Khiva greets guests

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Ages) Festival of Traditional Culture is poised to start, the fascinating city of Khiva is welcoming guests from far and wide.

Preparations for the upcoming cultural spectacle in the very heart of ancient Khiva are in its last stages. Organized by the Fund Forum and UNESCO Representative Office in Uzbekistan, Asrlar Sadosi Festival is now in its third year. The event, which boasts an exceptionally diverse programme, is certain to become a memorable cultural celebration. Each architectural monument in Ichan-Qala, a walled inner town inside Khiva, is protected as a World Heritage Site.

Rehearsals by folk music groups that have come together in Khiva from all parts of the country are already delighting many participants and guests. Among them are many national masters who are famous far beyond the confines of Uzbekistan. They will be presenting their works at an Applied Art Fair to be held as part of the Festival. Rukhsora Turakulova, one such master, who emerged as the winner of Asrlar Sadosi Festival in 2008, has brought unique suzane.

Rukhsora Turakulova, a representative of Nurota suzane school:

“After I won in the Festival in 2008 which took place in Shakhrisabz, I was given a grant by the Fund Forum. I also participated in an exhibition of Uzbek suzane in Glasgow (Scotland) which was organized by the Fund Forum. I was amazed to see suzane of the 17th-18th centuries brought from Uzbekistan to a museum there. We got postcards portraying the suzane and were able to restore the ornaments.”

This is just one of the surprises that art admirers in Khiva are in for.