Advancing Ties: Uzbekistan's Relationship Development with

UNESCO

Munisa S. Mukhamedova

, Shakhnoza A. Kasimova

, Feruza R. Khasanova

Charos X. Ganieva

and Latofat B. Jabborova

National Institute of Art and Design, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: UNESCO, IKOM, IKOMOS, Humanitarian and Cultural Cooperation, Symposium, Jubilees, Conservation,

Restoration, Convention, Declaration, Recommendations.

Abstract: In the middle of the last century, in the structure of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization - UNESCO became important. In the following years, several conventions, declarations,

recommendations, and other documents aimed at preserving the natural and cultural heritage of mankind were

adopted within this organization. In this article, the activities of UNESCO in cooperation with organizations

such as IKOM and IKOMOS, International Committee of Museums in the 60s-80s of the 20th century are

highlighted.

1 INTRODUCTION

The concept of historical and cultural heritage as a

scientific category appeared in the middle of the 19th

century, and with the adoption of a number of legal

and recommendatory documents related to this field

at the international and national levels, this concept

was widely set up in the 20th century. The concept of

historical and cultural heritage includes a wide range

of both tangible and intangible monuments. The

historical and cultural heritage includes both notable

examples of the creativity of people who lived in the

past, as well as typical objects of material and

intangible culture, as well as the natural environment.

So, the attitude to heritage is a criterion and an

indicator of the maturity of any society, the level of

cultural development of the nation that makes up this

society. Preservation of historical and cultural

heritage means preservation of national identity and

national statehood in conditions where globalization

processes penetrate all spheres of our lives. Analysing

the work conducted by UNESCO on the research of

historical and cultural heritage objects within the

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7574-9724

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1191-7071

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0696-7135

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3215-1573

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2952-5810

spheres of cooperation in Uzbekistan from a historical

point of view and highlighting the activities of the

researched projects in museology are among the

current issues of today.

2 MATERIAL AND METHODS

Nowadays, popularization of the world cultural

heritage plays a decisive role in the socio-economic

life of the society. Great attention is paid to the

humanitarian and cultural cooperation of Uzbekistan

with UNESCO, an internationally prestigious

institution. It is seen that the attention of this

organization to the problems of cultural and social

construction in Uzbekistan is increasing. Exchanges

and relations are developing at the international level

in the field of culture, information and education.

These processes show the importance of international

attention to material cultural heritage and the need for

its research. The topic has been partially studied on a

general basis, but special fundamental research works

have not been created in Uzbekistan. Some studies

Mukhamedova, M., Kasimova, S., Khasanova, F., Ganieva, C. and Jabborova, L.

Advancing Ties: Uzbekistan’s Relationship Development with UNESCO.

DOI: 10.5220/0012924500003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 809-814

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

809

have been made in foreign countries and some CIS

countries, including Russia, only on the foundations

of the formation of the international system of

monument protection and the activities of UNESCO

in the field of cultural heritage preservation (Kashlev,

Y. B., et al., 1986). These sources mainly cover the

foundations of UNESCO's historical formation and

the report of works carried out on a global scale in the

preservation of historical and cultural heritage

objects. The activities of UNESCO and the processes

of implementation of the main normative documents

are fully explained mainly in English and French

literature, in which the annual reports of the

organization, in particular, the presentation of the

work performed on the territory of Uzbekistan, are

also partially given (UNESCO. et al.,2007).

3 RESULTS

One of the international organizations that

representatives from Uzbekistan participated in

cultural cooperation with foreign countries in the

Soviet era was UNESCO, educational, scientific and

cultural organizations of the United Nations. In this

regard, in 1945 in November a conference was

organized with representatives of 44 countries in

London. The UNESCO Charter, approved by this

conference on November 16, 1945, entered into force

on November 4, 1946. The Soviet Union joined this

organization in 1954 and since then actively

cooperated with it, contributing to its strengthening

and successful performance of its tasks.

Representatives of the Uzbek SSR are permanent

participants in the sessions of various UNESCO

bodies, conferences, symposia, seminars held by

UNESCO or with its participation (Rakhimbabaeva,

T., & Gulyamova, M.1986).

