In a recent development, the iconic buildings of the "Sharq" publishing house in Tashkent have been officially removed from Uzbekistan's list of tangible cultural heritage sites. The alterations to the National List were documented on "Lex.uz."
The formation of the national list of immovable property objects of tangible cultural heritage in Uzbekistan was initiated by a Cabinet of Ministers decision on October 4, 2019. The former Pravda Vostoka newspaper printing house and the 20th-century "Sharq" publishing house were previously included in the list of tangible cultural heritage objects for Tashkent city under numbers 87 and 88, respectively.
However, recent amendments to the annex of the decision, dated January 15, 2024, have seen the removal of objects 87 and 88 from the list. Strikingly, these changes were not accompanied by a public announcement of Cabinet Resolution or an accessible link on the "Lex.uz" database.
This alteration follows a controversial decision by the State Asset Management Agency on September 20, 2023, to auction the buildings of the "Sharq" publishing-printing enterprise and the UzA building. The move prompted public outcry, leading the Agency of Cultural Heritage to intervene, reminding authorities that both structures were integral parts of Uzbekistan's national list of immovable property objects of tangible cultural heritage.
The agency, referencing the law regarding the protection and use of cultural heritage objects, asserted that state-owned tangible cultural heritage objects cannot be subject to expropriation or privatization. The recent removal of these buildings from the heritage list raises questions about the preservation of cultural landmarks amid development initiatives and public dissent.
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