Kazakh Expert Contributes to Presentation of New Volume of UNESCO Thematic Collection on Architectural Exchanges along the Silk Road

Paris, December 4, 2024 – A round table was held at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters on the occasion of the release of the second volume of the Thematic Collection on Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Road, dedicated to architecture, urban development and the protection of heritage sites. Dmitry Voyakin, an archaeologist and expert of the National Committee on World Heritage at the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO, made an important contribution to the content of the new publication and its meaningful discussion

The new publication is based on an analysis of the experienced of knowledge exchange about technologies and materials historically characteristic of countries and peoples along the Silk Road. The key architectural achievements and ideas of urban design, which contributed to the creation of unique cultural landscapes in the history of the regions, were highlighted. The publication reflects the diversity of styles, innovations in urbanism and approaches to the preservation of heritage sites, revealing deep intercultural ties along the Silk Road.

The event was accompanied by a thematic exhibition demonstrating how the exchange of technologies and architectural styles shaped cultural landscapes in a vast region covered by this phenomenon in the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Special attention was paid to the review of the typology of buildings and their architectural evolution.

The UNESCO round table and exhibition became a valuable contribution to the efforts of the Member States involved and the international community to study and preserve the architectural heritage of the countries along the Silk Road, emphasizing its special importance for world culture.