The First International Museum Conference organized by the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities of Turkmenistan and the Mary Velayat Khyakimlik to exchange experience in the research and educational activity of the museums all over the world and to raise the professionalism of museum specialists has started its work in Turkmenistan on October 3.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities, the specialists of 57 museums from 21 countries including France, Great Britain, Germany, the USA and the CIS states participate in the conference.

The colleagues from different countries will conduct the meetings at the National Museum of Turkmenistan, the Museum of Fine Arts, the President’s Museum of National Cultural Center and the State Academy of Arts of Turkmenistan Within the framework of the conference.

The participants will visit Margiana, the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum and the Mary Velayat Museum. Many of our guests will see ancient Merv, a center of the ancient civilizations, for the first time.

The specialists and scientists will discuss the problems and outcomes of the current stage and modern trends of museology, the issues of propagation, interpretation and use of the historical and cultural heritage to encourage education and culture. The themes under discussion will include the place and role of museums in modern society and education of younger generation, interaction and integration of museums and educational and cultural establishments, and active involvement of museums in harmonizing the social processes.

Turkmenistan famous for the 5,000-year history has a profound potential of developing museology. We have the glorious past to be proud of, the present to rely on and everything to reserve for the future. 28 museums, 8 historical and cultural reserves, the departmental and public museums are under supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting Activities. They all work to carefully preserve and revive the Turkmen history, propagate the national spiritual and cultural values and bring people to love the native land.

Nowadays, the Turkmen museum specialists are to fulfill the new conceptual tasks to preserve and replenish the stock of the museums, to intensify the work on local history, to collect and safeguard artifacts and specimens, to provide scientific analysis and systematize the unique exhibits and documentary evidence, which help us to restore the lost facts and pages of our history.

Nowadays, the museums of Turkmenistan are brought up to the international level and the international conference that brings together the museum specialists from all over the world in Turkmenistan will considerably contribute to development of museology, achievement of the common goals and design of new trends in the research activity as well as be another step towards Turkmenistan’s integration into the global cultural space.

The publication of the illustrated album Museums of Turkmenistan, booklets and pictures presenting the museum collections of Turkmenistan is timed to the international conference.