The Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The event was organized by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Samarkand Archaeological Institute, and the Samarkand Regional Hokimiyat, with the support of UNESCO.

The forum brought together leading scholars, researchers, and representatives of international organisations. Participants discussed recent archaeological discoveries, the urban development of the Zarafshan Valley, and Samarkand’s role in the history of world civilisation. Among the speakers were Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Professor Temur Shirinov, and Dr Claude Rapin.

The conference served as an important platform for academic exchange and for strengthening international cooperation in the fields of archaeology, cultural-heritage preservation, and the creative development of historic cities.

Based on studies conducted within the framework of international cooperation, researchers concluded that Samarkand’s history spans at least 3,000 years. The previously recognized age of 2,750 years has been revised, and the official age of Samarkand has now been established as 3,000 years.