In 1963, an international seminar of African

women organized by the UNESCO Commission of

the USSR and the Soviet Women's Committee was

held as part of the Tashkent UNESCO program.

Participants of the seminar - representatives of 14

African countries and 6 Soviet Socialist Republics,

including Uzbekistan - how to solve the problem of

women's education better and faster, study the

relevant experience of other countries, particularly

the Soviet Union. exchanged (UNESCO and

modernity., 1966).

In 1964, a congress dedicated to the discussion

of the creation of an international intergovernmental

organization for the protection of monuments and

places of interest was held in Venice. 61 countries

took part in its work, and they sent different numbers

of delegates to the event: Italy 161, France 90, Central

Asia 25, the United States 9, and some countries only

one representative. they spoke. Nevertheless, each

state received the status of an equal unit. The main

principles of protection, restoration and conservation

of monuments and sights were embodied in a

document called the Charter of Venice. All

participants of the congress IKOMOS (ICOMOS -

International Council of Monuments and Sights) -

They supported the proposal to establish the

International Council for the Protection of

Monuments and Landmarks. Its centre was

designated as Paris. IKOMOS was joined by all

interested countries. An agreement was also reached

on the establishment of national IKOMOS

committees in each member country (Pugachenkova,

G. A.,1982).

In addition to the issue of establishing a new

international organization, developing an information

centre, publishing an international magazine about

the principles and techniques of preservation and

restoration of ancient monuments and legislation in

this field, publishing new discoveries and including

them in the bibliography published by IKOMOS,

creating a documentation centre, a number of

resolutions on financial aspects of preservation of

monuments and other issues were also adopted.

The document regulating the main directions of

IKOMOS activity is the Charter of Venice, which was

accepted by all delegates. The clauses provided for in

it cover a number of important issues regarding the

principles of protection, conservation and restoration

of monuments. In particular, the document notes that

the most important goal is to preserve monuments.

And the restoration should be carried out only in

emergency cases and should be stopped when the

hypothesis begins. It’s necessary to preserve the

layers of different periods, destroying one of them is

possible only if the destroyed details are not

aesthetically and historically important. Special

attention should be paid to monument complexes and

ensembles, including the environment.

Archaeological excavations should be conducted in

accordance with all scientific standards, and the

discovered ruins should be preserved. Also, issues of

personnel training in the faculties of history,

archaeology, architecture, and art studies are

envisaged. The need to publish various information

on the preservation of monuments, information on

discoveries related to ancient monuments, and to send

a copy of the printed works to the IKOMOS library

was also decided. It was planned to copy this

information in the IKOMOS library and distribute it

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810

to all members of the organization (Pugachenkova, G.

A.,1982).

At the congress, lectures were given on various

aspects of monument protection and conservation,

legislation in the field, scientific research on the

method of fixation (in particular, photogrammetry),

involvement of natural and technical sciences in

solving practical problems, and other topics. These

lectures were published in a special collection

devoted to the results of the congress.

Italian scientist and practitioner Petro Gossola,

one of the most influential specialists in restoration,

was appointed as the chairperson of the IKOMOS

organizing committee. In 1965, the IKOMOS

Council Committee was proved, and Moscow was

designated as its centre. Its representatives V.N.

Ivanov and A.N. Khalturin were members of the

IKOMOS organizing committee (Rakhimbabaeva,

T., & Gulyamova, M., 1986)

During the past period, IKOMOS showed its

progress. This is not only the service of the

organization to the highest goals of humanity, but also

the result of its activity. With its activities, IKOMOS

united different countries for the common goal of

preserving the cultural values of humanity. The

activity of IKOMOS is distinguished by its

international spirit, because its functions covered not

only the countries that invest copious amounts of

money or play a major role in the world political

arena, but all the members of the organization. In

particular, the main attention was paid to countries

that lack financial means or specialists. Over the past

years, IKOMOS has been involved in the

preservation of ensembles in the modern construction

system, the strengthening of stones, bricks, raw

materials and wall decorations, the preservation of the

appearance of small towns and villages, monuments

and tourism, and the use of physics-chemical methods

in the practice of restoration. A number of congresses

and conferences were held on its application, the role

of cultural heritage in modern society and other

topics. One of the tasks of the IKOMOS organizing

committee was to collect and disseminate information

on various issues. For this purpose, IKOMOS

newsletters were regularly published and sent to

national committees. For many years, the

"Monument" magazine was published, which began

to publish current information for specialists in

various fields, as well as information for a wide range

of readers. A number of books containing the results

of the held conferences were also published

(Pugachenkova, G. A.,1982).

