Uzbek Art of Bakhshi added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

Tashkent, Dec 16: Bakhshi, a traditional epic poetry performance art of Uzbekistan, has been included on the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Uzbek Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on Thursday.
“Art of Bakhshi was included in the representative list… as an element of the intangible cultural heritage of Uzbekistan,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the 16th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage endorsed the inclusion of Bakhshi art “by acclamation” facing no objection. In the near future, Uzbekistan is planning to introduce Uzbek ceramic school and several multinational nominations to the list, the ministry added.
Bakhshi is the performance of centuries-old poems with the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments. In 2018, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on the organization of the Bakhshi International Art Festival. The first festival was held in the city of Termez in April 2019, the second in the city of Nukus that September.
Bakhshi has become the sixth Uzbek cultural element incorporated in the intangible heritage list, alongside the rice-based dish plov, the cultural space of the Baysun district, the folk chants Katta Ashula, Askia improvisational dialogues, and the Lazgi traditional dance.