Opening of Nomadic History Conference Takes Place in Astana

Today in Astana, as part of the World Nomad Games 2024, the opening of the scientific conference “Nomads: History, Knowledge, Lessons” took place, where the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, Nurbek Sayasat, delivered a welcoming speech, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

In his address, he emphasized the importance of new research in the field of nomadic civilization and drew attention to the support of this direction from the President of the country.

The Minister highlighted a major project to create a seven-volume history of Kazakhstan, based on new archaeological finds and partnerships with leading historical centers.

Nurbek Sayasat noted the successful cooperation with the Vatican Library and Archives, where unique records related to Central Asia were discovered.

He also spoke about the trend of rethinking the history of nomads in Western science, mentioning famous scholars such as Frederick Starr and Alexander Morrison, who have shown great interest in studying the role of nomadic peoples in world history.

“The world, especially Western historical science, which has dominated for a long time, is currently undergoing a rethinking. There is an understanding that the great states and empires created by nomads, such as the Turkic empires, occupy an important place in world history. This was a huge layer that remained underestimated for a long time. We have a lot of work ahead of us, colleagues, to fill this misunderstanding of the importance of nomadic civilization,” says Sayasat.

Kairat Zakiryanov, President of the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism, also spoke. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of expanding the scientific component of the Nomad Games. He noted that within the framework of these events, it is necessary not only to develop sports competitions, but also to pay attention to the study of a huge layer of nomadic history, which still requires comprehensive analysis.

The conference will last three days and will bring together scholars from 12 countries who will present their research and re-examine historical facts about nomads.