The Board Committee plays an active role in the

activities of IKOMOS. In 1969, he organized a

colloquium on the topic "Monuments and Society".

The participants of the event held in Moscow-

Leningrad also visited a number of historical cities of

the country. The committee collected information

about events important from the point of view of

IKOMOS and regularly sent them to the organizing

committee. Its representatives participated in a

number of conferences and symposiums held in

different countries. Since the staff of the Council

Committee was not large, and the number of its

members outside Moscow-Leningrad was limited, it

was decided to establish several regional initiative

groups of the IKOMOS Council Committee. They

unite several republics based not only on

geographical proximity, but also on the basis of

historical commonality reflected in cultural

monuments. In 1981, two groups were established

and began their work:

Baltic group including Latvia, Lithuania and

Estonia (cantered in Vilnius).

Kavkazorti group, which includes Georgia,

Azerbaijan and Armenia (the centre is in Tbilisi).

At the same time, the structure of the Central

Asian regional group, which is cantered in Tashkent

and includes four Central Asian republics, was also

determined. For this purpose, the IKOMOS Council

Committee appealed to the Ministries of Culture of

the Republics and societies for the protection of

historical and cultural monuments. In 1982, the first

organizational meeting was held in Tashkent with the

participation of representatives of Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and

Karakalpakstan. In it, the organizational issues of the

regional group were resolved, its main goals were

determined, and the planned work program was

adopted (Pugachenkova, G. A.,1982).

4 DISCUSSION

The regional initiative group of the Republics of

Central Asia of the IKOMOS Council Committee

consists of four groups, which had the right to

establish sections under the societies for the

protection of monuments of the republics. At the

same time, an organizational bureau was elected,

which coordinated the activities of the group by

coordinating the current issues through the chairmen

of the republican groups and their secretaries. Every

year, in each republic, four groups started holding one

conference on a topic close to their interests. The

following topics were developed and approved:

1. Protection of monuments in the republics of

Central Asia - Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Advancing Ties: Uzbekistan’s Relationship Development with UNESCO

811

2. Principles of protection of archaeological

reserves and complexes (in the case of Nisa, Konyo-

Urganch and Mizdaqkhan) - Turkmenistan, in

cooperation with Karakalpakstan, Ashgabat-Konyo-

Urganch-Mizdaqkhan.

3. Methods of structural strengthening of

architectural monuments and problems of using

original materials or their modern substitutes -

Kyrgyzstan, Uzgan.

4. Preservation of the buildings and architectural

decor of the peoples of Central Asia - Tajikistan,

Dushanbe.

The first conference was organized by the

initiative committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan,

where the plans and activities of the regional initiative

group of the Central Asian Republics of the IKOMOS

Council Committee were announced. The main topic

was "Protection of monuments in the Central Asian

Republics" (Pugachenkova, G. A.,1982) . In addition,

the special topic "Problems of protection and

conservation of archaeological monuments" was

discussed at the branch meetings. Because in this

historical period, the protection of architectural

monuments gained special importance in the entire

Central Asian region. On the one hand, the expansion

of cultivated land, the construction of roads,

settlements, irrigation facilities, the rapid

reconstruction of historically formed cities –

Samarkand, Ozgan, Ora-Tepa, Leninabad, Konyo-

Urganch, etc. as a result, most of the monuments

began to disappear. On the other hand, in some cases,

archaeologists were irresponsible in their work and

left the excavated objects without conservation, so

they disappeared within a few years. In order to

widely promote the Council's restoration science and

practice, legislation on the protection of monuments,

the latest research and findings in this field, the

regional initiative group should send relevant

information not only to the IKOMOS Council

Committee, but also directly to the headquarters of

IKOMOS in Paris. It's done. This information was

published in newsletters. IKOMOS Council

Committee regional group activity results Central

Asian publications - "Construction and Architecture

of Uzbekistan" (“Construction and architecture of

Uzbekistan”), "Culture", "Science and Life"

