Founding meeting on establishment of the International Institute for Central Asian Studies was organized in Samarkand on 5th July 1995.
Founding meeting on establishment of the
International Institute for Central Asian Studies was organized in Samarkand on
5th July 1995. It is worth to mention that the meeting was held in historical
building of the city, which was build in 1895 (premise of the branch of former
Russian-Chinese Bank, currently Administration of the Samarkand State
University). On behalf of the UNESCO there were two representatives: Mr. Doudou
Diene (Director of the Department for Intercultural Dialogue) and Michael Barry
Lane (UNESCO Consultant on Cultural Heritage).
Born in Liverpool (UK) in 1944,
Michael Barry Lane graduated from Liverpool Polytechnic School of Architecture
(1977) and Town Planning from the University of Paris 4, Sorbonne (1984). As
architect during 1983-1995, being a consultant to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage
Division, he was project manager for various cultural heritage projects of
international organizations in Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Oman,
Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Kuwait,
Jordan, Japan, Iraq, