OREANDA-NEWS. January 17, 2007. New Delhi hosted the international scientific seminar Cities, Roads and Caravanserais – the Symbol of the Ties through the Centuries (India, Western and Central Asia) organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India. The scientists from Turkmenistan took part in the forum for the first time. Head of the Department of the State Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Turkmenistan, Central Asia and the East under President of Turkmenistan Professor Ovez Gundogdiev, senior staff scientist of the State Institute Aydogdy Kurbanov and Head of the Department of the Institute of History under President of Turkmenistan Nurgozel Byashimova presented the reports on the Turkmen-Indian cultural, spiritual and historical ties in the antiquity and medieval period.

The Turkmen scientists’ reports were of particular interest to the participants of the seminar that brought together the leading specialist of the large research centres of India, France, China, Bulgaria, Holland, Germany, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and other countries worldwide. O. Gundogdiev and A. Kurbanov chaired the forum for two days that testified to the Turkmen scientist’s profound authority with the international audience.

On the days of the seminar the exhibition presenting the attributes of the national costume, jewelry and carpet articles as well as the mediaeval scholars’ works translated from the Arabic and Persian languages into Turkmen and published by the Miras National Centre of Cultural Heritage with assistance of the Embassy of Turkmenistan to India. The issues of the Miras Journal published in three languages by the State Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Turkmenistan, Central Asia and the East under President of Turkmenistan were of particular interest. The participants received the international certificates. The resolution stating that the seminars of such kind promoted uniting the peoples of the region and establishing the constructive dialogue among the nations was presented to the participants on the final day. The participants proposed to conduct large-scale joint research in the history, ethnography, religion, cultural and arts of the Central Asian nations. Thus, the Great Silk Rote continued to mediate between the neighbouring peoples promoting enhancement of peace and stability in the region.