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Laman Ismayilova

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Every April 18, the world community celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites, Azernews reports.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on April 18, 1982, and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983 during the assembly's 22nd general conference. The event draws people's attention to the protection of monuments and historical places.

International Day for Monuments and Sites has been widely celebrated in Azerbaijan.

The literary and artistic program prepared on the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Historical Places created a good opportunity for everyone to have a pleasant rest at Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Reserve.

The area has been inhabited for thousands of years and boasts over 600,000 distinct paintings, ranging from 20,000 years old to as recent as 5,000 years ago. In 2007, Gobustan was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

Among the 6,000 drawings found in Gobustan are petroglyphs - stone and iron-age figures depicting hunting scenes, ceremonies, and rituals.

Before the start of the event, the guests were informed about the history behind the International Day for Monuments and Sites.

It was noted that this significant day is also widely celebrated in Azerbaijan. Every year, with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, various events and exhibitions are organised in nature reserves and historical places in order to promote the protection of monuments and historical places. This literary-artistic program organised in the Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Reserve is one of those series of events.

Director of the Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Reserve, Vugar Isayev, addressed the event.

"We have been celebrating this international expression with great pride and pride for the last few years. Because our paradise Garabagh, has been freed from the enemy. This allows us to restore our historical monuments, which were destroyed and looted by Armenian vandals for many years, and pass them on to future generations. The main activity of our reserve is to preserve our historical monuments and pass them on to future generations. I think that such events create a great opportunity for us to widely promote our ancient monuments, which are a part of our history," said Vugar Isayev.

His speech was followed by a colourful show with the participation of the independent collective of the Ashiq Rza Gobustanli House of Culture, the actors of the Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre, and the dance group of the eleventh year Fikrat Amirov Art School No 6.

Students of Fikrat Amirov Art School delighted the guests of the event with a performance timed to the Green World Solidarity Year in Azerbaijan.

The performance highlighted Azerbaijan's natural landscapes and drew attention to the importance of environmental protection.

The exhibition fair, consisting of the handicrafts of the employees of the Social Support to Persons with Disabilities Public Union attracted the special interest of both the guests and those who participated in the event.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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