In the foreword of the book "Nevruz: The Common Heritage of the Turkic World", President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that history is the memory of nations, the stem cell of civilisations, and an unshakeable compass guiding the future.
"One of the most important elements that has made us who we are, united us, and sustained us across the centuries is our strong sense of belonging to our roots and common cultural values," said President Erdoğan, and noted the following:
"Nowruz, which we have celebrated with the same enthusiasm and excitement for hundreds of years in the lands dear to our hearts, stretching from the Adriatic shores to the Great Wall of China, from the steppes of Turkistan to the emerald-green mountains of the Balkans, is the most concrete and colourful symbol of this belonging. Nowruz is much more than a calendar page; it marks the awakening of nature from its winter slumber, the revival of the soil, and the arrival of spring. As expressed in the verses of Ashik Ali Nebi from Sivas, 'Grandchildren of Dede Korkut / Celebrate the dawns to come / We cherish all souls / Sultan Nowruz, welcome'; Nowruz is the festival of our nation's resilience and brotherhood in the face of challenges. In our faith and our vision for civilisation, Nowruz is not a day of separation and division but a day of unity and togetherness, of being strong and alive, and above all, of being brothers and sisters. Nowruz is a shared celebration of 86 million people, and of the lands dear to our hearts and the cultural geography we share beyond our borders.
Unfortunately, the last two centuries have witnessed great hardships, ordeals, and assimilation policies endured by the Turkic world and the Islamic community. We have thankfully left behind that autumn of sorrow—when our intellectuals were cast into prisons or driven into exile to be silenced, and ancient identities, tongues, and sacred values were forbidden. We have cast into history’s abyss that dark and distorted mindset of the single-party era—an era that deemed it a crime to affirm the existence of Turks beyond our borders and that even turned its fire upon its own kin at the Boraltan Bridge. Today, the torch lit by the late İsmail Gaspıralı with the words 'Unity in language, thought, and action' has transformed into a massive global power under the arch of the Organisation of Turkic States.
"We are hearts beating with one shared spirit."
President Erdoğan emphasised that embracing the Turkic world and fostering cooperation across all fields constitute the most fundamental goals of Türkiye’s foreign policy, stating, “The Turkic World Vision 2040 document we have announced consolidates our shared destiny across every domain—from politics and the economy to energy and the construction of the Middle Corridor—while recognising that true, lasting, and unshakeable ties are forged through education, science, culture, and the arts.”
Citing the landmark step of publishing Cengiz Aytmatov’s works and the Oğuznameler (a collection of epic tales of the Oghuz Turks) in the common Turkic alphabet, President Erdoğan noted, “By harmonising our curricula in history, geography, and literature, and with the invaluable efforts of our universities in the Turkic world, the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), and the Turkic Academy, we are preparing our children for the future while instilling in them a shared consciousness of our common history. We believe that once the bridges of knowledge and intellect are firmly established, the bridges of politics and economy will become indestructible monuments."
Highlighting the initiative to mark the Nowruz Festival, alongside 3 October Turkic States Cooperation Day, as a “collective commemoration and celebration day” under the Organisation of Turkic States, President Erdoğan pointed out that this step is intended to institutionalise a shared consciousness and added:
"For we are members of a great family who have woven the souls of Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre, Magtymguly Pyragy, Ahmad Javad, and Abdulhamid Cholpon from the same fabric, bringing them together under a shared horizon, bound by common struggles, joys, and ideals. Today, whether we are mourning the suffering in Gaza or igniting the flame of liberation in Karabakh, our hearts resonate with a single, unified sentiment. It gives me immense satisfaction to witness this valuable work serving such a sacred and historic purpose. I wholeheartedly believe that this book, brought to life through the contributions of our esteemed scholars from across the Turkic world, will preserve our cultural memory, inspire our youth, and serve as a firm pillar of wisdom in building the ‘Century of Türkiye’ and the ‘Century of the Turkic World.’”
President Erdoğan congratulated the AK Party Chairmanship for Relations with the Turkic States and all the academics who contributed to the publication of the book, noting, "I wish it lasting influence, and I pray that Nowruz, the herald of spring, will bring peace, serenity and prosperity to humanity, our country and the Turkic world.”
The book features 33 articles penned by 36 academics.
Containing 33 articles by 36 academics from Türkiye and abroad, it thoroughly explores the significance of Nowruz in the Turkic world, its historical legacy, and the diverse dimensions through which it embodies a shared heritage.