UNESCO included Tashkent’s modernism in the heritage list
UNESCO adds Tashkent’s modernism and Mangystau mosque to heritage list
Marina Buzovska
/ World /
July 28, 2026
During its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included two new sites from Central Asia on the World Heritage List – the serial nomination “Modernist Architecture of Tashkent” (Uzbekistan) and the underground mosques of Mangystau (Kazakhstan).
About this reported the Radio Liberty (Azattyq Asia).
From Kazakhstan, the list includes five sacred complexes in Mangystau region: Shopan-Ata, Karaman-Ata, Shakpak-Ata, Sultan-Epe and Beket-Ata. They combine underground mosques, necropolises, mausoleums, burial places of representatives of the Sufi tradition, pilgrimage routes, sacred wells and other religious sites.
Underground mosques of Magistau. Photo: Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan
The Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan noted that UNESCO recognized the complexes as having outstanding universal value under criteria (ii) and (iii). They reflect the formation of a unique sacred landscape in Mangystau, which arose due to the centuries-old interaction of the Sufi spiritual tradition and the culture of nomadic peoples. All five complexes are under state protection, and a comprehensive management plan for their preservation is being prepared for 2027–2032.
Ten objects of Tashkent modernism, united in the serial nomination “Modernist Architecture of Tashkent”, were included in the World Heritage List from Uzbekistan.
It includes museums, exhibition pavilions, hotels, residential complexes, cultural, scientific and infrastructure buildings built in the 1960s–1990s after the devastating earthquake of 1966. They demonstrate a combination of modernist urban planning principles with local climatic, seismic and cultural features.
The Uzbekistan Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts emphasized that this is the first national nomination to be included in the World Heritage List in the last 25 years. In addition, Uzbekistan became the first country in Central Asia whose architectural heritage of 20th-century modernism received the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The latest building in the series of nomi<a href="https://absafricatv9491.live-website.com/womens-africa-cup-of-nations-2026-day-2-recap/” title=”Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026: Day 2 recap”>nations was completed in 1990, making this complex one of the most modern architectural sites on the UNESCO List.
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KazakhstanmodernismTashkentCentral AsiaUNESCO
