At the initiative of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the International Exchange Program titled “Network of Turkic Restoration and Conservation Laboratories” was organized.

Held in Ankara and Istanbul, the main objective of the program was to share Türkiye’s technical expertise in fields such as archaeometry, the restoration and conservation of movable and immovable archaeological and architectural monuments, and underwater archaeology with representatives of participating countries, as well as to expand joint efforts aimed at preserving the material heritage of the Turkic world.

Within the framework of the program, representatives of cultural institutions, research scholars, and experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Hungary, and Turkmenistan participated in meetings organized at the following institutions:

Ankara Regional Restoration and Conservation Laboratory

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and Ethnography

Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University (Gölbaşı)

Laboratory for the Conservation and Research of Historical Materials (MAKLAB)

Middle East Technical University (METU/ODTÜ)

Photogrammetry Laboratory

Istanbul Restoration and Conservation Center and Regional Laboratories Directorate

Istanbul University Laboratory for the Study of Shipwrecks

AMS Laboratory under TÜBİTAK-MAM

DATU – Natural Dye Analysis Laboratories

Participants became closely acquainted with the activities and technical capacities of these laboratories.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by a delegation from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), the Azerbaijan State Tourism Agency, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS was represented by its Leading Researcher, Dr. Jeyhun Eminli, PhD in History.

On the final day of the program, representatives of the participating states delivered presentations and shared their experiences in preserving Turkic heritage.

The closing ceremony was attended by:

Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation

Nabi Avcı, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkic World Foundation (TDV)

Gökhan Yazgı, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye

Cultural heritage experts from various parts of the Turkic world

In her closing remarks, President Aktoty Raimkulova emphasized that the program serves as an important platform for strengthening professional cooperation in the field of cultural heritage preservation across the Turkic world. She noted that restoration and conservation laboratories play a crucial role in safeguarding architectural monuments, historical artifacts, and collective cultural memory, and that such initiatives establish a sustainable foundation for long-term cooperation among Turkic states.

The program concluded with a working seminar and certificate award ceremony held at the historic Hekimbaşı Hunting Pavilion in Ümraniye.

It is worth noting that the event was supported by institutions such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Turkic World Foundation (TDV).