Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- By order of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a research expedition was held in Karakalspakstan to study the potential and value of the region’s cultural heritage sites.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his message to the Oliy Majlis on 24 January 2020, set the government the task of accelerating the inclusion of monuments from Uzbekistan in the lists of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO.

In the period from April to May 2021, an international expedition worked in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, which assessed the potential and value of objects of the region’s historical and cultural heritage and developed a further strategy for their inclusion in the lists. The expedition was assisted by the National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as regional khokimiyats.

The international expert group, which carried out comprehensive scientific research, included domestic and foreign specialists in the field of archeology, architecture, history and documentation of cultural monuments. The expedition took place under the auspices of the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) and with the support of University College London in the framework of the Central Asian Archaeological Landscapes project.

For the first time in the history of the Central Asian region, a large-scale work was carried out on detailed documentation of objects using new methods and equipment. To collect data, experts used three unmanned aerial vehicles. Four specialized groups covered over 8000 km. As a result of the research, materials were obtained on 53 monuments of the region, over 67,000 aerial photographs and 144 videos were taken. The thorough investigation covered an area of over 5,000 hectares.

The result of the research will be a detailed aerial photography and a three-dimensional model of each monument, on the basis of which natural, architectural, infrastructural, household and other elements will be determined.

The recommendations developed by an international expert group on the basis of large-scale research conducted will make it possible to form a global strategy for the preservation of unique objects of history and culture of Uzbekistan and a program for their inclusion in the prestigious international UNESCO list.