The events included a presentation titled “Discovering Ancient Treasures of the Great Silk Road: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva” that aimed to boost the cultural relationship between two sister cities, Tashkent and Seattle.

The 100-odd attendees to the presentation included public officials, representatives of tour companies, Washing State University students and teaching staff, members of the Uzbek diaspora in Seattle and the Honorary Consul General of Uzbekistan Gary Furlong.

During the presentation it was noted that Uzbekistan had for centuries served as a bridge between the East and the West. The historical Silk Road passed through Uzbekistan’s ancient cities Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva and served as a medium of exchanging not only commodities but also cultures, languages and traditions of various countries. The event participants also learned of the contemporary development of Uzbekistan and the achievements it has secured since becoming an independent country 20 years ago, including its tourism potential.

The attendees also had the opportunity to view a series of documentaries about the country’s cultural legacy, particularly the history of ancient Uzbek cities and settlements in Central Asia as well as about the culture of the Hellenistic period brought by the quests of Alexander the Great. Those gathered also showed an interest in the excavations at Buddhist monasteries, Islamic sanctuaries and famous monuments built during Amir Timur’s (Tamerlane) reign. The presenters noted that in 2007 Tashkent was announced a capital of Islamic culture, which testifies to the city’s recognition as a center of spirituality and scientific and cultural development not only in Central Asia but also in the Muslim world on as a whole.

“I’ve traveled to Uzbekistan several times,” said H. Holter, an American journalist. “Your country is located on a historical crossroads and thus was a spot where various cultures and nations interacted. It represented a key part of the Silk Road, and today it’s being restored in the form of economic and cultural exchange, political relationships as well as touristic exchange. Uzbekistan, with its rich historical and cultural legacy, is a popular destination for tourists across the world. People in the west are showing increasing interest in this part of the world, particularly in your country.”

Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent and Seattle in the U.S. established a sister-city relationship in 1973. Seattle was the first city in the U.S. to adopt a sister city in the then-Soviet Union. Sister City exchanges through the years have included visits by mayors, deputy mayors and city council members. It has also fostered people-to-people diplomacy through exchanges of teachers, school children and university students, theater arts, museum exhibits, healthcare providers, journalists and social service professionals. The creation of Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association was one of the notable results of this relationship.