Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke at the opening ceremony of the Third International Maqom Art Forum.
In his address, the head of state welcomed delegates from more than 80 countries, including the leadership of UNESCO, ICESCO, the CIS, the SCO, and the Organization of Turkic States.
The President emphasized that this musical genre, included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, serves as the cultural memory of the nation, and the forum itself has turned into an authoritative global platform for strengthening intercultural ties.
Namangan became the venue for the large-scale forum this year. The head of state particularly noted the achievements of the region, where the 65th International Flower Festival continues in parallel. More than 150 million flowers were planted on Namangan soil this year, which allowed the achievement to be officially recorded in the Guinness World Records.
The President also paid tribute to the outstanding Namangan writers, thinkers, and classical performers of the past, whose creative heritage laid the foundation for modern generations of master artists.
As part of the state strategy for the development and popularization of classical heritage, Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced a comprehensive set of large-scale international initiatives. In particular, the construction of a Maqom Center has begun in New Tashkent, which he proposed to name the World Center, alongside the creation of an International Academy of Maqom under it.
The new institution will include a digital library and a laboratory for unique manuscripts, and will serve as a training base for young performers from all over the world in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Indian, and other traditions of classical music. In addition, the president called on the international scientific community to develop a World Anthology of Maqom on a single digital platform, establish a specialized international fund, a special prize for scientists and artists, and grant the ensemble named after Yunus Rajabi the status of a National State Ensemble.
To integrate cultural heritage into the tourism sector, a specialized route called "The Way of Maqom" is planned to be launched across the regions of the republic. Thematic streets dedicated to specific directions of "Shashmaqom" will appear in Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, Kokand, Shahrisabz, and Tashkent.
