Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - This is the opinion of the German journalist Karl-Heinz Kern, who recently visited Uzbekistan to cover the work of the 12th Sharq Taronalari international music festival in Samarkand, Dunyo news agency reported.

In an article on the tourist information portal Der-Reisenewsletter, he notes that Sharq Taronalari is included in UNESCO’s international cultural events. The purpose of this large-scale cultural forum is to popularize and preserve the national musical art, as well as the research exchange and interaction of musical cultures of different nations.

This year’s festival participants were more than 340 musicians and artists from 75 countries. 36 best music groups of the world competed in the competition. The forum has made a significant contribution to the popularization of folk traditions, according to the material.

“At the opening ceremony of the Sharq Taronalari international festival, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay made a speech. The head of Uzbekistan, welcoming the guests and congratulating the audience on the opening of the festival, noted that the event has become a kind of platform for dialogue between different cultures and civilizations, countries and peoples. The Director-General of UNESCO, in turn, noted that the heritage of the great ancestors of the Uzbek people has attracted scientists, artisans, and artists for centuries. Audrey Azoulay emphasized that UNESCO seeks to develop broad cooperation with Uzbekistan in the field of preserving the universal heritage, developing the traditions of musical art as a universal language of intercultural dialogue,” the author writes.

Karl-Heinz Kern notes that today the festival has become a major international cultural project in which representatives from all continents participate and showcase the best examples of their national musical art.

The event was held on the historical Registan Square of the fabulous city of Samarkand. The area is surrounded on three sides by centuries-old monuments of oriental architecture, which date back to the XV-XVII centuries. During this international cultural forum in the open air, viewers enjoyed the vivid performances of musical groups who came here from different parts of the globe. Registan Square is an impressive stage for cultural and art figures from around the world.

Within the framework of the festival, an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the study of the musical culture and traditions of the peoples of the East was also held.

Traditionally held every two years since 1997, the festival of art also helps to increase the tourist attractiveness of Uzbekistan.

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world along with Rome and Athens. It is noteworthy that the city is located on the Great Silk Road.

Within the framework of the Sharq Taronalari, its participants and guests also had the opportunity to visit the world-famous cultural attractions of the city and get acquainted with the life of Samarkand residents.

Of course, the city is rich in cultural objects of world significance. One of them is the architectural monument of Bibi-Khanum. In the immediate vicinity of this architectural ensemble is the large eastern market “Siab”.

The city has many supermarkets, restaurants and cafes. From the city center to the airport can be reached in a few minutes.

Also worth visiting is the Shahi Zinda complex, consisting of several mausoleums that were built in the XIV-XV centuries.

The author calls the Ulugbek medieval observatory a true astronomical miracle. “Some astronomical values were determined by an Uzbek scientist with great accuracy. The duration of the stellar year of Ulugbek is defined as 365 days 6 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds. According to modern calculations, the actual value of the year is 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes 6 seconds,” the journalist emphasizes.

The Afrosiab Museum, dedicated to the history of the founding of Samarkand, is emphasized by an equally attractive cultural site. The museum is located in the northern part of the city behind the main bazaar, next to the hills of the ancient settlement Afrosiab. The exhibits of the museum clearly demonstrate the history of the city. According to scientists, the city of Afrosiab was surrounded by powerful defensive walls, inside which were a citadel, residential houses and craft workshops. The terracotta figurines, glassware, various tools, jewelry, coins, samples of clay products and kitchen utensils found here tell about the life of the inhabitants of Samarkand many centuries ago.

The author also recommends that German tourists visit the ancient Meros paper mill, where the entire production cycle is carried out manually and you can see with your own eyes the complete process of manufacturing the famous Samarkand paper using ancient technology. The long-forgotten secrets of the craft were restored with the assistance of UNESCO.

At the end of the material for the information of German tourists, it is noted that since April 2020, Uzbekistan Airways launched a new regular flight in the direction Tashkent-Munich-Tashkent. Flights will be operated on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Currently, the Uzbek airline operates regular flights on the Tashkent-Frankfurt-Tashkent route with a frequency of 3 times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.