The U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan is proud to announce a new partnership with the Cultural Heritage Agency of Uzbekistan  and Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation to support the conservation and restoration of the Sher-Dor Madrasah in Samarkand.

The proposal submitted by the Cultural Heritage Agency of Uzbekistan was selected during a global competition and constitutes the largest award in this year’s competition and the largest ever for Uzbekistan.  This $500,000 initiative will be undertaken with the technical support of the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS).  This funding marks the 14th project supported by the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) in the country, which has allocated to Uzbekistan nearly $1,350,000  to date.  This new project supports a bilateral Cultural Heritage Protection Agreement signed in 2023 between Uzbekistan and the United States.

The Cultural Heritage Agency, with IICAS support, will carry out the conservation and restoration of Sher-Dor Madrasah’s façade by engaging skilled local craftsmen and specialists.  To enhance the project’s quality and effectiveness, foreign specialists will be invited to serve as consultants.  Project partners will assist in connecting the Agency with leading global scholars and provide access to relevant documentation and resources for conservation efforts and disseminating scientific data.  

“We are thrilled to be part of the restoration efforts of the beautiful and iconic Sher-Dor Madrasah in the historic Registan Square.  These efforts will help preserve this important monument for many generations to come and for all humanity.  Such partnership will strengthen ties between our countries, contributing significantly to the preservation of this important monument and Uzbekistan’s cultural legacy,” noted U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Henick.

"The conservation and restoration project of the Sherdor Madrasah, which will be implemented in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan and the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, is a clear testament to the rapidly developing cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States in the field of cultural heritage. We express our gratitude to the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan for supporting this project. We believe that our future cooperation will strengthen further and that the significance of such projects will continue to grow," said the Director of the Agency, Bakhodir Abdikarimov.