Cultural Heritage Agency established in Uzbekistan

Agency of the cultural heritage at the ministry of tourism and cultural heritage of the republic of Uzbekistan the main task of the Ministry is tourism, development, preservation of historical heritage, state regulation of culture heritage in all areas.

Main tasks:

in the field of  cultural heritage: effective management of tangible cultural heritage on the basis of PPP; implementation of state control, accounting, protection, scientific research and popularization, ensuring the rational operation of objects of material cultural heritage, including museum exhibits and collections; effective implementation of international treaties of Uzbekistan, in particular the requirements of the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, as well as the recommendations of UNESCO and other relevant international organizations, etc. The Agency of Cultural Heritage is a specially authorized state body in the field of extraction and import of tangible cultural heritage, museums, archeology, cultural treasures.

         The main tasks of the Agency are the protection of objects of material cultural heritage, the development of the activities of museums, the preservation of the uniqueness of specially protected historical and cultural territories, the support of archaeological research, the identification of cultural values abroad related to the history and culture of our country, the creation of an appropriate database is envisaged.

         The Cultural Heritage Agency is a special authorized state governing body in the field of import and export of cultural wealth of material cultural heritage, archeology and museums.

         Of more than 8 200 architectural monuments of Uzbekistan, 200+ of them are located in four historic cities inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage.

Specially protected historical and cultural territories :

• In 1990, “Ichan-Kala” has been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List
• In 1993, the “Historic City of the Bukhara” has been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List
• In 2000, the “Shakhrisabz historical centr” has been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List
• In 2001, “Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures” has been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List
• Functions:
• Projects for construction, demolition and beautification of objects of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, specially protected historical and cultural sites, areas included in the World Heritage List and their protected areas are considered by the Agency on a mandatory basis.
• In this case, the projects for the territories (objects) included in the World Heritage List are agreed by the Agency with the UNESCO World Heritage Center through the National Commission for UNESCO.

Objects managed by the Agency of Cultural Heritage:

•  The total number of real estate objects of material cultural heritage in the Republic of  Uzbekistan is 8 210 units
•  The number of archaeological monuments in the Republic of Uzbekistan is 4 748 units
•  The number of architectural monuments in the Republic of Uzbekistan is 2 252 units
•  The number of the showplaces in the Republic of Uzbekistan is 532 units

         The decisions of the Agency, within the framework of their powers, are binding on officials of state and economic management bodies, local executive authorities, other organizations, as well as citizens.

         The Cultural Heritage Agency gives the proper written notice and instructions for mandatory implementation to prevent or eliminate violations of legislative norms in this area. Along with this, he makes representations that are mandatory for consideration to eliminate cases of violations of the law, eliminate factors contributing to their causes and conditions, and also apply appropriate measures to guilty officials.

         According to the Consumer Protection Agency, in order to save historical objects, there is Article 20 in the Law "On Advertising", which prohibits the placement of outdoor advertising on objects of material cultural heritage and a number of other objects, in order to preserve historical monuments that have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of centuries.

         Also, according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Regulation of the outdoor advertising market" No. 104 dated February 20, 2020, objects of cultural and historical significance are included in the advertising-free zone, and the construction of objects (structures) of outdoor advertising at a distance of 50 meters or less from these zones is not allowed.

         However, the results of the study of the Consumer Protection Agency under the AMC of the Republic of Uzbekistan revealed violations. The Agency conducted studies on the placement of outdoor advertising on 386 objects of material and cultural heritage throughout the republic. According to the results, more than 25 cases of unauthorized hanging of advertisements on historical sites have been identified. It is important to note that the identified offenses were soon eliminated.

         The Agency, based on the results of the study, sent warning letters to subjects and entrepreneurs who violated the law and provided appropriate explanations on the procedure for installing outdoor advertising.

         It is important to remember that damage to the material cultural heritage is not allowed.