Cultural heritage is a mirror of the history, spirit and culture of each nation. It is not only a historical source, but also a center of wealth that preserves national identity, culture, traditions and lifestyle of generations.
Destans are great works describing the life of a people, their heroic path, dreams and aspirations, historical events and personalities. It is not only a literary heritage, but also a great treasure, passing on from generation to generation the national spirit, consciousness and patriotic feelings of the people.
Such destans of the Turkmen people as "Gorkut Ata", "Gorogly", "Shasenem-Garyp", "Leyli-Mejnun", "Yusup-Ahmet" instill in the hearts of generations the values of devotion to the Motherland, heroism, friendship, courage and humanism. The inclusion of a number of Turkmen destans in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and international recognition testifies to their special place in human culture.
Studying, preserving and presenting destans to the world is an important way to enrich the cultural heritage of the people, strengthen their pride, spiritual values and promote their identity. Destans are a great treasure that brings the past of our people to the present and spiritually strengthens their future.
Durdy MAMEDOV,
chairman of the Lebap velayat Council
of the Youth organization of Turkmenistan
named after Magtymguly.
