Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A ceremony was held in the Keçiören district of Ankara to unveil a monument dedicated to Alisher Navoi, the renowned poet and thinker of the Uzbek people.

According to Dunyo News Agency, the event, organized at the initiative of the President of Turkey, was attended by representatives from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the international cultural organization TURKSOY, the city and district administration of Ankara, Turkish university rectors, linguists, and the local community.

Uzbekistan’s Ambassador Alisher Azamkhodjaev expressed gratitude to the former mayor of Keçiören, Turgut Altınok, the current mayor, Mesut Ozarslan, and the director of the Alisher Navoi Research Center at Başkent University, Professor Abdurakhman Gozal, for their contributions to the establishment of the monument.

The event highlighted the significant work undertaken under the initiative of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to deeply study and promote the legacy of Alisher Navoi both in Uzbekistan and abroad. In 2021, the International Alisher Navoi Prize was established within the Organization of Turkic States, and an international public fund named after Alisher Navoi was created. Plans are underway to open the International Institute of Alisher Navoi and its overseas branches to promote the Uzbek language, culture, and traditions.

Monuments to Alisher Navoi have already been installed in cities such as Moscow, Dushanbe, Astana, Tokyo, Minsk, Shanghai, Seoul, and Baku.

During the ceremony, excerpts from the poet’s rubaiyat and ghazals were read, and poetic discussions, or "mushaira," were organized.