TURKMENISTAN PROPOSED TO INCLUDE THE ART OF TAHYA MAKING IN THE UNESCO LIST

Turkmenistan has submitted documents to UNESCO for the inclusion of the art of tahya making and the tradition of wearing it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This was announced following a meeting of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO held at the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was attended by deputy prime ministers, heads and representatives of relevant ministries and agencies, public organizations, and the media. Participants discussed interactions with UNESCO and outlined plans for further development of cooperation. They also heard a report on the commission's work for January–June 2026.

As the commission noted, since the beginning of the year, Turkmenistan has prepared and submitted documents to UNESCO for the inclusion of three national heritage sites on the organization's regional and international lists. The traditions of traditional medicine associated with medicinal plants endemic to Turkmenistan, as well as the art of making tahya and the tradition of wearing it, have been nominated for the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition, manuscript sources dedicated to the life and philosophy of the VIII-century Sufi thinker Ibrahim Edhem have been proposed for inclusion in the Asia-Pacific Regional List of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” Programme.