Presentation of Kyrgyz yurt at UNESCO headquarters in Paris

Bishkek, Nov.15, 2019. /Kabar/. In order to promote the cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Kyrgyz yurt has been installed and presented at UNESCO headquarters, the press service of the Foreign Ministry said. The event was held as part of participation of Kyrgyzstan’s delegation at the 40h session of the UNESCO General Conference, held in Paris, France on Nov. 12-27, 2019. During the official presentation of the yurt on Nov. 14, 2019, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay thanked the Kyrgyz delegation for the opportunity to present the elements, inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to the general public, and stressed such events should be held within the walls of the headquarters of UNESCO, the Organization responsible for the promotion and preservation of the cultural heritage of humanity. Since the opening of the General Conference, its participants and guests have been acquainted with the yurt and its interior decoration, including dozens of heads of delegations. Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon, Uzbekistan’s Deputy PM Aziz Abdukhakimov, as well as ministers of education and culture of Canada, China, Malaysia, Cambodia, Kuwait, Sweden, ambassadors and permanent representatives of Member States to UNESCO were among participants and guests of the event. More than 5000 people and official delegations from 195 UNESCO member states take part in the work of the General Conference. Yurt and shyrdak (stitched, and often colorful felt floor-covering, usually handmade in Central Asia) were included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.