(Tashkent), "Monuments of Turkmenistan"

(Ashkhabad) and magazines close to the field

published in Dushanbe, Frunze, Nukus began to be

widely covered. Printed articles should also be sent to

the IKOMOS Council Committee in Moscow and to

the IKOMOS Library in Paris. From Paris, their

copies are sent to different countries at the request of

experts. In addition to the inter-republican exchange,

the participation of the representatives of the regional

group in the annual meetings of the IKOMOS

Council Committee is planned. During these

meetings, the results of the work carried out during

the year and the results of IKOMOS activities were

presented (Pugachenkova, G. A.,1982).

The establishment of the regional initiative group

of the Central Asian republics of the IKOMOS

Council Committee has become a bright example of

the policy aimed at the peaceful coexistence of states

and peoples, and the preservation of the achievements

in cultural development throughout the history of

mankind.

Before our country adopted its independence, this

organization was very interested in Uzbekistan.

Taking into account the great contribution of the

Uzbek people to the treasure of world culture, this

prestigious international organization made a worthy

contribution to the wide celebration of the 1000th

anniversary of the birth of encyclopaedists Abu

Rayhan Beruni and Abu Tawalludi. Abu Ali Ibn Sina,

2000th anniversary of the city of Tashkent. In 1969,

a symposium devoted to the study of Central Asian

art during the Timurid period was held in Samarkand.

On the basis of these events, relations between

Uzbekistan and UNESCO rose to a new level.

In 1978, the General Conference of UNESCO

proposed to pay tribute to Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in

1980 on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of his

birth and emphasized the great influence of his works

on the further development of science in all countries.

In 1980, solemn meetings were held in Moscow,

Tashkent and Dushanbe, and an international

conference was held in Dushanbe and Bukhara,

where Ibn Sina's great contribution to the

development of philosophy, logic, sociology,

literature, concrete, natural sciences and medicine

was emphasized (Soviet Uzbekistan.,1984). As the

Director General of UNESCO said, "In Avicenna,

compared to other thinkers of his time, the original

truth was confirmed, which in a certain sense is the

essence of the existence and activity of UNESCO,

that is, it serves the future of civilizations (UNESCO

Courier. 1980).

5 CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the event, concerts of Soviet and

foreign Eastern singers and instrumentalists were

held with a large audience. Uzbek and Tajik maqams,

Arabic maqams, Indian ragas and Maghreb music

were performed by modern composers. Foreign

guests got acquainted with the rich cultural life of the

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Uzbek people. The Secretary General of the

International Music Council of UNESCO Vladimir

Stepanek (Czechoslovakia) shared his impressions of

his days in Samarkand and told journalists in an

interview: "Earlier, the history of world music was

written from a Eurocentrism position. Leadership in

creating a multi-level history of world music "Our

council, which is tasked to do this, intends to create a

document from the point of view of the equality of all

cultures, and in this sense the Samarkand Forum is

very useful. The experience of the Central Asian

republics and all the republics in the east is very

important for us" (Soviet Uzbekistan., 1984).

In 1982, UNESCO decided to celebrate the

2000th anniversary of Tashkent. The guidelines for

the preservation and protection of the unique cultural

heritage of any country are sealed in a number of

UNESCO conventions and are an ideal norm of

international law that accepts the national wealth of

each country as a component of the World Heritage.

Nevertheless, the set of legal culture problems in the

field of preservation of cultural assets has not yet

taken its place in museology. Cultural resources have

a great influence on the development of education,

science and culture, and help to enrich the cultural life

of peoples and mutual cooperation between countries.

According to the archive documents, the

following actions were carried out on the basis of the

decision (UzR MDA, R-2487-fund, Ministry of

Culture of the Uzbek SSR):

A) Published every three months on the basis of

UNESCO publications "Культура" (Culture):

Continuity of traditions (“continuity of tradition”) 10-

12 pages in the magazine about the art and culture of

Uzbekistan. preparation of introductory articles by

January 1983.

B) in "MUSEUM" magazine “Folk memory in

stone, metal, silk....” ¬¬- Publication of an article

about the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan.

