UNESCO announced on Wednesday the inclusion of 64 documentary collections in its "Memory of the World" Registry, bringing the total number of listed collections to 494. The register also includes a collection of manuscripts by Magtymguly Pyragy, presented by Turkmenistan.

The collection of poems by the great Turkmen poet Magtymguly Pyragy includes preserved manuscripts of his works, which spread on the territory of Turkmenistan in the XVIII-XIX centuries. This is a rare example of the oral and written heritage of the Turkmen people and the peoples of the entire Turkic-speaking world, the literature of Central Asia and Europe. Magtymguly’s poems sound like a hymn to humanism, patriotism, unity and cohesion, they have become a reference point for scientists and poets of many countries.

The collection consists of more than 80 sofas copied from the original manuscripts of Magtymguly by his close relatives, fellow villagers, poets, scientists, as well as folk singers – Bakhshi, according to the UNESCO submission. There are also copies of the poet's handwritten works, now stored in the funds of Tashkent, St. Petersburg, London, Budapest, Istanbul, some of them belong to the 18th century.

"Documentary heritage is the common memory of mankind. It should be protected for research purposes and accessible to as many people as possible. This is a fundamental part of our collective history," emphasizes UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay.

The "Memory of the World" program, established by UNESCO in 1992, is aimed at preventing the irretrievable loss of documentary heritage — documents or collections of documents of significant and lasting value, whether on paper, in audiovisual, digital or any other form. The program is aimed at preserving this heritage and aims to make it more accessible to the general public.

In 2017, it was necessary to suspend the entry of entries into the "Memory of the World" Registry due to disagreements between the states involved in the nomination process. Important collective efforts made it possible to revise the procedure, and the nomination process was resumed in 2021. On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the UNESCO Executive Board made a unanimous decision to include new documentary collections in the list.

"For the first time since 2017, new documentary collections have been added to the Memory of the World Register. This is a very positive signal. I welcome the enthusiasm and spirit of cooperation that accompanied this process, when more than 20% of applications were submitted jointly by several countries. I thank the UNESCO member States for their commitment and this new impetus for the protection of collective memory," Audrey Azoulay said.

New additions to the "Memory of the World" Registry came from 56 countries.

ORIENT news