More than 27 Turkic communities came together in Hungary on Friday as the Great Hun-Turkic Convention opened for a three-day celebration of their shared history, cultural heritage and traditions.
The gathering, organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation, is being held in Bugac, a town in Hungary's Bacs-Kiskun region known for its steppe and grassland landscape.
The event brings together representatives of communities with Hun and Turkic roots and features a wide range of activities showcasing traditional culture, history and shared heritage.
Horseback competitions, traditional archery, mounted combat demonstrations and equestrian acrobatics are among the main attractions. The festival grounds also feature traditional tents inspired by the Hun era, handicraft exhibitions and other cultural displays.
Music and folk dances from across the Turkic world are being performed on stages and in tents representing different countries, while visitors can sample food from participating communities and try traditional archery.
Participants dressed in traditional clothing and flags representing Turkic states have added to the festival atmosphere. Many visitors have also pitched their own tents at the site for the three-day gathering.
One of the highlights of this year's event is the exhibition "From Ordos to Orseg: Treasures of the Huns, Turks and Hungarians," hosted in the Attila Tent.
The exhibition includes discoveries from recent archaeological excavations, along with newly uncovered artifacts presented through cooperation between the Turkic Academy and the Hungarian National Museum. Anthropological facial reconstructions produced using advanced technology are also being displayed at the gathering for the first time.
The program will also feature Arslanbek Sultanbekov and his orchestra performing traditional heroic songs, as well as events including "Fiery Warriors of Turan," a military parade and an archery spectacle.
Awards will be presented to winners of the various competitions, while the 2026 gathering will conclude with the lighting of a traditional sacred fire.
Admission to the three-day event is free.
Visitors from Türkiye said the gathering offered an opportunity to experience the historical and cultural connections among Turkic communities.
The convention's official opening ceremony is scheduled for Saturday and is expected to be attended by senior representatives from Türkiye and the wider Turkic world.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chair and Head of Relations with Turkic States Kürşad Zorlu, Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) President Abdullah Eren are among those expected to attend.
The gathering traces its origins to the first Turkic-Hun convention held in Kazakhstan in 2007. Subsequent larger events in Hungary attracted growing interest and developed into a tradition aimed at preserving cultural connections among communities with Hun and Turkic heritage.
