At the 20th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee currently taking place in New Delhi, India, a decision was made to expand the nomination “Tradition of Making and Using the Yurt.” This cultural element was originally inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, following a joint nomination by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

This decision enhances global recognition of the yurt as an integral part of world culture and highlights the shared cultural heritage of Central Asia.

It is also worth noting that several nominations are currently under UNESCO’s consideration, including Kazakhstan’s national nomination “Salburyn,” as well as the multinational nominations “Art of Embroidery” (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan), “Art of Felt-Making” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan), the epic “Alpamys” (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan), and “Taqiya” (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey).

Erlan Karin