Bakhshis, akyns, and folklore scholars from more than 30 countries participated in the Third International Bakhshi Art Festival, in Gulistan.

Qoryogdi Sariyev arrived at the festival from the capital of the fraternal republic – the Turkmen city of Ashgabat. He is known and loved by the Bakhshi people. His art is highly revered: by the decree of the President of Turkmenistan in 2011, Qoryogdi Sariyev was awarded the title of “Honored Artist of Turkmenistan”.

Qoryogdi Sariyev works as the head of the Department of Bakhshi Art at the National Conservatory of Turkmenistan. His father and grandfathers were also well-known performers of bakhshi. They made a worthy contribution to the development of the art and culture of their country. In Turkmenistan, such directions of bakhshi as toshkhovuz and mari are mainly widespread. The Turkmen bakhshi participated with the dastan “Sulton suyi Boyqaro” at the festival.

“I have been to many countries of the world and participated in international competitions”, says Qoryogdi Sariyev. – I always dreamed of coming to fraternal Uzbekistan, and now my dream has come true. I saw the beautiful city of Tashkent, then – Gulistan, where I have been staying for several days. Here I feel as free as in my homeland. Language, religion, and way of life are the same. My respect for the hospitable Uzbek people has grown even more. In the city of Gulistan, I met our Turkmen friends. You can see in their eyes how happy they are in Uzbekistan. I promised to convey their greetings to my compatriots from Turkmenistan.

Shukhrat Suyarov, UzA