Today, 2 November, the First International Turkic World Excavation Results Meeting is taking place in Gaziantep, Türkiye. The international event is organized within the framework of ARICA, the Association of Research Institutes and Centers for Archaeology of the Turkic World.
The meeting is attended by President of the Turkic Academy, Prof. Dr. Shahin Mustafayev, Director of the Turkish Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Prof. Dr Şaban Doğan, Project Manager of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Nuri Aksu, Deputy Governor of Gaziantep Province Bülent Uygur, and Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Foundation for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Nadir Alpaslan. Heads of archaeological institutes and research centres from Turkic countries, representatives of scientific organizations and specialists in archaeology are also participating in the meeting.
The organization of the first annual meeting is the result of an initiative put forward by President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev in August 2026, during the third ARICA meeting held in Bugac, Hungary. At that time, he proposed establishing a regular annual format for sharing the results of archaeological research, including presentations of scientific achievements, discussions of new discoveries and the identification of research priorities for the following year. The meeting in Gaziantep marks the first practical step towards implementing this proposal.
Addressing the meeting, Mustafayev emphasized the importance of developing a unified scientific framework for Turkic archaeology that would bring together research findings from different regions of the Turkic world. He noted that the study of shared historical heritage requires the advancement of comparative research, the harmonization of scientific approaches and stronger cooperation among archaeological institutes and research centres.
“Our goal is to establish a common scientific foundation where representatives of different countries and academic traditions can exchange knowledge and experience. ARICA should facilitate joint research, archaeological excavations and scientific projects. Its success, above all, depends on the active participation of research organizations and their willingness to work together,” the Head of the Academy noted.
The Turkic Academy initiated the establishment of ARICA in 2023 in Samarkand. Since then, the Association has consistently worked to strengthen cooperation among archaeological institutes and research centres across the Turkic world. The first meeting was held in Shusha in 2024, the second in Ankara and Gaziantep in 2025, and the third in Bugac in August 2026.
The current meeting in Gaziantep marks the beginning of a new format of regular scientific exchange aimed at ensuring continuity in research and strengthening cooperation among archaeologists of the Turkic world.
