The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Heritage Agency are holding a Restoration Workshop “Current issues of reviving the art of restoration and preservation of historical and cultural monuments of Uzbekistan”, in Samarkand.

The event, organized to enhance the preservation of the unique cultural heritage that reflects the rich history and culture of our people, the digitalization and innovative development of the sphere, the strengthening of its material and technical base, the introduction of the best world practices, is attended by restoration masters from all regions of the country.

“The greatness of our unique historical monuments that tell about the rich history of our country, their unique architectural style, large-scale work to preserve them and bring them to future generations surprise and delight the whole world”, says Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage A. Abdukhakimov. – Most tourists visit Uzbekistan for the magnificent works of art created by our ancestors, to feel their greatness. However, it should be remembered that cultural heritage sites and historical monuments are not only objects of tourism, but also the wealth of our people. They reflect our great history and culture. We must preserve them and pass them on to future generations. Restoration of cultural heritage sites is a delicate matter. This work should be done by masters of their craft, specialists of our national architecture.

It was noted that there are not enough specialists in the sphere, and in some cases, the repair and restoration of historical monuments are entrusted to persons who do not understand the importance and value of cultural heritage. There were also cases when, during the restoration, the historical and aesthetic value was harmed.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that this workshop is planned to determine the goals and objectives in the sphere for the next ten years, to glorify the art of restoration of Uzbekistan to the whole world. He put forward a proposal to organize a Restoration Congress of Central Asia.

During the two-day workshop, the participants will consider issues of attracting qualified restorers to the preservation of cultural heritage sites, raising the image of Uzbekistan, popularizing its achievements, reviving traditional restoration methods, and discuss the ways to eliminate existing shortcomings in the sphere.

In Uzbekistan, 8210 tangible and cultural heritage objects are taken under state protection as real estate objects, 4788 of them are archaeological, 2265 architectural objects, 625 monumental works of art, and 530 sights.

Over the past three years, more than 250 cultural heritage sites have been restored. 339 billion UZS were spent from the state budget.

G.Khasanov, UzA