Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Towards a New Tashkent

On April 3rd, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of New Tashkent; a twin capital located on 20,000 hectares east of the existing city of Tashkent, between the Chirchiq and Karasu rivers. Speaking at the launch, President Mirziyoyev emphasized the historical significance of the ground-breaking project and its far-reaching impact on the future of Uzbekistan: “Today we are laying the foundation for the campuses of Yangi Uzbekistan University and Tashkent State Pedagogical University, the National Library, the National Theater, the International Research Center, the Museum of Literature, and the Alisher Navoi School of Creativity. It is no coincidence that the construction of a new city begins with the abodes of knowledge and spirituality. They will become the basis and model in the formation of an enlightened society.” The new city’s campus of Tashkent State Pedagogical University will provide teaching facilities for 20 thousand students, dormitories for 5 thousand, a kindergarten for 300 children, and a school for 616 pupils. It will also include a sports centre, a palace of culture, and an amphitheatre. Yangi Uzbekistan University, rated as one of the most prestigious universities in the country for engineering, management, information technology, agricultural technology, humanities, and natural sciences, will be complemented by a second campus in New Tashkent. Once in operation, the new facilities will accommodate 10 thousand students, a library, sports complex, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Ambitious plans for the second city also include a new National Library of Uzbekistan with the capacity to house over 10 million books and accommodate over 1,400 users at any given time. Concluding his speech, the president underlined his belief that New Tashkent was set to become a centre for excellence in science, education, and culture not only for Uzbekistan but also for the entire region. It was earlier reported that master plans for New Tashkent had been developed by the UK’s Cross Works design company.

Social Legislation Rule of law Uzbekistan Central Asia Culture

Uzbek Cultural Agency Seeks to Prevent Damage to Archaeological Relics

Uzbekistan’s Prosecutor’s Office in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency, is currently implementing regulations aimed at protecting and preserving the country's vast wealth of historical monuments. During a recent investigation related to the new regulations, the Prosecutor's office discovered the destruction of the Kattatepa monument in the Denov district of Surkhondarya by locals wishing to build a barn. The monument, constructed between the 5th-7th centuries, was of significant historical importance and the cost of damage to the archaeological zone has been estimated at 23.3 billion (~$1.85 million). Sadly, this is not an isolated case. Three Uzbeks were previously found guilty of causing damage worth 2.6 billion ($ 206,289) to the Oktepa-1 monument in the Navoi region by arbitrarily excavating 193 cubic meters of soil. The conversion of 164 cubic meters of the archaeological site of Badakhshontepa to arable land, is estimated to have resulted in damage valued at 2.3 billion sum ($182,486), and damage sustained by unlawful excavation of 12 cubic meters at site of the Yamonkiyottepa monument, estimated at 163 million ($12,933). Reports of an Uzbek citizen's commandeer of 0.48 hectares of land around the medieval Tolmozortepa archaeological monument in the Namangan region, resulted in damages of 871 million ($69,107). Damage to the nation's archaeological relics is considered a serious crime and under Uzbek law, carries punishment of up to 7 years imprisonment.

Culture

London University Installs Bust of Persian-Tajik Cultural Force Rudaki

A bust of Abu Abdullah Rudaki, the founder of Tajik-Persian literature, was installed last week at the University of London School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS). The bust is the latest initiative of the Tajik embassy in Great Britain. Tajikistan's ambassador Rukhshona Emomali was at SOAS for the presentation of the bust, and in a speech mentioned the contributions that Rudaki made to strengthening the Tajik-Persian language, and the foundations of Tajik literature and poetry. Thanks to him, in the centuries that followed, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Pakistan, and India recognized the Tajik-Persian language as a language of science, literature, and statehood. Following the presentation on 16 March, over 200 guests attended an event honoring Abu Abdullah Rudaki’s life. Staff from Tajikistan's Ministry of Education and Science met with members of SOAS, as well as the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Persian Studies and the University of Portsmouth, to discuss forming educational partnerships in future.

Culture

Samarkand Replaces Paris as Host of UNESCO Conference

The Silk Road Samarkand tourism and convention complex will host the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2025 -- the first time the globally significant event will be held outside of Paris since 1985. The conference will focus on discussions and decisions on UNESCO's activities. Besides Samarkand, conference events will also be held in the cities of Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva and Shahrisabz. Samarkand was not chosen as the host venue by chance. Not only is it a great historical open-air museum city, but it has also managed to host a number of important international events over the past six months. At next year's UNESCO conference, officials plan to develop projects for establishing the State Museum of the Great Silk Road in Samarkand, restoring Amir Timur's gardens, restoring the Bibi-Khanum complex -- as well as a master plan for protecting the historical center of Bukhara, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Samarkand, by the way, has recently become the subject of heated debate over the construction of the ethnographic tourist center Bokiy Bukhoro (Eternal Bukhara) on the borders with the historical center and buffer zone of Bukhara. The complex, which will occupy an area of 32.6 hectares, involves the demolition of 29 state facilities, including the buildings of the hokimiyats (municipal offices) of Bukhara region and Bukhara city, the regional prosecutor's office, school No. 2, Bukhara State Medical College, College of Culture, Bukhara Arena stadium and others. Since 2017, 14 unique examples of Uzbek national cultural heritage have been included in the UNESCO lists. Bukhara was included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and last September, the 1,050th anniversary of the birth of the great polymath and scholar Abu Rayhon Beruni was widely celebrated at UNESCO headquarters.

