UNESCO Declares December 15 World Day of Turkic Language Family at Historic Samarkand Session

A historic decision was made at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand: December 15 has officially been proclaimed World Day of the Turkic Language Family, to be celebrated annually around the globe.

The new international observance marks recognition of the linguistic, cultural, and historical unity shared by more than 200 million Turkic-language speakers worldwide.

The initiative, first proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, gained broad international support. According to Türkiye’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Gülnur Aybet, the decision underscores UNESCO’s commitment to multilingualism, cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue.

The proposal was co-sponsored by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and supported by 26 countries, including Turkmenistan.

The date - December 15 - was chosen to commemorate the day in 1893 when Danish scholar Wilhelm Thomsen deciphered the Orkhon inscriptions, the earliest written records of Turkic civilization dating back to the 8th century.

A special ceremony marking the creation of World Turkic Language Family Day was held during the UNESCO session, attended by representatives from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Hungary, along with international scholars and cultural organizations.

The event featured speeches by the Ambassador of Turkic Culture and Heritage and a performance by the Turan Ethno-Folklore Ensemble, celebrating the shared heritage and enduring legacy of Turkic languages and cultures.