Museums in Central Asia: The Role of Cultural Institutions in disseminating Information
The countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan have great tourist potential both for foreign visitors and companies who might be interested in investing in tourism. A key factor making the place so attractive for tourists is its history, starting with the Silk Road, which dates back to Roman times (Buyers, 2003), continuing with renowned scientists and scholars of the Medieval world, through the dominance of the nomads, the Russian empire, the Soviet era. If we add the beauty of nature, landscapes, cultural, archaeological and heritage unique attractions, hospitality of people, arts and crafts of the region, it is easy to understand why this region can be considered as a unique and very attractive tourist destination.However, one common denominator in all the studies is that all these countries, to a different degree, lack proper infrastructure and have not developed proper mechanisms to attract more potential visitors and tourists.One of the most often quoted sentences in the literature on the tourism industry is that information is the lifeblood of tourism.. It has been clearly demonstrated in numerous studies that museums have direct impact on a country’s economy. The aim of this paper is to analyse if, and to what extent, the countries of Central Asia are competitive in promoting their national heritage. It aims to verify, to what degree historical and archaeological museums in the countries of Central Asia are able to adopt effective strategies to facilitate access to information for potential tourists in order to attract them. The issue of competitiveness of the museums on the digital level and the issue of digital divide is the most important one. Providing digital access to the exhibitions, information on museums has been analysed. The objects of the present analysis are historical and archaeological museums in five countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. For each country two museums were chosen for the analysis. The criteria of the choice were as follows:
• State museums
• Possessing archaeological, ethnographic or historical collections
• At least one of the museums in every of the country in question is situated in its capital.
Author - Dr. Jarosz, Katarzyna, University of Logistics, Wroclaw, Poland (Presenting author)
Epic of Manas
The Epic of Manas is a traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people. Manas is the name of the epic's hero. One recording of the orally transmitted poem, with close to half a million lines, is twenty times longer than Homer's Odyssey and Iliad combined, or about twice as long as the Mahabharata. The epic tells the story of Manas, his descendants and his followers. Battles against Kitay and Kalmak enemies form a central theme in the epic. Although the epic is mentioned as early as the 15th century, it was not set down in written form until 1885. Different opinions abound regarding the origin of the epic: the 7th—10th centuries, the 11th and 12th centuries and the 15th through 18th centuries.
Manas is the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature, and parts of it are often recited at Kyrgyz festivities by specialists in the epic, called Manaschi (Kyrgyz: Манасчы). Manaschis are usually called to their profession in a dream. In this dream, they meet Manas or other characters from the epic, who tell them to become Manas narrators. If they do not obey, they believe they will fall ill or become crippled. Manaschis tell the tale in a melodic chant unaccompanied by musical instruments.
Kyrgyzstan has many Manaschis. Narrators who know all three episodes of the epic (the tales of Manas, of his son Semetei and of his grandson Seitek) can acquire the status of Great Manaschi. Great Manaschis of the 20th century are Sagimbai Orozbakov, Sayakbai Karalayev, Shaabai Azizov (in the picture), Kaba Atabekov, Seidene Moldokova and Yusup Mamai. A revered Manaschi who recently visited the United Kingdom is Rysbek Jumabayev. Urkash Mambetaliev, the Manaschi of the Bishkek Philharmonic, also travels through Europe. A younger Manaschi, Talantaaly Bakchiyev, combines narrating with being a Manas scholar.
There are more than 65 written versions of parts of the epic. An English translation of the version of Sagimbai Orozbakov by Walter May was published in 1995, in commemoration of the presumed 1000th anniversary of Manas' birth, and re-issued in two volumes in 2004. Arthur Hatto has made English translations of the Manas tales recorded by Shokan Valikhanov and Vasily Radlov in the 19th century.
Manas is said to have been buried in the Ala-Too mountains in Talas Province, in northwestern Kyrgyzstan. A mausoleum some 40 km east of the town of Talas is believed to house his remains and is a popular destination for Kyrgyz travellers. Traditional Kyrgyz horsemanship games are held there every summer since 1995. An inscription on the mausoleum states, however, that it is dedicated to ...the most famous of women, Kenizek-Khatun, the daughter of the emir Abuka. Legend has it that Kanikey, Manas' widow, ordered this inscription in an effort to confuse her husband's enemies and prevent a defiling of his grave. The building, known as Manastin Khumbuzu or The Ghumbez of Manas, was probably erected in 1334. On the grounds is a museum dedicated to Manas and his legend.
A minor planet, 3349 Manas, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979, is named after the epic poem. Numerous places in Kyrgyzstan are named after Manas, including the international airport in Bishkek.
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Silk Road | Wikipedia audio article
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Silk Road
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
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The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West. It was central to cultural interaction between the regions for many centuries. The Silk Road refers to both the terrestrial and the maritime routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with East Africa, West Asia and Southern Europe.
The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning in the Han dynasty (207 BCE–220 CE). The Han dynasty expanded the Central Asian section of the trade routes around 114 BCE through the missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.Trade on the Road played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, Korea, Japan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Europe, the Horn of Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations between the civilizations. Though silk was the major trade item exported from China, many other goods were traded, as well as religions, syncretic philosophies, sciences, and technologies. Diseases, most notably plague, also spread along the Silk Road. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road was a route for cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.Traders in ancient history included the Bactrians, Sogdians, Syrians, Jews, Arabs, Iranians, Turkmens, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Somalis, Greeks, Romans, Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis.In June 2014, UNESCO designated the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor of the Silk Road as a World Heritage Site. The Indian portion is on the tentative site list.