Turkmenistan Homeland of universal human values
The Department of Intangible Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan is an active supporter of the 2003 UNESCO Convention “On the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
The Departament for the Study of Intangible Cultural Heritage was founded by a special Decree of the President of Turkmenistan in 2014 for the purpose of in-depth study, preservation and popularization of intangible cultural heritage. The country ratified the Convention in 2011, since then it has been an active participant in UNESCO.
The country has 8 elements of intangible cultural heritage included in the UNESCO Representative List, 4 cultural monuments are World Cultural Heritage and 1 nature reserve, 1 element on the Memory of the World list.
On May 12-13, 2023, a major event was held in one of the five regions of Turkmenistan dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the 2003 UNESCO Convention “For the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage”, as well as the anniversary date (30 years) of Turkmenistan’s admission to UNESCO.
- In the morning of May 12, 2023, the creative elite, youth and artisans of the Lebap region gathered at the House of Culture to celebrate anniversaries. There were speeches from guests from the capital and artisans of the Lebap region. Afterwards there was a concert of folk groups and folk instrumentalists. Then in the afternoon the celebration continued at the Museum of History and Lebap Region. A conference dedicated to the art of weaving pile-free carpets - Kilim - was held here. The speakers demonstrated their art in the form of presentations and master classes. The opening of the country’s first UNESCO Corner took place here.
- On May 13, all conference participants went on an excursion to the Amul fortress, through which the Great Silk Road ran. After the excursion, a round table was held at the State Library of the Lebap Region. All events were covered in the media and on TV, including international ones.