Kazakhstan awaits UNESCO decision on Mangystau rocky mosques
The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee started in Busan, South Korea on July 19.
One of the key events for Kazakhstan will be the examination of the application to include the Rock Mosques of Mangystau and Associated Sacred Sites in the World Heritage List.
According to Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, the session is taking place from July 19 to July 29. It has brought together about 3,000 participants from 196 States Parties to the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, as well as representatives of international organizations and experts.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and the Director-General of UNESCO Khaled El-Enany attended the opening ceremony.
«The delegation of Kazakhstan is actively participating in the session in its capacity as a member of the World Heritage Committee. The Committee is also expected to examine Kazakhstan’s nomination ‘The Rock Mosques of Mangystau and Associated Sacred Sites’,» the ministry said in a statement.
The sacred sites in question are the Beket-ata (Oglandy), Karaman-ata, Shakpak-ata, Shopan-ata and Sultan-Epe. In recent years, extensive preparatory work has been carried out in Mangystau, including the designation of protected areas, the installation of information boards, the collection of photographic and video materials, the preparation of scientific documentation and its submission to UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Along with Kazakhstan’s nomination, the Committee will examine another 29 new nominations for inclusion in the World Heritage List. The experts will also discuss the state of conservation of 147 properties already protected by UNESCO.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously instructed the government to begin work on advancing the nomination of the Mangystau underground mosques for inclusion in the World Heritage List. He announced the initiative at a meeting of the National Kurultai in Atyrau.
