Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on tourism development together with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and mineral resources plan to open for tourists a unique geological route - Kitab geological reserve.

This was announced on 2 August by representatives of the departments at the opening of a new direction, many years open only to visiting scientists - section Zinzilban. This is one of the few unique geological monuments of the earth's appearance from the world ocean 410 million years ago.

The opening of the route was organized in the framework of the I International geotourism forum, held from 1 to 3 August in Kashkadarya region. The purpose of the forum is to open new prospects and opportunities for the development of geotourism in Uzbekistan, establish mutual cooperation between tour operators of the Republic and representatives of the scientific community in the field of geotourism, create new tourism products and enrich existing tours and programs.

"We are now where life on earth was first born. I hope that after this forum, the reserve will be open to all tourists from all countries of the world will see this place," - said at the opening ceremony of the route acting first Deputy Chairman of the state committee Ulugbek Kasimhodjaev.

"This forum is of great importance for all of us, because this place is recognized by the international community as one of the pages of the geological history of the Earth. But if we consider it from the perspective of geotourism, it already acquires an additional significant meaning," the Adviser to the Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan of Geology and mineral resources Ilham Turamuratov said.

"Our task is to present this geological section to the whole world and show its importance for science, history, culture and in this case for tourism", - said the adviser. It was noted that the State Committee of Geology has already introduced to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft proposal to change the status of the Kitab geological reserve to the national park, which would allow anyone to see this unique geological monument with their own eyes.

At the same time, scientists present at the forum proposed to start to conduct the necessary scientific and marketing research to study the entire area of the reserve and create a road map that would help to create the first in Uzbekistan Geopark on the basis of international experience, while maintaining the nature and geological monument intact.