Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 5-6 October, a seminar for restorers on the topic "The revival of restoration art in Uzbekistan: topical issues of preserving cultural heritage and cultural monuments" is being held in Samarkand for the first time. The event is organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, as well as the Cultural Heritage Agency under it.

The seminar is aimed at strengthening the work on preserving the unique cultural heritage, reflecting the rich history and culture of the Uzbek people, digitalization of the industry, innovative development and strengthening of the material and technical base, consideration of measures for the effective application of advanced world experience.

The event was opened by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov.

“Objects of cultural heritage, historical monuments are not only tourist sites, but, above all, the wealth of our people. They reflect the great history and culture of our people. It should be noted that the attitude towards our national cultural heritage, which passes through a series of times from the past to the present, has changed dramatically in recent years. Tourism, which is developing as a strategic branch of the country’s economy, has become one of the main areas for attracting tourists. I think that the seminar, which is being held today, will also become an excellent school for learning new knowledge and skills in this area, exchanging experience,” Aziz Abdukhakimov said.

According to the minister, as of today, 8,210 real estate objects of material cultural heritage have been taken under state protection in the country, of which 4,788 objects of archeology, 2,265 - architecture, 625 - works of monumental art, 530 sights.

At the event, it was noted that over the past three years, more than 250 cultural heritage sites have been restored and preserved, for which 339 billion soums have been allocated from the state budget. Today in our republic there are more than 400 master restorers.

At the two-day seminar, speeches by a number of specialists are planned, the issues of attracting qualified restorers to work to preserve cultural heritage sites of Uzbekistan, improving the positive image of the country, taking measures to discuss achievements and shortcomings in this area, as well as restoring traditional methods of restoration are considered. It is important to involve masters of their craft, specialists in the field of Uzbek architecture, in the repair and restoration of cultural heritage sites.

The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Heritage Agency under it are carrying out effective work to eliminate problems in the field, to introduce a systematic mechanism for the repair of cultural heritage objects in their original state. Among them are the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 19 June 2021 “On the organization of the activities of the cultural heritage agency and measures for the innovative development of the sphere”, which envisages creation of regional restoration schools by the “Directorate for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage Objects”.

In this regard, regional restoration centers "Bukhara", "Shakhrisabz", "Samarkand", "Termez", "Kokand", "Khiva" of the state institution "Directorate of Cultural Heritage Objects" under the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage are being created. Their main task is to carry out repair, restoration and conservation work at cultural heritage sites based on scientifically based projects, to widely promote our cultural heritage in Uzbekistan and abroad, bringing it to the younger generation through the preservation of unique samples.

At the event, it was noted that restoration and conservation work on each object of cultural heritage should be carried out on the basis of the scientific findings of these centers. In the future, the organizers plan to hold a seminar of restorers on an ongoing basis.