Another historical event of global proportions has occurred. The Mahallah of Tashkent becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been included in the tentative World Heritage List.
The first steps towards preserving the cultural layers of the old districts were taken in 2019 as part of the development of the project “Mahallah¹: Urban and Provincial Life”, which was presented at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021. The Mahallah, as we understand it, has attracted the interest of the international community and has been seen by experts as a way to revitalise eco-architecture, as a method of preserving community and social values, and at the same time as a solution to the problem of mass urbanisation of modern cities.
The Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art, in cooperation with UNESCO, has brought together leading scientists, specialists, architects and researchers who have conducted a comprehensive study of the Mahallah of Tashkent.
No investment construction is allowed in this area.
This is the result of the fact that the public, activists, journalists and bloggers were not indifferent to the fate of the old Zarkainar Street, which is the heart of Tashkent. The UNESCO organisation also became aware of the conservation project and included it in the list of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage.
On the basis of public responsibility and a conscious approach to the preservation of the Mahallah in our country, scientific and restoration work continues in this direction.
¹A Mahallah, also mahalla, mahallya, mahalle Arabic: محلة, maḥallä, mahallā, mohalla, mehalla, or mehalle (Arabic: محلة (maḥalla); Bengali: মহল্লা (môhollā); Hindustani: मोहल्ला; محلہ (mōhallā); Persian: محله (mahalleh); Azerbaijani: Məhəllə; Albanian: mahallë or mahalla, or mëhallë or mëhalla; Bulgarian: махала (makhala); Macedonian: маало (maalo) or маала (maala); Serbo-Croatian: mahala / махала, or ma’ala / ма’ала, or only mala / мала; Romani: mahala; Romanian: mahala; Aromanian: mãhãlã), (abbreviated mh. or mah.) is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or “neighborhood”[1] in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations.