Asrlar Sadosi Festival of Traditional Culture is Poised to Start

Online, May 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Ages) Festival of Traditional Culture, one of Uzbekistan's major cultural projects, is poised to start. Organized by the Fund Forum and UNESCO Representative Office in Uzbekistan, the Festival will be held on May 8 and 9 at Ichan-Qala, an ancient architectural complex and the heart of Khiva city.

Asrlar Sadosi Festival of Traditional Culture, one of the Fund Forum's major projects, is held annually in various historical and cultural hubs of Uzbekistan. The Festival presents the entire diversity of national traditions and customs, applied art, national cuisine and the unique oral traditions of the country. Notably, the number of people, including international guests, wishing to visit the Festival is growing year after year as the project is an opportunity to come close the ancient traditions and the cultural and artistic diversity of modern Uzbekistan.

This year the Festival tilts toward "historical and cultural studies" orientation. This is due to the fact that the venue for the upcoming event is one of the mysterious cities of Uzbekistan, Khiva, which is a World Heritage Site. Second, the Festival will offer a broader scope of educational events.

On the first day of the Festival, May 8, lectures and master classes by local archeologists, along with popular merrymaking, will be held. The next day, May 9, a scientific conference titled "Uzbekistan's Cultural Legacy: the Art of Calligraphy and Architectural Epigraphy" is scheduled. The conference will bring together prominent scientists, art critics and experts from Uzbekistan and abroad who will speak about unique research, new discoveries and trends in the study of the ancient and medieval cultures of the Orient. Specifically, the conference will include a presentation of the book "Samples of the Eastern Art of Calligraphy and Miniature", published by the Fund Forum, as well as rare projects "Architectural Epigraphy and Calligraphy of Medieval Monuments in Uzbekistan", "Archeological Map of Uzbekistan", and a "Catalogue of Archeological-Architectural Monuments of Uzbekistan", also to be published in the near future. This fundamental research is being done in Uzbekistan for the first time and represents the first experience of systematization and scientific-cultural presentation of information in this field.

Ichan-Qala historical complex will be venue for popular merrymaking, performances by folk music groups, bakshi performances, an applied art fair, ram fights, rooster fights, kurash national wrestling, a National Cuisine Festival. All these will offer an opportunity to learn of diverse facets of Uzbekistan's national culture.

One of the highlights of the upcoming event is the National Dress Festival where talented fashion designers will present their new collections combining tradition and modernity.

In addition, to commemorate May 9, Memory and Honour Day in Uzbekistan, a charitable pilaf event for Great Patriotic War veterans will take place.

As of now, leading folk music groups of Uzbekistan, talented fashion designers, applied art masters and cooks from all parts of Uzbekistan, including the Republic of Karakalpakstan, have confirmed they will participate in the events to be held within the Festival.

The project has attracted the interest of culture and art professionals from abroad as well. This year the Festival will be attended by guests from Russia, France, USA, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Korea, Italy, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, UK, as well as officials of the diplomatic corps and international organizations accredited in Uzbekistan. Asrlar Sadosi Festival is a unique opportunity to come close to the ancient traditions and diverse arts of Uzbekistan.

Note: Asrlar Sadosi Festival was first held in 2008 in Kitab district of Kashkadarya Region. In 2009, the Festival was timed to the 2200th anniversary of the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, and held in Akkurgan and Bostanlik districts of Tashkent Region. The two previous Festivals were attended by over 60 thousand people. Also, in 2009, a scientific component was added to the Festival. On May 1, 2009, a presentation of the book "Civilizations, States and Cultures of Central Asia" by Academic Rtveladze was held. The English version of the book was published with the assistance of the Fund Forum. In 2009, the Festival programme also included master classes taught by local archeologists on May 2 at Kanka and Shakhrukhiya ancient settlements.

Khiva is one of the oldest cities of Khorezm oasis. In the past, Khiva was the capital of Khorezm which was a powerful state in Central Asia in the 12th-13th centuries. Khiva, which holds a special place in the history of world civilizations, is likened to an open-air museum which has withstood the ravages of time. It boasts a number of historical architectural marvels. Ichan-Qala is a walled inner town inside Khiva city. It is also a residential area with almost 26 hectares and 2,200 metres of fortifications rising up to 8 metres in height. One of the most famous and fascinating landmarks in Central Asia, Ichan-Qala is protected as a World Heritage Site.