On Sunday, 15 October 2023, the Turkish state broadcaster TRT held the premiere of documentary films “Kunyaurgench” and “In the Footsteps of the Great Seljuks, the Capital Merv” in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The premiere was attended by the Ambassador of Türkiye to Turkmenistan, Togan Oral, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan, Gismat Gezalov, the Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography of Turkmenistan, Annasahet Kakaev, the Director of the Department of External Relations of TRT, Mustafa Saritaş, the Head of the TRT Representation, Ugur Sami Gezer, representatives of the mass media, the public, and student youth. The films were met with great interest and approval from the audience.
Welcoming the audience, Ugur Sami Gezer, the head of the project, said: “The ancient cities of Merv and Köneürgenç, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, have a special place in the hearts of the Turkish and Turkmen nation as the place where the Seljuks and Ottomans started their glorious march through history. Many statesmen and thinkers, from Sultan Sanjar to Yusuf Hemedani, from our Companions to Necmeddin-i Kübra, lived in these ancient cities that we consider as our homeland. We have carried out these productions in order to follow the deep traces of civilization they left on the stage of history, to introduce the glorious historical and cultural heritage of Türkiye and Turkmenistan to the whole world and to pass them on to future generations.”
The filming and editing of the films were performed by the cameraman Ikhlas Nuriyev and his group.
The film “Köneürgenç” tells the story of the complex of historical monuments of the capital of the Khorezmshah Empire. The monuments date back to the 11th-16th centuries. These include the majestic Kutlug-Timur minaret, which is 60 meters high and 12 meters in diameter at its base, the mausoleum of Tyurabek-khanym, a masterpiece of mosaic art and much more sites. The architectural traditions expressed in the design of Kunya-Urgench echo the Seljuk architecture of Türkiye.
The film “In the Footsteps of the Great Seljuks, the Capital Merv” is devoted to the large archaeological park “Ancient Merv”. In the 11th-12th centuries, Merv, which reached its peak of development, was the capital of the ancient empire of the Great Turkmen-Seljuks, the ancestors of the Turks. The cities of the Merv oasis have had a significant impact on the cultures of Central Asia, Iran, and the Middle East for millennia.
In 1999, Ancient Merv and in 2005, Kunya-Urgench were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The documentary films, shot by the TRT Representation in Turkmenistan, vividly demonstrate the common cultural and historical origins of the Turkmen and Turkish peoples.
Earlier, the TRT team in Turkmenistan also shot documentary short films “The Pearl City of Ashgabat”, “Nejmeddin Kubra”, “Shining Karakums” and “Spiritual Sultans of Merv”.///nCa, 16 October 2023
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