Intangible culture with Related Tags
Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam Art
"Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam" is a general term for various Muqams spread in various Uyghur settlements in Xinjiang, China. It is a large-scale comprehensive art form that integrates singing, dancing and music. In the specific cultural context of the Uyghurs, "Mukam" has become a term that encompasses various artistic elements and cultural significance such as literature, music, dance, rap, drama, and even national identity and religious beliefs. Xinjiang has been a place where many ethnic groups have lived since ancient times. It is located in the center of the ancient Silk Road. Various religions coexist and spread, and Eastern and Western cultures collide and blend. It has a rich national cultural accumulation. Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam has a long history of formation and development. The singing content in Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam art includes philosophers' aphorisms, literati poems, prophetic warnings, folk stories, etc. It is an encyclopedia reflecting the life and social outlook of the Uyghur people. The song genres include both narrative songs and narrative songs; the singing methods include chorus, unison and solo; the lyrics rhythm and rhyme methods are complex and diverse. Singing and dancing are the most important features of Uyghur Muqam. The dance techniques are rich and varied, and the formations and steps of group dances are varied. In addition to the main representative of Uyghur Muqam, "Twelve Muqam", there are also "Daolang Muqam", "Turpan Muqam" and "Hami Muqam". In the 1940s, there were only a handful of artists who could sing it completely. In the 1950s, the government rushed to record "Twelve Muqam" sung by Uyghur Muqam masters such as Turdi Ahong. After 1978, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Government and other social organizations resumed the work of large-scale collection, sorting and folk culture. In recent years, various popular cultures that have flourished with urbanization and industrialization have swept across Uyghur communities, causing a strong impact on Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam and other traditional cultures.
Chinese sericulture and silk weaving techniques
Sericulture and silk weaving are great inventions of China and cultural symbols of the Chinese nation. This heritage includes the production skills of the entire process of mulberry planting, silkworm breeding, silk reeling, dyeing and silk weaving, the various ingenious and sophisticated tools and looms used in the process, and the colorful silk products such as damask, gauze, brocade and kesi produced thereby, as well as the related folk activities derived from this process. For more than 5,000 years, it has made a significant contribution to Chinese history and has had a profound impact on human civilization through the Silk Road. This traditional production handicraft and folk activities are still popular in the Taihu Basin in northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu (including cities such as Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and Suzhou) and Chengdu, Sichuan, and are an inseparable part of China's cultural heritage.
Heritage with Related Tags
Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex
Tabriz has been a place of cultural exchange since ancient times, and its historical bazaar complex was one of the most important commercial centers on the Silk Road. The Tabriz Historical Bazaar complex consists of a series of interconnected, covered brick structures, buildings, and enclosed spaces used for different functions. Tabriz and its bazaar were already prosperous and famous in the 13th century, when this town in the East Azerbaijan Province became the capital of the Safavid Kingdom. The city lost its status as capital in the 16th century, but it remained an important commercial center until the end of the 18th century as the Ottoman Empire expanded its power. It is one of the most complete examples of Iran's traditional commercial and cultural system.
Historic Centre of Bukhara
Bukhara is located on the Silk Road and has a history of more than 2,000 years. It is the best-preserved medieval city in Central Asia, with the urban structure largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous Tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas.
Mogao Caves
Located at a strategic point on the Silk Road, a crossroads of trade and religious, cultural and intellectual influences, the Mogao Caves' 492 caves and grottoes are renowned for their statues and murals, covering 1,000 years of Buddhist art.
Archaeological Site of Ani
The site is located on a secluded plateau in northeastern Turkey, overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. The medieval city is a mix of residential, religious and military buildings typical of medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries AD, when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian Bagratid Kingdom and benefited from its control over a branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk and Georgian rule, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for caravans. The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city's decline. The site provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of nearly all the different architectural innovations in the region between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.
Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain
The Holy Mountain of Suleiman-To, Kyrgyzstan, is located in the Fergana Valley, the backdrop of the city of Osh, at the crossroads of an important route of the Silk Road in Central Asia. For more than 1,500 years, Suleiman has been a beacon for travelers and is revered as a holy mountain. Its five peaks and slopes are home to many ancient places of worship and caves with petroglyphs, as well as two largely reconstructed 16th-century mosques. So far, 101 petroglyph sites have been inscribed on the heritage list, representing humans and animals as well as geometric shapes. The site has 17 places of worship, many of which are still in use and many of which have ceased to be used. These places of worship are scattered around the peaks and connected by footpaths. These places of worship are believed to cure anemia, headaches and backaches, and to grant blessings of longevity. The worship of this mountain is a blend of pre-Islamic and Islamic beliefs. The site is believed to be the most complete example of a holy mountain in Central Asia, and people have worshipped it for thousands of years.
State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv”
Merv is the oldest and best-preserved oasis city along the Silk Road in Central Asia. The remains of this vast oasis span 4,000 years of human history. Many monuments are still visible, especially those from the last two thousand years.
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
Undoubtedly, there are still thousands of statues to be found at this archaeological site, which was only discovered in 1974. The tomb of Qin Shi Huang (died in 210 BC), the first unifier in Chinese history, is surrounded by the famous Terracotta Army at the center of a complex designed to reflect the urban planning of the capital city of Xi'an. The statuettes are all different; with horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and of great historical significance.