BBC: historical heritage is being destroyed in the city of Samarkand, fake cities are being built in its place
04.07.2023
Photo caption:
According to Rafieva, this 19th-century building was listed as a historical heritage site, but the roof was removed and allowed to decay. According to him, the building was subsequently removed from the protection list.
Diyora Rafieva, a lawyer, told the BBC that irregular constructions in Samarkand, destruction of national heritage, land grabbing, inaction, and eyewashing are putting this historic city at great risk.
“Non-enforcement of laws, technical administrative deficiencies, failure to prosecute alleged crimes, including cases of possible corruption, are the “worms” that are quickly eating away at the museum-city,” the activist said.
To draw attention to the situation in Samarkand, Rafieva sent an open letter to the government of Uzbekistan and a number of international organizations, including UNESCO, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Development Bank.
In the letter, the activist sought to draw attention to the “gross destruction and damage” of UNESCO protection and National Heritage sites. The e-mail attached a number of photos and videos, as well as suggestions of local activists on “Urgent measures to save Samarkand”.
(You may read this letter here: SAVE SAMARKAND! Open letter of the civil activists – Housing news (housing-uz.info))
BBC sent this letter to the Hokimat of Samarkand region. The press secretary of the administration replied, “Let our experts look into it, and I will inform you about the result.” The BBC reminded the mayor of the letter twice over the course of several days, but received no further response.
The BBC says it is open to the views of all relevant authorities and individuals on the matter.
