Our Living Language Heritage: Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish in Afghanistan

The 22nd anniversary of Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish gaining official status in the 2004 Afghan Constitution was celebrated by the Dostum Foundation at the Yunus Emre Cultural Centre Hall in Keçiören, Ankara, on 4 January 2026. The event was co-hosted by the children of Afghanistan's former First Vice President, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum: Batur Dostum, Muhammed Yar Dostum, and Raile Dostum.

Businessman Said Harun Sadaat contributed to the organisation of the event. I would like to express my honour at being invited to the event in my capacity as former Training Advisor to the NATO Afghanistan Jawzjan Provincial Reconstruction Team. The event was attended by former ministers, former governors, former members of parliament who had served in Afghanistan, Deputy Chairman of the Afghanistan Junbesh Party Gul Muhammad Erkin, Representative of the Vahdat Islami Mardum Afghanistan Party Qader Eskandari, former Deputy National Security Advisor of Afghanistan Enver Sadat, Member of the Political Committee of the Afghanistan Junbesh Party Abdulhamid Muradi, Associate Professor Dr. İzzetullah Zeki, lecturer in the Department of Islamic History and Arts at the Faculty of Theology at MAKÜ, over 50 expert academic staff who had completed their master's and doctoral studies in Turkey alongside former high-level bureaucrats who had served in Afghanistan, Afghan and Turkish citizens, Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Language Association Harun Şahin and former head of the Migration Administration Gökhan Akyıldız were present.

There are 14 ethnic groups in the Afghan national anthem.

When I started working as an education advisor in Afghanistan in 2011, the first thing that caught my attention was that the names of the 14 ethnic groups living in Afghanistan were mentioned in the Afghan national anthem. These are: 1. Pashtun, 2. Tajik, 3. Hazara, 4. Uzbek, 5. Turkmen, 6. Baloch, 7. Pashai, 8. Nuristani, 9. Aymak, 10. Arab, 11. Qizilbash, 12. Gucer, 13. Brahui, 14. The names of the Hindkis are included in the Afghan National Anthem.

Official languages in Afghanistan

According to the provisions of Article 16 of the 2004 Afghan Constitution, two official languages have been accepted throughout Afghanistan. The first official language is Pashto, and the second official language is Dari. At the same time, depending on the regions where they are spoken, Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Baluchi, Pashto, Nuristani and Pamiri languages, have taken their place among the regional official languages.

Opening Speech by Raila Dostum, President of the Dostum Foundation

In her opening speech, Raila Dostum said:

"Language is not just a means of communication. Language is the most important building block that makes speaking peoples into nations and keeps nations together. The inclusion of Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish among the official languages has not been easy. This right, which the Turkic peoples who speak Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish have obtained with patience, resilience, sacrifice and at great cost, has gained official status. The fierce struggle waged by Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, former First Vice President of Afghanistan, played a significant role in this. In Afghanistan, Uzbek and Turkmen have not been given the importance they deserve. Sufficient and qualified teachers have not been trained and appointed. Textbooks and supplementary teaching materials have not been provided by the state. We all know that it is our duty to preserve and protect Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish." he stated.

Other speakers emphasised the importance of language, that serving Turkish is serving Turkicness and Islam, and the place of Turkic peoples living in Afghanistan in Turkish history and their importance today.

Closing speech by Batur Dostum

The closing speech was delivered by Batur Dostum, President of the Cünbiş-i Milli Islam Afghanistan Party and Founding President of the Dostum Foundation. Batur Dostum stated, "They fought for equal and honourable citizenship in Afghanistan, that Communism came in 1992 and the Taliban came in 2021 through a great conspiracy. He stated that Afghanistan had been handed over to an international terrorist organisation, that Turkish signs had been removed from the universities in Jawzjan and Samangan by the Taliban administration in Afghanistan in recent months, that the bust of our national figure Ali Shir Nava'i had been destroyed, that the headquarters of the brave leader Marshal Dostum had been converted into schools and universities, The Taliban administration brought Pashtuns from other regions and settled them in cities and villages in northern Afghanistan where Turkic people lived, that the real owners of these lands were the Turkic people, that efforts were being made to divide the Cümbüş Party, and that despite the pressure and threats, they would not stop serving the Turkic people of Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

A leader in Afghanistan who loves Turan...

Abdulkerim Mahdum, who was the spiritual leader of the Turkmen living in Afghanistan and who passed away on 30 September 2019, also known as the Caliph of Kızılayak, served two terms as a member of parliament. He ensured that Turkish language education was provided in schools in Afghanistan and that two hours of broadcasting were provided in the Turkmen and Uzbek languages on Afghan National Radio. two hours of broadcasting in the Turkmen and Uzbek languages on Afghan National Radio.

During his years of service in Afghanistan

While serving as an education consultant in Afghanistan between 2011 and 2014, I had the opportunity to examine the weekly lesson distribution schedules in Afghanistan.

The Afghan education system consists of two levels of primary education. Grades 1, 2, and 3 constitute the first stage; grades 4, 5, and 6 constitute the second stage. Middle school consists of grades 7, 8, and 9; high school consists of grades 10, 11, and 12. In the Weekly Lesson Distribution Schedule, the First Official Language was taught for 6 hours in the first stage of primary education, 5 hours in the second stage, 3 hours in middle school classes, and 2 hours in high school classes. The second official language was not taught in the first stage of primary education, but was taught for 3 hours per week in the second stage and 3 hours per week in middle and high school classes.

The third official language was included among the language courses in the Weekly Lesson Distribution Schedule, but the number of hours per week was not specified in the schedule. However, the explanation below the timetable clarifies this point:

Regional official languages will be taught as follows, according to the regions to which they belong. In the first and second stages of primary education (grades 1-6), 3 hours per week will be taught in addition to regular lessons, and in secondary school (grades 7-9), 2 hours per week will be taught in addition to regular lessons. In the 10th grade of high school, it will be taught for 2 hours per week in addition to regular classes, while it was not included in the 11th and 12th grades. Students who accepted Pashto as their first language were expected to choose Dari as their second language. Foreign language education courses were to be determined by the relevant Education Directorates in consultation with the Ministry.

Turkey was providing education in Uzbek and Turkmen Turkish in 48 schools of various levels in Afghanistan through TIKA. At that time, girls were also able to attend school.

I remember with respect and gratitude those who served our Turkishness and our Turkish language. May God protect and exalt the Turks...