BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 8. World cultural heritage is facing a number of challenges, International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) President Teresa Patricio said in a video message to the participants of the international event on the topic "Professional development of specialists in the field of World Heritage", Trend reports.
The event is taking place in Baku.
"A number of changes are taking place in the world, and they affect cultural heritage as well. The ongoing international training will help us to meet these challenges. I thank Azerbaijan for hosting such an important event," she said.
The event in Baku gathered experts in the field of cultural heritage from 17 countries, for the first time at the invitation of the UNESCO - ICOMOS advisory body. The event is attended by representatives of France, Poland, Israel, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Russia, Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Oman and other countries.
Azerbaijan has a number of properties inscribed on he World Heritage List of UNESCO. Among them are Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace, Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, etc.
Such elements of Azerbaijani culture as Mugham (traditional musical form, characterized by a large degree of improvisation), Art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs (combines poetry, storytelling, dance and vocal and instrumental music into a traditional performance art that stands as a symbol of Azerbaijani culture), Novruz (traditional holiday which is celebrated with coming of spring), traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving, craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar and Kamancha (national music instruments), Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game, and others were inscribed in the UNESCO list of intangible heritage.
In April 2023, Azerbaijan said it submitted its proposal (on the country's Hirkan Forests) for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's transnational nomination at the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, it should also be noted that as a result of the Karabakh war and Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands, a lot of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage suffered enormous damage.