"Asrlar Sadosi 2013" festival review

The curtain has fallen on this year's Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Centuries) Festival of Traditional Culture, held on May 4-5 in the Sarmishsai Gorge (Navoi Region), which has included a broad array of events putting the spotlight on Uzbekistan's cultural and historical legacy while drawing a decent amount of international attention. It therefore makes sense to highlight figures that reflect the festival's scope.
This year's 'Echo of Centuries' Festival drew a huge audience and spectatorship totaling over 100,000 people, with another 1,500 participating in the events.
Twenty-two folk groups from various Uzbek regions staged performances and showcased their art, skills and costumes during the two-day cultural celebration.
Around 80 craftsmen and women (applied art masters) from across Uzbekistan brought thousands of unique handmade items to the Festival.
Sixteen chefs from Uzbek regions demonstrated impressive culinary skills at the National Cuisine Festival held as part of Asrlar Sadosi.
The National Dress Festival presented 15 collections by designers from Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, Ferghana and Andijan.
The traditional uloq-kopkari horse-riding game featured over 100 horsemen.
Seven pairs of gamecocks demonstrated combat prowess in cockfighting matches while fifteen pairs of rams locked horns in ram fighting rounds.
A hundred wrestlers vied for victory in tournaments of kurash, a type of wrestling central to Uzbek tradition.
Nearly 300 volunteers affiliated with 'Kelajak Ovozi' (Voice of the Future) Center for Youth Initiatives were involved in preparations for the festival.
Two international conferences focused on the role of culture in sustainable development and architectural epigraphy in Uzbekistan.
Six books on architectural epigraphy in Bukhara, Navoi, Andijan, Namangan, Khiva and Karakalpakstan were presented as part of the architectural epigraphy conference.
Twenty students from 10 madrasas were awarded scholarships as part of the annual Program of Support for Spiritual Enlightenment.
www.asrlarsados...