Archaeologists have found the remains of two medieval cities in the mountains of eastern Uzbekistan, a discovery that could shift our understanding of the ancient Silk Road, as this trade route between the East and West was long believed to have linked lowland cities, BBC News reported in October 2024. But using remote sensing technology,
‘The Legends of Great Silk Road: Adventures of the Spirit of Time’ is a new book by Uzbek author Gulchekhra-Begim Makhmudova, published in English by Hertfordshire Press in London. This book gives an opportunity to discover for your children (and for yourself) the magical world of the legendary Great Silk Road. In ‘Adventures of the
Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, has been included in CNN Travel’s list of 25 destinations that are particularly worth visiting in 2025. According to CNN Travel, Central Asia’s dramatic landscapes and unique urban centers are proving to be particularly alluring. Leading the way is Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, which has become the region’s new “Capital of Cool”.
On December 15, the European Union Delegation in Turkmenistan hosted an annual open-air Christmas Book Fair. The event, held in the Delegation’s front yard, brought together the local community to enjoy books, charity, and holiday cheer. The fair attracted a large crowd who browsed a wide selection of books from popular Ashgabat bookstores. Particularly popular
The Hertfordshire Press Award for outstanding achievements in shaping and promoting the literary heritage of the Eurasian countries in the international space took place on November 29 during the 8th international festival Eurasian Creative Week in Greenock, Scotland. The festival events and award ceremony brought together creative people and diplomats from 15 countries. Literary figures
At the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Asunción, Paraguay on December 4, the traditional Kazakh wedding ritual Betashar was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “Betashar is one of the most vivid and widespread rituals in the living
From 28 to 30 November, the XIII Eurasian Creative Week took place in Greenock, Scotland. The event brought together artists, writers, poets, diplomats and creative figures from 15 countries: Canada, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Israel, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Scotland, England, and Ukraine. The festival included exhibitions, book presentations, an award ceremony, and a film screening.
The Hertfordshire Press Award for outstanding achievements in shaping and promoting the literary heritage of the Eurasian countries in the international space took place on November 29 during the 8th international festival Eurasian Creative Week in Greenock, Scotland. The festival events and awards ceremony brought together creative people and diplomats from 15 countries. Literary figures
On November 27, the opening ceremony of the IX European Film Festival took place at the National Palace of Cinema Arts in Tashkent. This year marks the 30th anniversary of official relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan, and the IX European Film Festival has become one of the crucial events dedicated to this important
The European Film Festival, held as part of the European Union Culture Days in Ashgabat, concluded this week. The festival, implemented in collaboration with the “European Film Festival” Project, the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, the Embassy of France, and the French Institute in Turkmenistan, opened with the animated film Icarus and the Minotaur, which
The Days of European Culture commenced in Ashgabat on November 18, organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, European Union Member States, including the Embassy of Germany and the Embassy of France in Turkmenistan, and the French Institute in Turkmenistan. From 18 to
The U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan announced a new partnership with the Cultural Heritage Agency of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation to support the conservation and restoration of the Sher-Dor Madrasah in Samarkand. The proposal submitted by the Cultural Heritage Agency of Uzbekistan was selected during a global competition and constitutes the largest
Director Carrie Kendall from Great Britain presented her new short documentary film, From Havering to Burabay, about Kazakhstan’s Burabay National Park. Created as part of her participation in the international festival “Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art,” the film became a real cultural bridge between the two countries. The film was shot over the course
A ceremony was held at the Library of Congress in Washington on October 22 where the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States, Yerzhan Ashikbayev, presented a collection of books dedicated to the culture, history, and literary heritage of Kazakhstan as a gift, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. The event was attended by President of
U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick on October 15 visited Khojayli, Karakalpakstan, to celebrate the reopening of the newly reinforced structure of the Khalif Erejep Mausoleum. The International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) received an U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant to restore this critically vulnerable structure. The U.S. Embassy provided approximately
An exhibition, The Silk Roads, opened on September 26 at the British Museum in London, showcasing rare artifacts from Uzbekistan’s museum collections, among other exhibits. Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition and said: “It is a great honor for me to participate in the opening of
The Museum-reserve Aziret Sultan in the city of Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan will now be under state protection according to a decree signed by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov. The famous historical mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi is the first Kazakhstani site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and belongs to the
The 4th International Festival ‘Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art 2024,’ organized by the British non-profit organization Eurasian Creative Guild (London), was held in the city of Shchuchinsk and the village of Burabay in Kazakhstan’s Borovoye resort area on September 15-18. The event brought together more than 50 poets, prose writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers
A special issue of OCA Magazine dedicated to Jizzakh has been published in London. In the pages of OCA Magazine: Jizzakh, writers from Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, India, Bulgaria, and Finland addressed issues of heritage, history, economy, culture, and cuisine of one of Uzbekistan’s most promising regions. Jizzakh has historically been
Kyrgyzstan’s Culture Minister Altynbek Maksutov in a televised interview on August 27 defended the participation of Russian entertainers who have openly supported Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine in celebrations of Kyrgyzstan’s upcoming Independence Day, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. There has been online opposition to the scheduled performances of Russian singers Filipp Kirkorov, Stas Mikhailov, and
