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| A Turkmen lady in traditional dress |
Turkmenistan pays great attention to the development of the cultural sphere. Numerous cultural institutions are under construction in the country's theatres, cinema and concert centers, museums, culture houses, libraries and other social and cultural facilities.
A lot of funds are allocated to scientific-research and archeological works. Currently, the activities of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan are aimed at the achievement of goals in accordance with the State Program for the development of cultural sphere in Turkmenistan for 2012-2016, which has a conceptual meaning for the formation of favorable cultural environment, which, in turn, will help to reveal the cultural and spiritual potential of every person, people and the country as a whole.
The state cultural policy will be implemented through popularization activities, various activities of international level.
Consistent work is being conducted to enlarge the spectrum, improve the quality of the cultural services, widen the coverage over the population, renew the repertoire of the creative collectives, recover museum and library funds and coordinate the activities of the cultural institutions.
In art and culture, carpet making is the important and the oldest arts in Turkmenistan and the region. Archeological data places carpet making on the territory of Turkmenistan as early as the 6th century B.C.
The remains of a carpet which archeologists found in the 1940's in Russia's Altai are two-thousand five hundred years old.
Research shows that the design is very similar to the carpets of today. It took centuries for these designs to develop, and the decoration of the carpets is extremely original, reflecting stylized articles of the real world surrounding nomadic livestock-breeders.
Ornaments are geometric, and love of deep, rich red is an artistic tradition of the carpets. The art of carpet weaving was passed from generation to generation and today one can single out several types of Turkmen carpets, each having individual ornamentation.
The five traditional designs form part of the country's state emblem and flag. Turkmen carpets have centuries-old history. They are mentioned in Zoroastrian Avesta, in works of Homer and Gerodot, in ancient Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, in Shahnameh by Firdousi and other ancient and medieval writings. Italian traveler Marco Polo referred to Turkmen carpets as the most thin and beautiful. Turkmen carpets have been also represented in pictures of the Italian Renaissance artists.
In 2001, Turkmen carpet masters wove a giant carpet, with the area of 301 square meters and weight of 1,200 kg. It is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest handmade carpet in the world. Today, carpet making has become a professional art.
Also, there is another national pride of Turkmen people which are horses. Ahalteke horses play a special role in the cultural life of the nation.
They were the devoted companions of brave dzhigits (horsemen). In the days of ordeals, they were their close friends during the festivities.
The miraculous horses outrunning the wind is the eternal pride and song of the soul of the Turkmen people, a phenomenon of the national and world culture. The Ahalteke horse breed - the wealth and invaluable heritage of the nation - is rightfully regarded as elite in the world's horse industry.
Today, the Turkmen state creates favorable conditions for the art of horse breeding and equestrian sport. The measures taken to promote cooperation with different countries of the world are aimed at achieving this goal.
Particular attention is paid to training specialists for the industry.
The specialized training centers for horse breeders, horse trainers and jockeys are established.
The President of Turkmenistan emphasizes that the government would continue to provide full support to horse breeding and equestrian sport in the country, exchange of experiences with foreign experts, promote effective international cooperation in this sphere and improve the welfare of horse industry workers.
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