Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 19 December, an exhibition “Abai. Heritage of fraternal peoples”, dedicated to the life and work of the Kazakh writer and thinker - Abai Kunanbaev, opened at the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan.

The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan Dauren Abaev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan Beibut Atamkulov, Director of the Zhidebai-Borili Abai Museum Turdykul Shanbai, Director of the Fine Arts Gallery Kamola Akilova, as well as representatives of the media and the public.

The ceremony was opened by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov.

“Today, in Uzbekistan, under the leadership of the head of our state, a lot of work is being done to preserve and restore the cultural heritage of all Turkic peoples. The opening of an exhibition dedicated to the work of the great Kazakh writer Abai in the center of the capital is a vivid confirmation of this. This event also indicates that the friendship between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is growing stronger. Taking this opportunity, I want to say to the Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan Dauren Abaev, who is also present at the opening - "Welcome to Uzbekistan." We are confident that this exhibition, which is opening its doors today, will make it possible to better understand the work of Abai, who has preserved the humanistic traditions of the great thinker Alisher Navoi. His ideas that people should live in peace, about the unity of East and West, the need to master the world heritage, the desire for encyclopedism, the improvement of human nature have not lost their sharpness at the present stage,” A. Abdukhakimov said.

In turn, the Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, Dauren Abaiev, thanked the Uzbek side for organizing the exhibition, noting its high level.

“The work of Alisher Navoi and Abai is a great heritage, embodying an example of the formation of not only Turkic, but also universal values. Although both thinkers lived and worked at different times, they are united by a desire for humanism and a reformist spirit in poetry. They are the spiritual pillars of the two fraternal peoples,” Dauren Abaev emphasized.

Exhibition “Abai. Heritage of fraternal peoples” reflects the following main sections:

- Nomadic culture as a fundamental factor in the formation of Abai;

- The role of Alisher Navoi as a spiritual mentor in the formation of Abai;

- The main stages of Abai's life;

- Heroes and plots of Abai in the works of artists A. Kasteev, U. Tansykbaev, E. Sidorkin, N. Otepbaev and others.

The exhibition will also feature items of traditional Kazakh life, arts and crafts, paintings, drawings, publications about Abai, his writings. A video about the life and work of Abai will also be presented.

Exhibition “Abai. The heritage of fraternal peoples” will be held from 19 to 30 December.