Celebration of the 17th Anniversary of Independence of Uzbekistan with Photo Exhibition “Uzbekistan – Past and Present, Places and Faces” at the Embassy

17 September 2008

The celebration, which took place on 17 September 2008 at the Embassy, was attended by representatives of the Government, political, business and analytical circles of the United Kingdom, as well as the diplomatic corps in London.

Guests were shown the address by President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov at festive ceremony dedicated to the 17th anniversary of Independence of Uzbekistan held on 31 August, 2008 in Tashkent, followed by a concert of Uzbek music and dance.

During the event, the Photo Exhibition «Uzbekistan - Past and Present, Places and Faces» was opened. Previously, the exhibition has been successfully demonstrated during “Days of Uzbek Culture and Art in Glasgow in June, 2008.  

Participants were interested in the information about the history of Uzbek photography that goes back to the late XIX century. Since then the various masters and talented enthusiasts filmed glorious moments and the daily life of the Uzbek people, creating real works of art. During this period Uzbekistan has gone through fundamental historical changes that have transformed the way of life, the urban landscape and economic infrastructure. At the same time, the ancient traditions and rich cultural heritage were carefully preserved and developed.

Accordingly, the photo exhibition was designed to develop an understanding of the historical changes have taken place through the pair of images showing the various places and people in Uzbekistan - as they were at the end of the XIX and early XX centuries and how they look today. 60 works were selected from the collections of “125th Anniversary of the Uzbek Photo” - one of the projects of the Fund “Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan”, and archives of the Informational Agency “Jahon”. They cover the historical sites, construction, textiles, aviation and automotive industry, culture and art, interfaith harmony, respect for elders, youth, family life and other aspects of life in Uzbekistan.

The Exhibition was sponsored by the British-Uzbek Society and “Oxus Gold” plc.

Ambassador and Mrs. Akbarova with Dr. Hartley Booth	Guests familiarizing with exhibition