8 October 2026 marked 40 years since the passing of the outstanding Gagauz writer, painter, sculptor, museum specialist and cameraman Dmitry Nikolayevich Kara Choban, and 17 years since the passing of Professor Lyudmila Alexandrovna Pokrovskaya, a Turkologist.

On this day of remembrance, lecturers and students of the Department of Gagauz Philology and History paid tribute and laid flowers at the writer’s bust on the Alley of Glory in Comrat and at the memorial plaque honouring Lyudmila Alexandrovna Pokrovskaya — a close friend and collaborator of D. N. Kara Choban, an outstanding Orientalist and Turkologist, professor and internationally renowned researcher of the Gagauz language and culture.

The commemorative events continued in the village of Beshalma. The D. N. Kara Choban National Museum of History and Ethnography hosted a round table dedicated to the lives and legacy of these two outstanding figures. The meeting was organised by the museum staff.

The round table brought together:

Dmitry Nikolayevich Kara Choban’s daughter and son, who shared warm memories of their father and his invaluable contribution to preserving Gagauz culture and language;

Regional researchers, educators and students of Comrat State University;

Former students of Lyudmila Alexandrovna Pokrovskaya, library and museum staff, and people from the writer’s home community.

During the event, participants read poetry by Dmitry Nikolayevich and presented talks and recollections about the creative journeys of these two great figures, who left an indelible mark on the history and culture of the Gagauz people.

May the memory of Dmitry Nikolayevich Kara Choban and Lyudmila Alexandrovna Pokrovskaya live on!