An exhibition has opened at the capital’s Museum of Fine Arts to mark 20 years of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the United States through the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
Co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Embassy of the United States of America in Ashgabat, the event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, the Ministry of Culture and other agencies, scientific circles, and the mass media.
Established by the US Congress in 2001, the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation supports the preservation of monuments, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression around the world. To date the Fund has supported more than 900 cultural heritage projects in over 200 countries.
The exhibition features photographs illustrating the stages of cooperation in the conservation of historical and architectural monuments in Turkmenistan.
Over the past twenty years, the U.S. Department of State, through the AFCP, has awarded grants to support 28 projects of Turkmen specialists. Most of the projects were implemented in close collaboration with the National Administration of Turkmenistan for the Protection, Research and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments.
US Ambassador to Turkmenistan Matthew Klimow said in his opening speech that “he has traveled throughout the country to gain a better understanding of Turkmen culture and Turkmen traditions, and surprising discoveries awaited him in every province”.
The Fund has supported the restoration of the mosaic panel depicting dragons from the entrance portal of the 15th-century Mosque in Anau; the preservation of Parthian wall frescos at the historical site of Old Nisa; the conservation work on the ruined fortress town of Gonur-Depe and the Great Gyzgala in the Ancient Merv State Historical and Cultural Park; the strengthening of the walls of the11th-century Mausoleum-Shrine of Abu Sa'id Abul Khayr; the restoration and conservation of the architectural complex of Ismamut-Ata and the Ak-Saray-Ding Tower built around the 11th-century (Dashoguz velayat); the preservation of the 12th-century Dayahatyn Caravanserai (Lebap velayat). And the list of the AFCP-supported projects is far from complete.
These and many other historical treasures, including objects related to the history of the Silk Road, museum artifacts, old carpets, manuscripts, books and unique recordings of folk music have encouraged close cooperation between foreign and Turkmen researchers and restorers, who are making invaluable contributions to the conservation of Turkmenistan’s cultural heritage for future generations.
Speaking at the exhibition’s opening ceremony, Minister of Culture of Turkmenistan Atageldy Shamuradov expressed hope for a closer Turkmenistan-US dialogue in this area.
Svetlana CHIRTSOVA
