On October 31, 2025, a presentation of the scholarly work titled "Ottoman Prisoners of War on Nargin Island During World War I (Aid Provided by Azerbaijani Turks to the Prisoners)" was held at Khazar University, organized by the Department of History and Archaeology and supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

Prof. Acad. Hamlet Isakhanli, founder of Khazar University and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Trustees, opened the event by speaking about the historical depth of Azerbaijan-Türkiye brotherhood, noting that the two fraternal peoples have always assisted each other in difficult times and that this book, prepared on the basis of archival documents, illuminates an important part of that history of mutual assistance.

TIKA President Abdullah Eren emphasized that Azerbaijani Turks came to the aid of Ottoman prisoners who were subjected to inhumane treatment and oppression by Tsarist Russia during World War I, and that this book, prepared with TIKA's support, reveals all those truths and the exceptional history of brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Associate Professor Telman Nusratoglu, Director of Khazar University's Department of History and Archaeology, chief editor of the book, and head of the scholarly project on Ottoman prisoners on Nargin Island, delivered an extensive presentation, providing information about the truths contained in archival documents included in the book and brought to the attention of the scholarly community for the first time. At the conclusion of the presentation, Dr. Raziye Isayeva, Rector of Khazar University, presented a plaque to TIKA President Abdullah Eren in recognition of his support for various scholarly projects and conferences.

The book was published by Khazar University Press. The editorial work was carried out by staff members of Khazar University's Department of History and Archaeology. The scholarly team included Assoc. Dr. Resul Kose, Assoc. Dr. Mehdi Genceli, Assoc. Dr. Sadik Cetin, Dr. Sohrab Mustafayev, Dr. Ramin Fatullayev, Dr. Orhan Baldane, Dr. Shahnaz Kamalova, as well as Azad Agaoglu, Jeyran Mammadova, Furkan Abir, and Nihad Nasirzade.

As a result of extensive research conducted in Russian, Georgian, Ottoman, and Azerbaijani archives, the book introduces numerous prisoner letters, reports, Red Crescent documents, and newspaper materials from the period into scholarly circulation for the first time. Furthermore, materials from periodicals such as "Mohtaclara Komek," "Aciq Soz," "Kaspi," "Hummet," and "Iqdam" have been transliterated and presented in the contemporary alphabet.

The work reveals through archival documents the reasons why Nargin Island became known in history as the "island of death," and the harsh conditions endured by thousands of Ottoman prisoners amid hunger, disease, and misery. The book also presents in detail, with documentation, the assistance and humanitarian activities provided to the prisoners by Azerbaijani charitable organizations such as the Baku Muslim Charitable Society, the Society for Aid to the Needy, the Nijat Educational Society, and the Ganja National Committee.

The numerous photographs and archival images included in the book—prisoners praying under the open sky, scenes of wounded being treated, activities of aid committees in Baku—shed light on the events of that period from both factual and emotional perspectives.

As noted in the introduction, this work is presented not merely as a collection of historical documents, but as a part of the conscience history of the Turkic world.