OREANDA-NEWS. May 14, 2009. Awarding the UNESCO Gold Medal of Avicenna to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for his outstanding construction to developing the national culture, preserving the cultural and historical monuments and enhancing cooperation with UNESCO once more testified to the Turkmen leader’s irrefutable services in implementing the policy of New Revival he decaled and his efforts to expand international partnership in the spheres of education, science and culture. Since 2005 under the patronage of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the international expert group had worked in the country to prepare the nomination file of the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa, which were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2007.

According tot the National Department of Study, Study and Restoration of the Historical and Cultural Monuments affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and TV and Radio Broadcasting of Turkmenistan the new nomination file has been prepared. The Turkmen specialist will present it at the 5th UNESCO Regional Conference in Kazakhstan.

For the first time in the regional practice a big group of the historical monuments and remarkable sites situated on the ancient caravan routes connecting West and East over many centuries until sea routes were laid is nominated for inscription. Overland routes given the joint name of the Great Silk Road in XIX century went down in history though left an indelible mark on cultures of all countries involved in international trade. Today the initiative on recognition of the Silk Road as a part of world heritage under the aegis of UNESCO has been put forward. This initiative is unique for the transnational nomination of not one object in a particular country but a historical and cultural phenomenon like the Great Silk Road running across Eurasia was in antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The serial nomination file is prepared on the initiative of six countries whose territories were crossed by the main caravan routes. These include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This idea was further developed in recent years on a basis of the conceptual document and in the framework of the regional seminars and preparatory work on local level.

The specialists of the National Department of Study, Study and Restoration of the Historical and Cultural Monuments identified eleven routes that in the past connected Dehistan, Nisa, Abiverd, Serahs, Merv, Amul, Gurganj (Kunya Urgench) and other old Turkmen cities with the outer centres of international trade such as Otrar, Bukhara, Herat, Balh, Mashad, Tehran and the northern cities of the Golden Horde. Caravanserais of those years, fortresses, mosques, sanctuaries, bridges built along these roads will be the links of one nomination – the Silk Road. Its Turkmen sector includes 28 unique sites of the ancient settlements and constructions – Shir-Kabir (Mashat-ata), Durun, Anau, Kene-Kaahkha, Meana-baba, Dashrabat (Dandanaqan), Gebekly-depe, Uly-Kishman, Akcha-kala, Shasenem, Ismykshir, Dayakhatyn, Astana-baba and the Pulkhatn bridge, carve settlement of Ekedeshik. After discussing, analyzing and assessing the condition of the monuments the World Heritage Committee will define the winners in the nominations submitted by all the UNESCO member states by voting at a regular session.