THE EXPERIENCE OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTS PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA AT THE PRESENT STAGE (case study of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan)

Abstract

In many countries of the Central Asian region a lot of attention is paid to the preservation and further development of traditional crafts, which represent an intangible cultural heritage of the peoples. Active maintenance and development of crafts at the present stage is primarily connected with a well-considered cultural policy aimed at supporting national cultural heritage, contributing to the development of tourism industry and rural economy. The materials presented in this article are based on field research of crafts preservation and development experience in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the RK AR09259862 “Research of traditional crafts of modern Kazakhstan: status and ways of preservation”. For the study of existing practices, we selected the most significant sites with well-developed handicraft activity and professional academic institutions, specializing in the study of crafts as a part of intangible cultural heritage. These are the cities of Dushanbe, Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent. This article is dedicated to the comprehension and analysis of the experience of preservation, revival and development of traditional crafts in the Central Asian region, using Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as examples. A field study of the analyzed experience, conducted in June 2022, has highlighted a number of important aspects, including a set of measures aimed at the preservation and development, and in some cases, the revival of lost traditional crafts. This experience is not only immense, but also allows us to outline the key points for the development of evidence-based practices of conservation and development of traditional crafts in Kazakhstan.