The exhibition "Steppe and Silk Roads" has opened in the World Museum of Vienne, which has collected unique exhibits of European museums about the history of the Silk Road.
The peculiarity of the exhibition is that the exhibits are shown in such an order that visitors can get acquainted with the expositions that embody the history, culture, creativity, as well as modern image of the peoples of the Great Silk Road.
The pearl of the exhibition, which occupies a central place in the pavilion, is Ikat - silk products made and embroidered in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley. Fragments of the Mausoleum of Buyan-Kuli-Khan in Bukhara, as well as a collection of national Uzbek cap "duppi" from the countries of Central Asia, were also presented at the exhibition.
Within the framework of "Steppe and Silk Roads", a meeting was held between the executive director of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art under the Ministry of Culture Gayane Umerova and the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Austria Abat Fayzullaev with the director of the World Museum of Vienna Jonathan Fine.
During the meeting, issues of expanding cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, in particular in museum activities, as well as plans for joint organization of exhibitions of collections of museums of Uzbekistan in Austria were discussed.
The Austrian side was informed in detail about the special attention paid by Uzbek government to strengthening the role and importance of museum activities in preserving the history and promoting the culture of Uzbekistan, as well as the main provisions of the law “On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Museums””, signed by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzoyoyev on 26 November 2021.
Jonathan Fine emphasized the high interest among art lovers to visit the Steppe and Silk Roads exhibition. He also noted the intention of the Austrian side to replenish the museum's collection with works by artists of Uzbekistan.
“The cities through which the Silk Road ran were the center of the world in the past. They were so famous for their wealth that they still fascinate us. If we take a closer look at the history of the Silk Road, we will understand it not only as a way of exchanging goods but also as a center of knowledge, religions, medicine, and art,” said Jonathan Fine.
He also expressed interest in establishing cooperation through the exchange of experience and experts. Studying collections of exclusive and antique textiles from the Fergana Valley was particularly emphasized.
The parties reached an agreement on the joint study of issues of cooperation in the direction of museum activities and the organization of the exchange of experience through the exchange of specialists.
The Steppe and Silk Roads exhibition will continue until May 3, 2022.
World Museum of Vienna is the largest anthropological and ethnographic museum in Austria. The museum was founded in 1876 and is located in the complex of the former imperial palace "Hofburg". The museum is dedicated to revealing the cultural diversity of mankind. Currently, the museum has 14 exhibition halls and contains more than 460,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America.
