DUSHANBE, May 28, 2009, Asia-Plus — Eight cultural heritage properties of Tajikistan have been inscribed on the World Heritage Tentative List for the first time, according to the Ministry of Culture (MoC).
The 5th UNESCO Sub-regional Workshop on the Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads, organized by UNESCO World Heritage Center and the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstan National Commission for UNESCO, took place in Almaty on May 19-23.
The workshop brought together relevant authorities of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to further develop a statement of outstanding universal value for the Silk Roads Sites. The workshop also invited representatives and experts from other countries such as Afghanistan, India, Iran, Italy and Japan to review potential cooperation on the serial World Heritage nomination of the Silk Roads and other institutes such as the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS, Samarqand, Uzbekistan, UNESCO Category II Center).
Abduvali Shariov, the director of the National Kamoliddin Behzod Museum, and Sherali Khojayev, the head of the MoC historical relic protection department, represented Tajikistan at this event.
During the meeting it was noted that Central Asia and western China remain one of the most under-represented regions on the World Heritage List, with no cultural or natural heritage properties from Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan inscribed on the List.
The UNESCO World Heritage Center and ICOMOS have assisted the States Parties in identifying new types of properties for World Heritage nomination, such as the Silk Roads for serial and/or transnational World Heritage nomination. Spanning a quarter of the globe, the Silk Road includes several routes of integration, exchange and dialogue between East and West that have contributed greatly to the common prosperity of various civilizations over more than two millennia. Their location across so many countries with different legal and administrative systems, however, makes it very difficult to ensure their conservation for future generations.
The meeting addressed issues relating to the implementation of the Action Plan, harmonization of the World Heritage Tentative Lists, a statement of Outstanding Universal Value, implications of future extension nominations and management mechanisms for the serial and transnational World Heritage nomination of the Silk Roads. The meeting will also include field visits to some cultural heritage sites in Kazakhstan.
During the meeting, it was proposed to inscribe eight cultural heritage properties from Tajikistan, including Sarazm (Zarafshon Valley), Bunjikat (Panjakent), Hissor Fortress (Hissor), Hulbuk Fortress (Vose), Takhti Sangin (Qubodiyon), Buddhist Temple-Ajinateppa (Vakhsh Valley) and Yamchin Fortress (Gorno Badakhshan), on the World Heritage Tentative List, the MoC source said.
This meeting was organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre with financial support from the Norway Funds-In-Trust and the World Heritage Fund in close collaboration with the Kazakh authorities.
The previous consultation meetings were held in Turpan (August 2006, China), Samarkand (October 2006, Uzbekistan), Dushanbe (April 2007, Tajikistan) and in Xi”an (June 2008, China). The “Concept Document for the Serial Nomination of the Silk Roads in Central Asia and China” was adopted in Dushanbe, and in an action plan was developed in Xi”an.
