The European Union and the International alliance for the protection of heritage (ALIPH) have launched 29 cultural heritage projects across Central Asia to safeguard endangered tangible and intangible heritage from the impact of climate change, following a highly successful Call for Projects that elicited 233 applications. This initiative is co-funded for a total of EUR 1.5 million, wherein EUR 1.1 million is provided by the European Union and the remaining amount contributed by ALIPH. The projects will be implemented in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, according to the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan.
The projects address iconic heritage sites and living cultural traditions, and combine conservation, documentation, skills development, and economic empowerment. Interventions include safeguarding sites, such as the World Heritage site of Sarazm in Tajikistan, the Ak-Saray Palace and the Kayrit Oasis in Uzbekistan, and the Dandanakan Mosque in Turkmenistan.
Others will strengthen museums through restoration works or professional training, such as at the Kasteyev Museum in Almaty, the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan, and two institutions in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan: the Savitsky Museum in Nukus and the Ecological Museum in Muynak, which preserves the heritage of the Aral Sea. This initiative will also support the restoration of paintings from the Romanov Palace’s collection in Tashkent. In addition, regional programs on conservation and climate-resilient restoration practices and a museology forum in Astana will enable regional exchange among museum professionals.
These new projects will also focus on intangible heritage, including documenting nomadic and mountain cultural practices, preserving epic poetry, and revitalizing traditional games and music in Kyrgyzstan. In Uzbekistan, sustainable silk and ikat production will be supported by restoring natural dyeing techniques and facilitating knowledge transfer.
Creative industries will be bolstered through artisan and entrepreneurship training in felt-making, suzani embroidery, ceramics, wall painting, and digitization of ornamental traditions. Special attention will be given to supporting youth and returnee communities.
“This initiative allows us to strengthen our engagement in protecting heritage from the impact of climate change and to expand our work in Central Asia. Thanks to the support of the European Union, we will be able to work with local heritage professionals to adapt creative industries and traditional crafts sectors to the climate change challenges,” said Valéry Freland, Executive Director of ALIPH.