Central Asia Kazakhstan Culture

Movie Streaming Grows as Kazakhstan’s Film and Media Prices Rise

According to a report by Finprom.kz, subscriptions to streamed movie and television platforms in Kazakhstan are far more expensive than in Turkey and Egypt but two times cheaper than in Switzerland. Over the past year, costs have increased by 12% whilst the combined worth of the television, radio, film, music recording and publishing sector has risen by a third. In 2023, the production of programs for television and radio was valued at $259.1 million, while that of cinema and video, sound recording and publication of musical products, was calculated at $202.8 million. Kazakhstan's expenditure of $244 million on the creation and broadcast of TV programmes represented an increase of 34.1% compared to 2022, and that of $15.1 million on radio programmes, showed a rise of 25.1%. Cinema production was valued $81.2 million in 2023 and the cost of screening amounted to $76.3 million. The sector's most significant growth however, lay in distribution which doubled to $37.8 million. The production value of sound recording and publication of musical works showed the greatest increase of all, rising to $4.8 million from $397,000. Against this backdrop, the price of cinema tickets tickets soared by 11.6%. As reported by VisualCapitalist, online streaming media services have been gaining popularity year-on-year. The cost in Kazakhstan of a standard subscription to Netflix, recently increased to $10.76 per month, is on par with rates charged in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Central Asia, apart from Tajikistan where subscribers pay $12.70 per month.

Culture Central Asia Uzbekistan

Land Cleared for Tourism next to Old Bukhara; UNESCO Urges Pause

Despite UNESCO’s concerns, Uzbekistan is pushing ahead with plans for a big tourist complex next to the historical center of Bukhara, a jewel of medieval architecture in Central Asia. Workers are already clearing areas for “Eternal Bukhara,” a tourist facility that will boast a museum, teahouses and restaurants offering national cuisine, craft stalls and workshops for gold and blacksmithing, embroidery, wood carving, pottery, and painting. The design intends to evoke the urban layout of past centuries, with traditional drainage systems and ponds. All this construction would happen in part of the buffer zone surrounding the old city, potentially increasing the flow of tourists, but also putting more pressure on the integrity of the ancient site. Bukhara, a destination on the Silk Route that is more than 2,000 years old, contains the tomb of the ruler Ismail Samani, an emblem of 10th century Muslim architecture, as well as many ancient madrasas, or Islamic schools, according to UNESCO. Traveler Veronika Karobitskaya looks toward the Kalyan Mosque in the ancient city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Karobitskaya, a Russian citizen, visited Bukhara in September 2022 and said she was “completely fascinated” by the city’s heritage. Photograph: Veronika Karobitskaya. A view of the Kalon Minaret, a major landmark in Bukhara. Photograph: Veronika Karobitskaya. The historical center of Bukhara, registered on the world heritage list of the U.N. cultural agency in 1993, comprises 216 hectares and its buffer zone comprises 339 hectares. Some demolition has begun on the 32.6 hectares earmarked for the tourist complex, including at a sports stadium. Last year, some Bukharan residents appealed to the government not to dismantle the stadium, saying 1,200 children and 50 coaches use the stadium every day. A total of 29 buildings and facilities are slated for demolition. They include the Bukhara government building, designed by Uzbek architect Richard Blaise and built in 1980, as well as secondary and music schools, and social centers. Local authorities have tried to reassure residents who say they wish the tourist complex could be built further from the historical center. “It should be noted that on the basis of this project, it is planned to create a green park for residents and guests of Bukhara to walk in two-thirds of the area planned. In this regard, the trees in the area established earlier in accordance with the ´Green Bukhara´ program in the project area will be fully preserved and will be enriched as a new garden landscape,” the regional administration said in a report. According to UNESCO, however, there are laws and urban planning codes that “provide protection of monuments of cultural heritage and their buffer zones.” Sara Noshadi, director of UNESCO’s office in Uzbekistan, said on X, formerly Twitter, on March 2 that the U.N. agency is closely monitoring the Bukhara’s ancient site and was aware of local concerns about “potential construction plans” in the buffer zone. Russian tourist Veronika Karobitskaya, who visited Bukhara in 2022, stands next to the carved wooden columns of the Bolo Haouz Mosque in the...