“Art of miniature” is inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The 15^th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is being held on December 14-19, 2020.

The session discussed the "Art of Miniature" nomination jointly prepared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Uzbekistan on December 16, 2020, and decided to include this cultural element in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The adoption of such an important decision for our country was supported by the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva and it became possible as a result of the joint activities of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UNESCO and the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO.

Azerbaijani art of miniature, which is an interesting and rich part of the art of the peoples of the Middle East, has a peculiar place in the history of the world art. The multinational nomination document states that the art of miniature is considered as an integral part of the social and cultural identity of the societies of the presenting countries. Each miniature work contributes to the existence of the historical and cultural heritage, strengthens the cultural ties between the past and the present, and serves as a historical document with a rich visual content, reflecting the traditional architecture, ceremonies, cultural events and many other areas of the daily life.

As always, a few weeks before the meeting Armenia attempted the provocation. In its relevant protest appeals to UNESCO, Armenia stated that it was allegedly inadmissible to mention the issues related to the art of miniature in the Karabakh territory of Azerbaijan in the nomination document and claimed that the Karabakh miniature art belonged only to Armenians and the Christian heritage. Azerbaijan responded to the provocative country with the reference to the principles of international law, the spirit of the 2003 Convention and historical facts.