KABUL: The Ministry of Information and Culture reported that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has accepted Afghanistan’s request to register three works in the list of intangible cultural heritage of the world for 2022.
The three works include Behzad style of miniature art independently for Afghanistan, Silk production industry jointly with Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and Yalda night jointly with Iran. The Ministry called the move by UNESCO, an achievement and assured the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.
Acting Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammad Qasim Wafayezada said that the inscription of these works to help further introduce the cultural heritages of Afghanistan to the world.
“The registration of the works to help introduce these heritages to the world and secondly, it would create priorities for the preservation of these cultural heritages. Meanwhile it would persuade people and the government, as well as line institutions, to focus and make efforts for their preservation,” Wafayezada told The Kabul Times.
The Minister welcomed the move and hoped that the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee finalize the registration process in their 2022 evaluation meeting, as according to him a preliminary decision has been made so far.
The registration of cultural heritage has previously led to disputes between countries in the region, including Iran and Afghanistan. In the latest case, about seven months ago, the registration of miniature art as an intangible heritage of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan without mentioning the name of Afghanistan was followed by an official complaint from the Afghan government.
The Kabul Times
