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Cultural Space of Boysun

Mountain district in Surkhandarya whose living traditions of song, craft and ritual are on UNESCO's Representative List of intangible heritage (2008).

Crafts

About the place

Boysun is a town and district in the mountains of Surkhandarya region, known in the 6th to 13th centuries as Bosand. Its villages kept a dense mix of old customs, songs, crafts and seasonal rituals, and in 2001 UNESCO proclaimed the Cultural Space of Boysun a masterpiece of intangible heritage; it moved to the Representative List in 2008.

There is no single sight here. The heritage lives in the villages: bakhshi singers who perform the epic Alpomish, embroidery and weaving, and spring celebrations, including the Boysun Bahori folk festival. Plan at least half a day with a local guide or host who can introduce you to families and craftspeople.

Why go

  • UNESCO intangible heritage since 2001
  • Bakhshi singers of the Alpomish epic
  • Boysun Bahori folk festival

Sources (1)

  1. 1.ich.unesco.org

Nearby

  • Resorts

    11 km away

    Omonkhona Spring and Sanatorium

    Mineral spring about 16 km from Boysun, with water rich in silicic acid and iron, and a sanatorium run by Uzbekistan Railways since 2014; Omonkhona cave is nearby.

  • Archaeology

    17 km away

    Iron Gate and Darband Wall

    The narrow Buzgala gorge west of Boysun, the Silk Road's Iron Gate described by Xuanzang around 630, with remains of a wall of the 1st–3rd centuries.

  • Archaeology

    23 km away

    Uzundara Fortress

    Hellenistic mountain fortress of the 3rd–2nd centuries BC on the Susiztog ridge near Boysun, found in 1991, with about 1 km of walls and at least 13 towers.

  • Teshik-Tash CaveNature

    28 km away

    Teshik-Tash Cave

    A limestone cave in the Boysun mountains where the remains of a Neanderthal child were found in 1938, set in a gorge reached on foot.