Today, the International Festival “Handicrafts and Decorative and Applied Arts in the Heritage of the Peoples of the World” opened in Turkmenabat, reports the information program “Watan” of the Turkmen television.

The large-scale creative action initiated by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and organized by the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan is aimed at demonstrating the bright and distinctive palette of national culture, its role in the development of the state, and its enormous creative potential.

Festival is being held in the eastern region of the country, on the territory of which more than 200 architecture monuments of various epochs are located. In order to take part in it the representatives of the cultural sphere, artists, craftsmen, from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Latvia, and the Republic of Korea arrived to the administrative center of Lebap velayat.

A festive opening of the festival started with the performance of the united creative teams of the country’s eastern region, performed on the square in front of the “Turkmen white home” building. Young musicians greeted its participants and guests in the foyer by virtuoso playing on bowls. Here is also an exhibition of museum artifacts, which fully represents the types of national decorative and applied arts and creativity, folk crafts are unfolded.

The official part of the opening of the festival took place under the arches of a magnificent concert hall, where members of the Government, leaders and representatives of the national sphere of culture, the velayat and city administration and the public, the media, venerable elders, residents and guests of Turkmenabat gathered.

The audience listened with great attention to the welcoming Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who emphasized the peacekeeping mission of the festival, its role in strengthening the bonds of friendship of different peoples.

The opening ceremony of the cultural forum was continued by the literary and musical composition “Turkmenistan is a place of friendship”, performed by the artists of the State Musical Drama Theater named after Seyitnazar Seydi and creative collectives of the velayats of the country.

The wonderful staging was replaced by song-musical and choreographic numbers performed by soloists and ensembles.

The continuity of the best traditions of the national culture was reflected by the bright performance of children’s groups in the number of “Happy children”.

The concert program featured folk melodies, works from the treasury of national musical classics, as well as modern pop songs.

Some folklore numbers were dedicated to the distinctive traditions and customs of the Turkmen people.

A real gift for the audience and foreign guests were dance compositions, as well as popular melodies and songs of the participating countries of the festival – Kazakhstan, Iran, Latvia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, performed in the original languages by Turkmen soloists and the united ensemble of musicians of Lebap velayat.

In the afternoon the festival events continued at the Museum of History and Local Lore of Lebap velayat, where the opening of an exhibition of works of decorative and applied art and handicrafts took place. Today here are more than 35 thousand exponents are stored, the majority of which are the worthless property of Turkmenistan.

In all its diversity, the museum presents works of decorative and applied art, ceramics and sculpture, works by masters of brush and canvas, folk crafts, including carpets, carpets, carpets, tapestries, leather and fur products, clothing, fine jewelry, musical instruments and other items of traditional life and lifestyle of Turkmens.

In the evening, the guests were invited to the State Musical Drama Theater named after Seyitnazar Seydi to watch the feature film “Red Kurte”, the plot of which is based on real events of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

On October 13, within the framework of the forum “Handicrafts and Decorative and Applied Arts in the Heritage of the Peoples of the World”, Lebap velayat Library will host a scientific and practical conference, where topical issues of preserving, studying and popularizing the national heritage, integral components of which are handicrafts and decorative and applied arts will be discussed.

Participants of the conference also will have an opportunity for experience exchange, including in the organization of international exhibition events.

In the building for mass events holding, joined to the “Turkmen white home” the presentation of the national costumes will be conducted.

Foreign guests will continue to get acquainted with the sights of the city on the Amuderya.

Creative meetings and master classes are also scheduled as part of the forum program.

The festive closing ceremony of the festival will be held on October 14 at the Museum of History and Local Lore of Lebap velayat.