijani people. Manas belongs to all Turkic peoples."

The foundation president underlined that the book written by Adil Jamil, a well-known scientist in the field of in-depth study of Manas, aims to bring the Turkic peoples closer together.

She also noted that the relations between the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and Kyrgyzstan, the founding member state of the organization, are strengthening day by day, adding that multiple projects are being implemented in this direction.

Speaking at the event, Kyrgyz Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Taalatbek Masadykov, noted that Manas is one of the brightest peaks of world epic art.

He emphasized that the preservation and transmission of rare values and knowledge collected in the epic, inherited from ancestors, created an opportunity for the Turkic peoples to continue their progressive development.

T. Masadykov said that the book published by the organization makes a significant contribution to the study of culture, traditions and spirit not only of the Kyrgyz people but of the entire Turkic world.

He highly appreciated the mutual friendship and cooperation of the organization with Kyrgyzstan and thanked the foundation for its support in the book publication as well as the author for his interest and in-depth research on the topic.

Kyrgyz Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kairat Osmonaliev said that scientific research of Manas and its comparative analysis with epics of other peoples are always relevant.

He stressed that the dastan was declared a cultural treasure of the world by the United Nations.

The ambassador said that this historical source, which contains a thousand-year history of Kyrgyzstan, also described the ties of friendship between the Kyrgyz people and various Turkic peoples.

In his speech, Kairat Osmonaliev also touched upon the importance of the work carried out by the foundation for the preservation of the common heritage of the Turkic world and evaluated the book as an important source for studying the features of Turkic folklore.

In their remarks, Azerbaijani MP Academician Nizami Jafarov, representative of TURKSOY Kanat Mambetaliyev, director of the Azerbaijan Institute of Folklore, Academician Muxtar Imanov, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Azerbaijan to the Organization of Turkic States, statesman Hasan Hasanov stressed the book's major role in further strengthening the ties between the Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz peoples.

The author of the book, Adil Jamil, emphasized the important role of the preservation and promotion of Turkic inscriptions in the transmission of ancient thoughts and thinking of Turkic peoples to future generations.

He expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the foundation and the embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Azerbaijan for the high-level organization and presentation of the research he has been working on for a long time.

In the artistic part of the event, Manaschi Emirtemir Tolonov, a cadet of the Heydar Aliyev Military Institute, performed excerpts from the Manas epic.

Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan Sahib Pashazada and Saule Osmonaliyeva thrilled the audience with Kyrgyz national songs and music.

Samples of Kyrgyz cuisine were also presented as part of the event. An exhibition of illustrations, dedicated to the Manas epic by the well-known Kyrgyz artist Zamir Ilipov, was of special attention.