Ten landmark examples of Tashkent Modernist architecture added to the UNESCO World Heritage List
Ten outstanding examples of Tashkent's Modernist architecture have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, following a decision adopted during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held from 19 to 29 July in Busan, Republic of Korea. The session was attended by a delegation from the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO.
Among the 30 new nominations considered by the Committee was Uzbekistan's nomination entitled "The Modernist Architecture of Tashkent: Modernity and the Traditions of Central Asia." The nomination brings together ten outstanding architectural landmarks dating from the second half of the twentieth century, representing public, cultural, residential, and engineering structures.
Inscribed properties
- "Pearl" Residential Building (1975–1985)
- State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan (1968–1970)
- State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan (1967–1974)
- Tashkent State Circus (1965–1975)
- Central Exhibition Hall (1972–1974)
- Palace of Cinema Arts of Uzbekistan (formerly Alisher Navoi Cinema Palace and Panorama Cinema) (1962–1964)
- Eski Juva (Chorsu) Market (1983–1990)
- Kosmonavtlar (Cosmonauts) Metro Station (1982–1984)
- Sun Heliocomplex, Tashkent Region (1981–1987)
- Friendship of Peoples Palace
Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and Head of the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, stated that the inscription restores an important chapter of Uzbekistan's modern architectural history to the international context of twentieth-century heritage and the global Modernist movement.
She emphasized that these buildings demonstrate how Tashkent used architecture to shape public life, collective identity, and visions of the future. According to her, UNESCO recognition also entails a long-term responsibility to preserve these sites to the highest professional standards, ensure they remain an integral part of urban life, and pass their legacy on to future generations.
Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, noted that the recognition extends beyond individual buildings to an entire historical era during which, following the 1966 earthquake, Tashkent developed a new urban identity that successfully combined modern architecture with the traditions of Central Asia and the region's unique climate. She described the inscription as a major achievement for Uzbekistan and an important step toward preserving the country's architectural heritage for future generations.
Before this decision, the UNESCO World Heritage List comprised 1,248 properties across 170 countries. Uzbekistan already had five cultural and two natural World Heritage properties. According to the Art and Culture Development Foundation, this sixth inscription is the first national property from Uzbekistan to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the past 25 years.
Uzbekistan has also become the first country in Central Asia and the CIS to secure World Heritage status for twentieth-century Modernist architecture, joining a select group of just over ten countries whose Modernist architectural heritage enjoys this prestigious international recognition.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the governing body of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, serves as the principal international forum responsible for evaluating new World Heritage nominations and monitoring the conservation status of existing World Heritage properties.
