Shark Taronalari International Music Festival

The grand musical show "Shark Taronalari" takes place every two years in Samarkand. This is one of the most exciting and large-scale cultural events in the Central Asian region.

"Melodies of the East", which is how the name "Shark taronalari" translates, is one of the most significant events not only in Uzbekistan, but also in Central Asia, and according to good tradition, it was held on the central square of Samarkand - Registan.

Registan Square is part of the magnificent architectural ensemble of the Eastern Middle Ages in Samarkand, a city that was named the Pearl of the East by travelers along the Great Silk Road in ancient times for the beauty and splendor of its palatial architecture. Being the capital of the vast medieval empire of the famous conqueror Tamerlane, Samarkand gathered the best minds and talents of that time: scientists, artists, architects, poets, each of whom praised this legendary eastern city in his own way.

Centuries later, Samarkand became a permanent venue for the bright and enchanting musical festival "Shark Taronalari". Every two years, at the end of summer, Samarkand gathers hundreds of talented singers, dancers and musicians again and again at the magnificent international festival of musical traditions of the peoples of the world. Creative teams from foreign countries from all over the world come to present the cultural heritage of their countries at Shark Taronalari.

Surrounded on all sides by magnificent monuments of oriental medieval architecture, a huge open-air stage with fantastic lighting and acoustics is being built on the historic Registan Square. The organizers are doing their best: the best decorations, interesting exhibitions and conferences dedicated to the festival, and just a huge number of contestants, foreign guests and representatives of the press.

Many of the foreign guests of honor who come to the festival are in Uzbekistan for the first time and had barely heard of Samarkand before. Therefore, getting to know the ancient city, which has a history of more than 27 centuries, is a pleasant surprise for them. Walking around the city, guests of Samarkand can visit the tomb of Tamerlane (Uzbek Amir Temur), where the royal jade tombstone lies, which has given rise to countless legends. Also fascinating are the Shahi Zinda complex, in the dungeon of which, according to legend, the holy spirit still lives, the ancient settlement of Afrosiab, the mausoleum of St. Daniel, the madrasah of a prominent medieval scientist and patron of science and art, Tamerlane's grandson Ulugbek, the Bibi Khanum mosque and many other amazing architectural monuments of the ancient city.

Exhibitions of national Uzbek dresses, folk musical instruments, an art bazaar and conferences are held during the festival. The festival itself lasts for almost a week, and ends with a grand gala concert featuring the winners of the competition.

At the end of the show, bright fireworks soar into the evening sky of Samarkand, illuminating the crowd of thousands of spectators...

See you at the next festival! See you again in the ancient land of Samarkand!

Reference:

The Sharq Taronalari MMF is held every two years under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, as well as with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, the Union of Composers of Uzbekistan and the Khokimiyat of the Samarkand region.

The first Shark Taronalari festival was held in 1997. Musical groups and performers from 31 countries took part in it. Performers from more than 50 countries took part in the VIII festival in 2011. In 2015, the Shark Taronalari Festival was held from 25 to 30 August. The Shark Taronalari Festival is included in the UNESCO international cultural events.

It should be noted that the festival, whose primary purpose is to preserve the musical traditions of the peoples of the world, mutual enrichment of national cultures and friendship of peoples, also has great potential for the development of tourism in Uzbekistan, popularization of its historical heritage and the formation of a vibrant tourist image of the country as a whole. Already today, the festival attracts the interest of many tourists.