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
The year 2024 is marked by the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Pyragy. In the row of activities to mark the anniversary of the outstanding Turkmen classical poet, special attention is given to publication of collections of poems, research works, scientific articles, monographs, special editions,
Over 80 media representatives and bloggers from approximately 30 countries have applied to participate in the 9th annual contest “Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media.” This contest is traditionally organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors’ Club. It serves as a platform to acknowledge the contributions
Thirty-three Fellows are equipped to teach in rural schools across Chui region of Kyrgyzstan in September, thanks to Teach for Kyrgyzstan’s Summer Institute. The Summer Institute provided four-week training and development for these future social entrepreneurs in education: called ‘jaratmans’ in Kyrgyz, translated as ‘creators’ in English. The Teach for Kyrgyzstan project is administered by
The Youth Camp, organized within the framework of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) programme on strengthening community resilience and regional cooperation to prevent violent extremism (PVE) in Central Asia, was launched on July 29 at Suleyman Demirel University (SDU) in Almaty. In Kazakhstan, this initiative, funded by the Government of Japan, aims to empower
During the summer season, traveling to Borovoye resort by train has become even more popular among tourists in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) said that in June, 49 thousand passengers were transported to this picturesque place some 200 km north of Astana by electric trains, a 30% increase compared to June
From 22 to 29 June, Uzbekistan hosted the first international World Coaching Championship, as part of the 8th international festival Eurasian Creative Week. The festival events took place in three cities of Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Khiva and Nukus. The festival kicked off in Tashkent on 22 June with a charity ball organized by Silk Road Media
On June 28, the Savitsky Museum in Nukus (Karakalpakstan) hosted the show “Treasures of the Silk Road,” a significant artistic event that revealed the splendor of the cultural heritage of the Eurasian region. The show featured an immersive exhibition (projections and “revival” of paintings on the wall of the museum building), a concert, and a
To celebrate the National Dombra Day, the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan held an event at the UNESCO Headquarters last week, attended by Ambassadors of UNESCO Member States and Kazakhs residing in France. Welcoming the guests, Askar Abdrakhmanov, Permanent Delegate of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, reminded that this year marks ten years since the Intergovernmental Committee for
The U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) Band arrived in Ashgabat on June 28 as part of a five-day visit to Turkmenistan. During their visit, AFCENT musicians taught a master class at the Maya Kuliyeva Turkmen National Conservatory, gave a short performance for children with disabilities, and drew a crowd of over 1,000 at a
On July 4, a monument to the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807) was unveiled in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The opening ceremony was attended by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Maulen Ashimbayev, and
The Creative Youth Forum: “Shaping the Science” was held on June 11-12 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This landmark event brought together brilliant young minds from across the globe, fostering an environment of innovation, collaboration, and scientific exploration. The forum kicked off with an inspiring opening ceremony. Nobel Prize Winner Harold Varmus delivered the keynote address via
The ECG World Championship Coaching and Eurasian Creative Week will be held in Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Khiva, Nukus) from June 22 to 29. The event is organized by the Eurasian Creative Guild and the Elena Bezrukov Center. Participants of the festival are coaches and artists from Kazakhstan, Israel, USA, Italy, Finland, Belarus, Great Britain, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
The Tajik parliament’s upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli, approved a bill on June 19 banning “alien garments” and children’s celebrations for two major Islamic holidays — Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, known as idgardak, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The bill, approved on May 8 by the lower chamber, the Majlisi Namoyandagon, mostly targets the hijab,
Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) says that this year, it plans to transport 125 thousand passengers on trains to the country’s Borovoye resort — a record high number over the last three years. Last year, the number of passengers amounted to over 86.2 thousand. Three years ago (in 2020), 10 thousand passengers
