‘The Declaration is, in effect, aimed at saving the archaeological heritage through development and implementation of competent and, most importantly, effective management mechanisms for this utterly important and capacious resource, which is absolutely fundamental for the national spirit and for the identity of each nation state.’

Authored by Dmitriy Voyakin and Natalya Voyakina and with the assistance and ‘patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, and the International Institute for Central Asian Studies’ the declaration was discussed and adopted by scholars from over 20 countries in September 2021, Nukus, Uzbekistan.

IICAS has graciously given permission to publish the Declaration here in English and Russian. It is also published in Volume 33 of the IICAS Bulletin.

The text begins with an introduction regarding the initiative, relevance, and significance of the Declaration. Additionally, comments from several contributors are included. The Declaration itself begins on page 8. Click on the highlighted links below to download the PDF.

Image courtesy of Dmitriy Voyakin, paved road of medieval Talgar, 12th century CE.