The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO prolonged the deadline for completing the city plan works in Shakhrisabz city of Uzbekistan for the period of one more year. This decision has been made based on the quarantine restrictions in the country during 2020.
The expanded 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee took place in the city of Fujou, China. The Uzbek delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov participated in the event in an online format. The delegation made a detailed presentation of the works held in the city of Shakhrisabz on preservation, protection and promotion of the rich cultural heritage of Uzbekistan.
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz was nominated as a “Monument of Significance for the Republic” in 1973. The town was entered on the List of Historic Towns under Resolution N°339 of the Council of Ministers of Uzbekistan in 1973.
The historic centre of Shakhrisyabz contains a collection of exceptional monuments and ancient quarters which bear witness to the city's secular development and particularly to the period of its apogee, under the rule of Amir Temur and the Timurids, in the 15th-16th century.
Besides on the prolongation decision of the works in Shakhrisabz, several other positive resolutions were adopted during the 44-th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The resolutions cover the world heritage objects of “Historical part of Shakhrisabz”, “Samarkand – a crossroad of cultures”, “Historical centre of Bukhara” and “Ichan Kala” – the historical part of Khiva. In regards to the multinational objects of UNESCO World Heritage List “The Wester Tian-Shan” – the natural heritage with the participation of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan was discussed.
A newly updated list of new objects of Uzbekistan with the possibility to be admitted in the World Heritage List was also approved during the meeting. The new list for Uzbekistan consists of 32 objects, which is a quite big number, considering the objects in Russia make only 28, 17 in Ukraine, 17 in Tajikistan, 14 in Kazakhstan, 10 in Turkmenistan, 10 in Azerbaijan, 4 in Armenia and 2 in Kyrgyzstan.
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz, located in the southern part of Uzbekistan, is over 2000 years old and was the cultural and political centre of the Kesh region during the 14th and 15th centuries.
“A collection of exceptional monuments and ancient quarters can be found within the medieval walls, parts of which still remain. The Historic Centre of Shakhrisabz bears witness to the city’s secular development and to centuries of its history, and particularly to the period of its apogee, under the empire of Temur, in the 15th century. Construction of elements continued in Shakhrisyabz throughout different time periods, lending a unique character to the place by the succession of different architectural styles. Despite the inroads of time, the remaining vestiges are still impressive in the harmony and strength of styles, enriching addition to the architectural heritage of Central Asia and the Islamic world” – as written on the UNESCO website about Shakhrisabz.
“The monuments and buildings of Shakhrisabz are a testimony to the architecture and city planning of the Timurid period. The historic centre has retained its original appearance. Most of the buildings and decorative art have been well preserved and are in their original state and care has been taken in restoration works to ensure the use of traditional materials and techniques”.
