On 24 June, we welcomed Zulfiya Suleimenova, Kazakhstan’s Special Representative for International Environmental Cooperation and former Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources, to Oxford. During her visit, she met with Joseph Bull, Professor in Climate Change Biology, to discuss the potential for collaborative projects. The meeting focused on exploring opportunities for joint research initiatives and knowledge…

Originally published on the Humanities Division website On 25th January, the Kazakh Minister of Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wolfson College and Oxford Birsöz Initative in support of furthering the study of Kazakh language, culture, and history at the University of Oxford. Ambassador Magzhan Ilyasssov, as well as other educational leaders from Kazakhstan were in attendance where Sir Tim Hitchens signed the…

Birsöz was delighted to receive a delegation from the Baitursunuly Institute of Linguistics led by Professor Anar Fazyljan between 20–26 February 2024. The delegation also included Kyzdarkhan Rysbergen, Sarsenbay Kurbanov, Elmira Utebayeva, Madina Abayeva, Meruert Imangazina, and Didar Sadyk.  The delegation held meetings with scholars, students, and other personnel within the University. They also had the opportunity to…

On Thursday 25 January, the Kazakh Minister of Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wolfson College and Birsöz. This MoU acts in support of and in parallel with the creation of a Central Asian and Turkic Studies Research Cluster at Wolfson.  The event involved cross-disciplinary dialogue, including potential introduction of Kazakh language teaching, and…

Birsöz was delighted to welcome the newly appointed Uzbek ambassador to the UK, Ravshan Usmanov, to Oxford, where he met the President of Wolfson College, Sir Tim Hitchens, and was given an expert presentation by Nicholas Kontovas of the ancient Uzbek manuscripts held by the Bodleian.  The Ambassador was informed about the Alp Jamol Uzbek Language Programme, which was…

Kazakh media reports on our preliminary efforts to introduce Kazakh language teaching at Oxford in collaboration with the Linguistics Institute of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences. Watch: Оксфорд университеті студенттері мен оқытушыларына қазақ тілін оқытады

Birsöz is very pleased to have organised the trip of three students from Oxford to spend time at Narxoz University in Almaty, meeting students and academics, sharing their research, and exploring opportunities for the study of Kazakhstan, its language, culture and history.

BBC News Uzbek visited us on 7 September and produced a delightful video about the introduction of the Alp Jamol Uzbek Language Programme at Oxford. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX7lKdYNe_4 Янгиликлар: Оксфорд университетида Ўзбек тили ва адабиёти дарслари – бунақаси тарихда илк бор

Four members of Birsöz and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies – Zeynep Yürekli, Emine Çakır, Aslı Niyazioğlu, and Leyla Najafzada – visited Uzbekistan from 16-21 July 2023 at the generous invitation of the Alp Jamol family. They had the pleasure of touring Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, and having meetings with important institutions in the…

Birsöz visited Almaty from 15–17 April 2023 to establish a collaboration with the Institute of Linguistics of the Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan for the development of Kazakh language materials with the aim of teaching Kazakh as a foreign language in the University of Oxford. Leyla Najafzada met with the director of the Linguistics Institute, Anar Fazyljan…