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The historical and literary epic tales of Dede Korkut, passed on for centuries by the Oguz Turks, have been added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The announcement was made during the session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

According to the statement, The Book of Dede Korkut is “based on 12 heroic legends, stories and tales and 13 traditional musical compositions shared and transmitted across generations through oral expressions, performing arts, cultural codes and musical compositions”.

Legendary Dede Korkut appears in each story as a legendary figure and wise individual, a sage of minstrels whose words, music and expressions of wisdom relate to traditions of birth, marriage, and death. ," according to UNESCO's website. The legends carry deep knowledge of the history and culture of the Turkish-speaking countries. These legends are common and performed during various events.

The document on this nomination was jointly presented by, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

On outcomes of the session in Port Louis, the latest addition of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes following:

• Blaudruck, resist block printing and indigo dyeing in Europe (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia);

• Celebration in honor of the Budslaŭ icon of Our Lady (Budslaŭ fest) (Belarus);

• Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountain (Bosnia and Herzegovina);

• Međimurska popevka, a folksong from Međimurje (Croatia);

• Art of dry stone walling, knowledge and techniques (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland);

• The skills related to perfume in Pays de Grasse (France).

In historical memory of the Turkmen people, Gorkut Ata is a sage endowed with a prophetic gift. It is not by chance that his statue was installed at one of the main shrines of the Turkmen statehood - the Monument of Independence of Turkmenistan, among sculptures of distinguished medieval state figures, philosophers and poets of Turkmenistan. Turkmen people describes Gorkut Ata as a keeper of knowledge, customs and traditions that give people a strong sense of identity.