The Turkish Presidency has announced that the 2026 Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards will be presented in honor of the Kurdish poet Ehmede Xani, Avesta Publishing house stated on Sunday.

The award will be accepted on his behalf by Abdullah Keskin, owner of Avesta Publishing.

Ehmede Xani was a Kurdish poet and mystic best known for his work Mem û Zîn.

Read More: The Ehmede Xani Yearbook

Written toward the end of the 17th century, Mem û Zîn is regarded as an important work in the development of Kurdish national thought.

Published in 1692, Mem û Zîn is an epic poem of cultural, literary, and historical importance; it is often considered the Kurdish Romeo and Juliet, just as Xani is sometimes considered the Kurdish Shakespeare.

In October, the Association of American Publishers also awarded Avesta Publishing House, which is based in Türkiye, the 2026 AAP International Freedom to Publish Award. 

Avesta Publishing was founded in Istanbul in 1995 by Kurdish intellectuals.