The Turkmen national craftsmanship of making dutar and the art of playing it accompanied by singing are included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This was reported by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

This decision was taken unanimously during the 16th online session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

This nomination, introduced by the Government of Turkmenistan, has successfully passed the final examination, adding to the list of world cultural heritage.

“Today, in a politically difficult time, we act in the world as a nation, in which the notion has long been entrenched in its mind that art prevails over conflict, and dutar prevails over weapons. That is why, when I say the word “neutrality,” the image of a skilled Shukur-bahshy with a dutar in his hands comes to life before my eyes,” writes President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the book“ Music of the World,

The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage includes those traditions and expressions that are of value to all humankind. From time immemorial, dutar has been an integral part of Turkmen culture and is used in all major genres of Turkmen music and singing. From Turkmenistan, the folk epic "Gorogly", the folk dance "Kushtdepdi", folk singing and the art of carpet weaving have already entered the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Among the contenders for inclusion in this list is also the breeding of Ahal-Teke horses and Turkmen Alabayev.