Tribute to medieval scholar will recreate historic map of Turkic world Extract from eldest Turkic dictionary 

Kyrgyzstan is set to mark the 1,000th anniversary of one of the most eminent Turkic scholars and linguists, Mahmud al-Kashgari, this year. As part of the commemorations, authorities in Bishkek plan to install a replica of a world map drawn in the 11th century by the renowned Turkologist, who plays a significant role in the Turkic cultural heritage.

The proposal was put forward by State Secretary Arslan Koichiev and will be carried out by the Ministry of Culture, according to Kyrgyz media reports.

Government bodies have been instructed to hold a competition to choose the best design for the reproduction of the map.

The historic map forms part of Kashgari's most famous work, the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages called "Diwan Lughat al-Turk". It was produced during the Islamic Renaissance in Central Asia and carries considerable historical and cultural importance. It depicts Lake Issyk-Kul — the endorheic saline lake in the western Tian Shan mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan, where Kashgari was born— as the center of the Earth.

It is the earliest known map of the Turkic world, showing the geographical distribution of Turkic tribes as well as their cultural and linguistic connections. The map created by al-Kashgari is unique in that it corresponds closely to the modern borders of Turkic states.

In the 11th century, the distinguished linguist, ethnographer and Turkologist Mahmud al-Kashgari travelled extensively across cities inhabited by Turkic peoples, carefully studying and recording the dialects he encountered. He gathered these words and proverbs into his comparative dictionary known as  "Compendium of the Turkic Dialects" ("Diwan Lughat al-Turk"), offering a sweeping panorama of the cultural richness of the Turkic language, which marks its 954th anniversary this year.

“Diwan Lughat al-Turk” is a unique 11th-century work created by the distinguished scholar and thinker Mahmud al-Kashgari. It is the first encyclopedic dictionary of Turkic languages, presenting around 9,000 words with Arabic equivalents, and containing extensive material on the culture, daily life, linguistics and literature of Turkic peoples.

It is worth noting that “Diwan Lughat al-Turk” is regarded as the second most significant monument of Turkic written heritage after the Orkhon inscriptions.

The dictionary has been recognized as part of the world’s documentary heritage in 2017, with UNESCO including the book in its Memory of the World program, and the celebration of its 950th anniversary was added to the organization’s list of commemorative events for 2024–2025.

By Nazrin Sadigova