Tashkent Modernist Architecture Added to UNESCO Heritage List

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Tashkent's modernist architecture has officially been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was made at the 48th session of the organization's World Heritage Committee, which is being held in Busan.

Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, announced the decision and described it as an important event for the country.

She said the national nomination was the first from Uzbekistan in the past 25 years to receive such a high international status.

The inclusion reflects the value not only of individual architectural sites but also of an entire period in Tashkent's development. It covers architecture that emerged after the earthquake and combined modern solutions with Central Asian traditions and the characteristics of the local climate.

Saida Mirziyoyeva called the decision a major victory for Uzbekistan and an important step toward preserving Tashkent's architectural heritage for future generations.

The property comprises a representative ensemble of 10 modernist buildings and urban complexes constructed from the 1960s to the early 1990s. This period marked an important stage in the reconstruction and transformation of Tashkent following the 1966 earthquake.

The property includes museums, exhibition halls, hotels, residential complexes, cultural institutions, as well as scientific and infrastructure facilities that reflect the broad range of architectural construction during the late Soviet period.

Nine of the 10 component sites are located along new urban axes in the reconstructed city centre, established in accordance with successive master plans. These plans transformed Tashkent into a modern socialist metropolis.

Together, the sites form the city's main public spaces and demonstrate a combination of modernist urban planning principles with local climatic, seismic and cultural characteristics.

The serial property as a whole illustrates a distinctive stage in the development of architectural modernism, characterized by industrialized construction, earthquake-resistant engineering solutions and the adaptation of standardized building systems to regional materials, traditions and natural and environmental conditions.