Shakhrisabz. Photo: society.uz
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to retain the city of Shakhrisabz on the World Heritage List. The announcement was made by the press service of the World Society for the Study, Preservation, and Promotion of Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage.
The decision was adopted during the 47th session of the Committee held in Paris.
At Uzbekistan’s request, the name of the World Heritage property will be changed to “Ak-Saray and the Timurid Monuments of Shakhrisabz.” The focus will shift from the concept of a “cohesive city” to the conservation of a group of monuments—including the Ak-Saray Palace—while preserving their urban context. The historical part of the city is expected to be designated as a buffer zone to better safeguard its cultural significance.
The Committee supported Uzbekistan’s revised approach but requested several additional steps: a comparative study with other Timurid-era sites, archaeological research, a restoration plan, and drafts of the new master plan for Shakhrisabz and the Cultural Heritage Code—all to be submitted by February 2029.
UNESCO also praised Uzbekistan’s efforts in preserving the site and emphasized the importance of effective collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites).
The historic center of Shakhrisabz, which is over 2,000 years old, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. The area includes architectural monuments and ancient neighborhoods dating back to the reign of Amir Timur and the Timurid dynasty in the 14th–15th centuries.
In July 2016, during the Committee’s 40th session, the historic center of Shakhrisabz was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to construction work that violated UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In 2018, UNESCO considered delisting the site, but no decision was made. In 2019, the Uzbek authorities pledged to develop a regeneration plan for the historic center to remove it from the “danger list.”
