ASHGABAT (TCA) — U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan Matthew Klimow on October 21 awarded a $150,000 grant through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to the National Administration for the Preservation, Study, and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Turkmenistan. Ambassador Klimow presented the award at an official ceremony held at the Museum of Fine Arts, the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat said.
The grant will fund the third stage of a project to restore and conserve the unique Silk Road caravanserai at Dayahatyn. Through this award, the U.S. Embassy and its partners will restore Dayahatyn’s internal southeastern walls, archway galleries, arched domes, and ornamentation, as well as the external walls located to the left and right of the main portal. Two previous grant phases supported the repair of the caravanserai’s walls and arched domes. A strategic stop along the legendary Silk Road, the 12th-century Dayahatyn Caravanserai is one of the best-preserved caravanserais in Central Asia, dating back to a period of intensive trade between East and West.
To date, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has funded 26 projects in Turkmenistan totaling more than $1.6 million, tied for the highest number of projects in the world. Through this partnership, the U.S. Embassy has worked closely with the Government of Turkmenistan to support the preservation and research of ancient Silk Road sites, centuries-old crafts and carpets, folk music, and Turkmen manuscripts.
As Ambassador Klimow stated at the ceremony, “Dayahatyn truly is a national treasure, and I am grateful that the United States can play a part in preserving such an important part of Turkmenistan’s Silk Road heritage. I hope that through our joint efforts, the beauty of Dayahatyn will become accessible to more and more visitors, both locally and internationally.”
Since 2001, the National Administration for the Preservation, Study, and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Turkmenistan has successfully worked on 14 of the 26 AFCP projects in Turkmenistan, including a large grant for the preservation and restoration of the Greater Gyz Gala fortress in Ancient Merv.
