UNESCO includes the Tashkent ‘Mahallas’ in World Cultural Heritage List

UNESCO has included Tashkent mahallas in the Tentative UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List- the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has reported.  The traditional mahalla aroused interest from the international community and was perceived by experts as a way of reviving eco-architecture, as a method of preserving community, social values, and at the same time as a solution to the problem of mass urbanization of modern cities.

The Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art, in cooperation with UNESCO, brought together leading scientists, specialists, architects, and researchers who carried out large-scale work on the study of the mahallas of the city of Tashkent. No investment construction projects are allowed on this territory. This is the result of the fact that members of the public, activists, journalists, and bloggers did not remain indifferent to the fate of the ancient Zarkaynar Street, which is the heart of Tashkent. This is also the attention of UNESCO, which supported the project for the preservation of the surrounding area and included it in the list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage.

In addition, the first steps to preserve the cultural layers of the old city blocks were taken in 2019, during the development of the project "Mahalla: Urban and Provincial life", which was presented at the 17th Architecture Biennale in Venice in 2021.