National days
Holidays, state days and days of remembrance — the calendar of the Turkic world, month by month.
March
March 121921
Historical event
Türkiye — Adoption of the National Anthem
On 12 March 1921 the Grand National Assembly adopted Mehmet Akif Ersoy's İstiklal Marşı as the national anthem.
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May
May 291453
Historical event
Conquest of Constantinople
The army of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror took Constantinople, which became the Ottoman capital as Istanbul.
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July
July 221875
Historical event
Azerbaijan — National Press Day
On 22 July 1875 Hasan bey Zardabi published Akinchi in Baku, the first newspaper in the Azerbaijani language.
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August
August 261071
Historical event
Battle of Manzikert
The Seljuk army under Sultan Alp Arslan defeated the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes. The victory opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement.
Read more →August 291991
Historical event
Kazakhstan — Closure of the Semipalatinsk Test Site
On 29 August 1991 the Semipalatinsk site, scene of 456 nuclear tests, was closed. The UN has declared the day the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
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September
September 151918
Historical event
Liberation of Baku (1918)
On 15 September 1918 the Caucasus Islamic Army under Nuri Pasha liberated Baku, which became the capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Read more →September 261932
Historical event
Türkiye — Language Day
On 26 September 1932 the First Turkish Language Congress opened in Istanbul. The day is celebrated as the festival of the Turkish language.
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October
October 21991
Historical event
Kazakhstan — Flight of the first Kazakh cosmonaut
On 2 October 1991 Toktar Aubakirov flew into space from Baikonur aboard Soyuz TM-13.
Read more →October 32009
Historical event
Founding of the Organization of Turkic States
On 3 October 2009 the Nakhchivan Agreement founded the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, renamed the Organization of Turkic States in 2021.
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December
December 151893
Historical event
Decipherment of the Orkhon inscriptions
Danish scholar Vilhelm Thomsen announced in Copenhagen that he had deciphered the Old Turkic (Orkhon) script, opening the oldest written monuments of Turkic.
December 171986
Historical event
Kazakhstan — Jeltoqsan protests
On 17 December 1986 young people took to the square in Almaty to protest Moscow's choice of leader. The protests were crushed by force.
Read more →December 231994
Historical event
Autonomy of Gagauzia
Moldova's parliament passed the law on the special legal status of Gagauzia, giving the Gagauz an autonomy with its capital at Comrat.
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