Conference on “The 40th Anniversary of the Migration of the Pamir Kyrgyz People to Türkiye” held in Kyrgyzstan

In cooperation of the  International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) with the  Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, the  State University of Osh and the  Turkish Kyrgyz Culture and Solidarity Association, a series of conferences on the “40th Anniversary of the Migration of the Pamir Kyrgyz People to Türkiye”  were  held in Kyrgyzstan.

The conferences which were held in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic on March 15th-16th, 2023 and in Osh, the Cultural Capital of  the Turkic World 2019 on March 18th-19th were dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye and the 40th anniversary of the resettlement of Pamir Kyrgyz people to Van city in Türkiye.

Prior to the conference, participants had the opportunity to visit an exhibition entitled “Rahmankul Khan and Ulupamir” featuring personal belongings of Rahmankul Khan and his father Japarkul who was one of the majors of Hudayar, the Khan of Kokand, his national headgear as well as  kalpaks, seals, photographs and documents. The coordination of the conferences was assumed by Prof. Dr. Kemal Polat from the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University and  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ruslan Arapbaev from   the Vice Rector of  the Osh State University.

The event gathered the Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Bishkek Şifa Gökberk Kutlu, the  Representative of  Kyrgyzstan to TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Kanat Mambetaliyev, the President of the  Culture and Solidarity Association of Kyrgyz Turks Abdulmetin Keskin, the wiseman of the Ulupamir Villageand Rahmankul Khan’s son Muhammed Arif Kutlu and the President of the Association of Meskhetian Turks of Kyrgyzstan Atamsha Dursunov.

In the opening speech Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sezai Türk conveyed the warm greetings of the Rector Prof. Dr. Alpaslan Ceylan, who was in Türkiye for meetings on the affairs of the University and said: “Rahmankul’s story is not the story of an ordinary migration. Indeed, together with his 1300 subjects he stood up against  the Soviet oppression to preserve their language, tradition and freedom, and emigrated to another homeland with his people under difficult conditions. He is he one who built a bridge of friendship between Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan. There are people whose lives only last as long as they live and there are people whose lives reach far beyond their ages.  Rahmankul Khan is definitely one of them.”

The Representative of Kyrgyzstan to TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Kanat Mambetaliyev who also took the floor at the conference said that Kyrgyzstan will never forget the fact that Türkiye welcomed Kyrgyz Turks with open arms when its kindred Kyrgyz people was facing difficult times. Prof. Dr. Mambetaliyev further added: “Today in Kyrgyzstan, the unique personality of Rahmankul Khan is recognized as  someone who deeply understood his responsibility towards his distant Motherland and his relatives, whom he selflessly loved. An indicator of this love is the fact that the Kyrgyz people of Van, who have successfully adapted to  Turkish society, have preserved their language, traditions and customs. Today, there are many Kyrgyz people who live in various places of Türkiye. Some of them are  doctors some others are scientists and military officers and while they  may be living in different parts of Türkiye, they are still preserving their ties with  Van. Türkiye became their homeland and they are now refered to as the “Kyrgyz Turks of Van” in  Turkish society.”

The participants of the conference expressed their gratitude to TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev and to the Rector of the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University Prof. Dr. Alpaslan Ceylan for organizing the conference.

Following the protocol speeches, the Representative of Kyrgyzstan to TURKSOY Prof. Dr. Kanat Mambetaliyev presented his paper on the “Historical Role of Personality and Modern Views on Rahmankul Khan”, and Prof. Dr. Osmonakun Ibraimov, Lecturer at Manas University, presented his paper on “The Life and Fate of Rahmankul Khan”.

Other papers presented at the conference were the one entitled “My Grandfather Rahmankul Khan and Leadership Qualities” by  Rahmankul Khan’s granddaughter and scholar  Abdulmukaddes Kutlu,  Abdulmetin Keskin’s paper on “Ulupamir Ayli and Its Inhabitants”, Mukaram Tashaliyeva’s “Wedding Traditions and Customs of the Pamir Kyrgyz people of the 19th and 20th Centuries”.

The conference ended after the mutual handover of souvenirs  and  photos taken as a remembrance of the day. Following the conference,  participants were taken on a  sightseeing tour in which they visited the  “Ata Beyit” memorial complex in Bishkek which is dedicated to  statesmen and political figures of Kyrgyzstan who were subjected to repression by the Soviet regime and  saw “Suleyman Too” – the Sacred Mountain which is part of the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Participants also met with Prof. Dr. Chkalbay Raimbaev, the Rector of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek University, one of TURKSOY’s working partners, which hosted a number of activities within the framework of events carried out in Osh – the Cultural Capital of  the Turkic World 2019.