On 3 September 2026 the international research conference “Nomadic Civilisations: Heritage, Paradigms and Prospects” opened at the Kurmanjan Datka Centre of Nomadic Civilisation as part of the VI World Nomad Games.
The conference brings together prominent scholars, researchers, members of the academic community, public figures and guests of honour from 28 countries.
The official opening began with welcoming addresses by the State Secretary of the Kyrgyz Republic Arslan Koichiev, the Secretary General of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) Sultan Raev, and the Director of the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO Doksun Kim.
The conference was moderated by the Minister of Science, Higher Education and Innovation of the Kyrgyz Republic Gulzat Ismatova.
In his address, State Secretary Arslan Koichiev stressed the importance of studying the history, culture and civilisational heritage of nomadic peoples in depth.
“Preserving the heritage of nomadic peoples is of enormous importance for our society and for future generations. We need to study the history, the unique experience and the civilisation of nomadic peoples more deeply in order to understand their contribution to world civilisation. Today's conference is an important platform for new ideas, for academic dialogue and for stronger scholarly cooperation,” Arslan Koichiev said.
The conference aims to strengthen international academic cooperation, expand research into nomadic civilisations and shape contemporary approaches to preserving, studying and developing their cultural heritage.
An international expert session with professors, rectors, researchers and guests of honour is being held as part of the conference. Participants present the findings of their research and discuss current questions of the history, culture and heritage of nomadic civilisations and their place and significance in the modern world.
Among the participants are Svanibor Pettan, professor emeritus of ethnomusicology at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and Michele Elizabeth Commercio, PhD, associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont (USA).
Eight thematic sessions devoted to different areas of research into nomadic civilisations hold a special place in the programme.
In these sessions participants discuss the place of nomadic culture in global civilisation, the preservation and popularisation of the cultural heritage of nomadic peoples, the political and legal systems of nomadic societies, new discoveries in archaeology and anthropology, traditional sports and games, and questions of sustainable development, digitisation and the preservation of cultural heritage.