The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State has announced the results of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2015 Competition. Out of 148 proposals submitted by U.S. Ambassadors in 2015, AFCP has chosen 28. The United States Embassy to the Kyrgyz Republic is happy to communicate that among them is the proposal for Conservation of the XI-XII Century Karakhanid Mausoleum in Uzgen, Kyrgyzstan.
AFCP is granting $152,910 for this project. The grant will be administered by the Center for Museum Initiatives, represented by Aida Alymova in cooperation with the United States Embassy to the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Conservation and restoration of the mausoleums will begin in September 2015 under supervision of certified Historic Preservation Building Assessor and member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, William Remsen. William Remsen has extensive professional experience in archaeological restoration in Cypress, Egypt, Afghanistan and the United States.
This project is a follow-up to AFCP2014 Project “Conservation Assessment of the Kharakhanid Mausoleum in Uzgen, Kyrgyzstan.” Based on expert recommendations by U.S. Chief Preservation Architect William Remsen carried out under that AFCP, U.S. government funded grant, the Center for Museum Initiatives will conduct conservation of this unique architectural monument.
The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) was established in 2001 to help countries preserve their cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures.
To date, the Ambassador’s Fund has supported more than 700 projects, worldwide. Funded projects include technical support for the restoration of historic buildings; assessment and conservation of museum collections; archaeological site preservation; documentation to save threatened traditional crafts; improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts; recordings of oral histories; and documentation of indigenous languages.
Previous AFCP projects in the Kyrgyz Republic
- 2002: Preservation of the 11th century Shakh-Fazil Mausoleum in Safid-Bulan village, Jalal-Abad oblast.
- 2006: Preservation and restoration of the unique Golden Collection at the Kyrgyz State Museum of History.
- 2008: Conservation of Rare Books in the Kyrgyz National Library, Issyk-Kul Regional Library, and libraries of the Kyrgyz National Academy of Science and Kyrgyz State National University
- 2009: Preservation and Popularization of Unique Archeological and Ethnological Collection of Museum Chamber of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University.
- 2014: Restoration and Conservation Assessment of XI-XII century Kharakhanid Mausoleum in Uzgen.