C) Impact, which is published every three months

(Science and society) academician S. Sirajdinov in

the magazine “A genius who stepped over the

centuries - to the 1200th anniversary of Al Khorezmi”

publication of the article.

D) "UNESCO News" it was recommended to

publish articles on the following topics in the

information analysis journal:

1. By reading ancient manuscripts.

2. Description of new archaeological objects of

Tashkent

3. Tragedy and optimism (reconstruction after the

1966 earthquake and modern Tashkent)

4. Considering the publication of articles in

Russian and translation into other languages in the

"Новости Юнеско" magazine on the occasion of the

500th anniversary of the birth of Zahiriddin

Mukhammed Babur.

5. Publication of books in Russian, English and

French with 8-10 pages of illustrations showing the

historical and cultural heritage objects of Tashkent

until October 1982 in the Cultural Heritage Sector of

UNESCO. Manuscript versions of the books were

requested to be submitted to the Cultural Heritage

Sector of UNESCO in May.

From September 15 to 25, 1983, "Tashkent Days"

was held at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris,

organization of a press conference, photo exhibition,

art films, exhibition of artisans, sale of souvenirs was

organized with the funding of the UNESCO

organization. At the same time, the presentation of

stamps dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the city

of Tashkent was held in harmony with the UNESCO

logo. Prepared by scientists of Uzbekistan

"Architectural masterpiece Central Asia XVI-XVII

century" The publication of the book was approved in

the plan of the UNESCO General Conference.

Academician G.A. Pugachenkova “Tashkent:

traditions and continuity of culture (to the 2000th

anniversary of the city)” article of December 17,

1982, No. 1159, Deputy Chairman of the

Commission for UNESCO Affairs G.V. It was

published in the magazine "Culture" of the

organization based on the recommendations of

Uranov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs B.

Abdurazakov.

On March 9, 1983, in a letter sent by UNESCO to

the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan,

Bakhadir Abbasovich, in the letter No. OPI/SPE/130,

News UNESCO in Russian, English, French and

Arabic languages, taking into account the publication

of a special issue dedicated to the event, the General

of UNESCO during the visit of director Amadu

Makhtar M.Bou, he expressed his opinion on

speeding up the publication, considering that this

issue will be presented in a ready form. Vyacheslav

Kostikov, the Russian-language editor of the

magazine, during his visit to UNESCO in the last 10

days of April 1983, clarified the general materials.

In 1984, UNESCO Director General Amadu

Makhtar M. Bou was a guest of the Republic of

Uzbekistan. Here, he participated in the IV session of

the Intergovernmental Council of the International

Communication Development Program of UNESCO,

in the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of

Tashkent, and in the opening of the statue erected in

Tashkent on the occasion of the 1200th anniversary

of the birth of the great scholar of the Middle Ages

Khorezmi. The Director General of UNESCO visited

Advancing Ties: Uzbekistan’s Relationship Development with UNESCO

813

a number of interesting places of Tashkent and held

meetings and talks with state and public figures of the

republic. At a meeting with local journalists,

A.M.M.Bow said: "I am very happy to come to

Tashkent. International Program for the Development

of Communication (IPDC International Program for

the Development of Communication) The work of the

Tashkent session was successful. It was very pleasant

for me to participate in the celebrations of the

anniversary of the city. In the building of Tashkent

State University, where boys and girls from dozens of

countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America study, I

was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Tashkent.

Residents of the capital of Uzbekistan can be

proud of their historical achievements in all fields.

The life and appearance of your city have changed

beyond recognition. Modern Tashkent is one of the

major industrial, scientific, and cultural cities. At the

same time, they pay tribute to the legacy of Al-

Khwarizmi and other ancient thinkers of the East. I

believe that Tashkent makes a great contribution to

the strengthening of universal peace and mutual

understanding between people of different races,

political and social views, and the development of

universal culture and cooperation." Recently, several

important new events were held through UNESCO,

in which Uzbekistan also participated. Thus, in

September 1986, UNESCO held an international

symposium on "Using and processing folk dance

resources." The repertoire of the folklore ensemble of

the Bukhara Palace of Culture of Uzbekistan was

presented at the symposium.

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