AUSTRALIAN TURKIC WORLD FESTIVAL - TURKFEST
On 7 December 2025, the second TurkFest – Turkic World Festival was held at Parramatta Prince Alfred Park in Sydney, Australia, and was met with strong interest and broad participation.
At the festival, where twelve Turkic peoples were represented, emphasis was also placed on other communities sharing a common language and culture, powerfully reflecting the spirit of unity and solidarity of the Turkic World.
Organised by TurkuOz TurkFest and Turkish Schools administrators Mehmet Evin and NeÅŸe DeÄŸirmenci, representatives and cultural volunteers from Türkiye, Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, Crimea, Uzbekistan, Sakha–Yakutia, the Uyghurs, the Balkans, and Iraqi Turkmens came together. From this geography far from their ancestral and motherlands, they conveyed a strong message of unity and determination to uphold identity and culture to the entire Turkic World and the international community.
We extend our gratitude to our Consul General in Sydney, Ms Belgin ErgüneÅŸ, to the relevant civil society organisations, and to the local governments of Sydney for their participation in the festival and for their support of the organisation.
With the aim of becoming one of Sydney’s traditional cultural festivals, preparations will soon begin to hold the next event in 2026 on a date aligned with 15 December, UNESCO World Turkic Language Family Day.
UNESCO HAS DESIGNATED 15 DECEMBER AS “WORLD TURKIC LANGUAGE FAMILY DAY”!
This day will be celebrated every year on 15 December.
The date of 15 December was chosen in reference to the meeting held
on 15 December 1893, at which the Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen
announced that he had deciphered the Orkhon inscriptions for the first
time.
English translation of the introductory decision articles:
1. This item was placed on the agenda of the 222nd session of the
Executive Board at the request of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Türkiye, and Uzbekistan, and received the support of 21 Member States.
2. The date of 15 December is proposed as “World Turkic Language Family Day.” This date refers to the announcement made on 15 December 1893 by the Danish scholar Vilhelm Thomsen regarding the decipherment of the alphabet of the Orkhon Inscriptions—one of the oldest written records proving the roots of the Turkic language family. This language family has given rise, among others, to the Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen, and Uzbek languages.
3. The proclamation of “World Turkic Language Family Day” will contribute to UNESCO’s priorities in linguistic and cultural diversity, regional and global cooperation, and the safeguarding and promotion of oral traditions and forms of expression. Through this proclamation, research on the Turkic language family, awareness-raising activities, and international cooperation will gain greater momentum. It will also contribute to the promotion, within UNESCO, of the shared linguistic, cultural, and documentary heritage of Turkic-speaking States, as well as to cooperation between UNESCO and Turkic-speaking States.
4. “World Turkic Language Family Day” will be celebrated through various cultural activities—such as exhibitions, conferences, literary evenings, and artistic performances—aimed at showcasing the cultural and social value of this language family as part of the cultural diversity of Turkic-speaking States, and at raising awareness of the Turkic language family and its contributions to humanity.
5. The proclamation of “World Turkic Language Family Day” will have no financial implications for the Organization’s regular budget.
6. Having examined document 222 EX/46 Rev., the Executive Board decided to approve the proposal and include this item on the agenda of the 43rd session of the General Conference, and recommended that the General Conference, at its 43rd session, proclaim 15 December of each year as “World Turkic Language Family Day.”
The Göktürk Inscription Discovered in the Nomgon Valley (Mongolia)
Since 2019, the Turkic Academy, in collaboration with the Institute of
Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, has been conducting
archaeological excavation work in the Nomgon Valley in the Arkhangai
region of Mongolia.
In 2022, excavations at the Nomgon-2 Monument Complex led to the
discovery of the upper part of an inscription featuring Göktürk and Sogdian
scripts, among other important historical artifacts. Upon reading this inscription, a 12-line text in Göktürk script ("Kutlug Khagan Turk... God’s son...") and a 6-line text in Sogdian ("Kutlug Khagan...") were identified. These findings provide scientific evidence that the monument complex was built in honor of a khagan.
In 2023, through joint efforts of the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the lower part of the inscription was also found. However, the Göktürk inscription on the lower part has been significantly damaged and is unreadable. Fortunately, the Chinese text on the reverse side of the inscription has been partially preserved and remains legible.
The presentation of the discovered inscription was made in 2024 by the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in Ulaanbaatar. For the decipherment of the Chinese text, experts from Inner Mongolia University, Prof. Borjigitai Muren, Dr. Chui Ning, and Dr. Sugar were invited. The Chinese text on the lower part of the inscription is written from top to bottom, with the lines arranged from right to left. The section from line 3 to line 8 has been partially deciphered. The lower part of the inscription contains a total of 15 lines, with approximately 24 hieroglyphs per line (around 290-300 hieroglyphs in total).
As of January 2025, experts from Inner Mongolia University have managed to read part of the Chinese text on the lower part of the inscription. Specifically, the word “Turk” and the title “Kutlug” (Chinese pronunciation: “Gu-du-lu”) were identified in line 4.
The Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences are pleased to confirm that the Nomgon-2 Monument Complex dates back to the Göktürk period and was most likely erected in honor of Ä°lteriÅŸ Kutlug Khagan (682-692), the founder of the Second Turkic Khaganate.
The joint archaeological excavations in the Nomgon Valley between the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences will continue.
Source: International Turkic Academy
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission Published a Statement on the Common Turkic Alphabet
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission announced that the
linguistic characteristics of Turkic languages were carefully considered in
the preparation of the Common Turkic Alphabet, with attention given to
representing different phonetic features within a single alphabet.
The Commission issued a statement regarding the Common Turkic
Alphabet, which was agreed upon during a meeting held in Baku,
Azerbaijan, from September 9 to 11.
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission reached an agreement
on the proposed Common Turkic Alphabet, consisting of 34 letters.
The statement highlighted that the Commission worked meticulously on
the Common Turkic Alphabet in line with the goals stated in the
Nakhchivan Agreement and the Turkic World 2040 Vision, which aim to
facilitate communication among Turkic peoples and ensure unity in
alphabet and terminology.
The statement mentioned that the Commission held extensive discussions on various aspects of the common alphabet initiative, recalling that the 34-letter Latin-based Common Turkic Alphabet project, proposed by scholars in 1991, which accommodates the phonetic diversity of Turkic languages and facilitates ease of learning and use, was reviewed.
The statement further emphasized that with a contemporary linguistic approach, the Commission focused both on the strengths of the 34-letter Common Turkic Alphabet project and areas that require improvement. It included the following statement: "We carefully addressed the unique linguistic features of the Turkic languages and, stressing the importance of inclusiveness, ensured that different phonetic features are represented within a single alphabet. Starting from the principle that each distinct phoneme should correspond to a single letter, we aimed to create an alphabet that maximizes intelligibility and makes learning and usage easier for all speakers."
The statement also mentioned that the Commission acknowledged the necessity of including special characters to accurately represent sounds not found in the basic Latin alphabet and reached a consensus on a standard approach for these marks.
The primary goal of the statement was to formalize the agreement reached by the Commission and confirm the acceptance of the Latin-based Common Turkic Alphabet.
The statement called on all relevant stakeholders to support the accepted Common Turkic Alphabet, and it was noted that the common alphabet would be distributed to the relevant institutions of each member country and observer of the Turkic Council.
Source: Anadolu Agency
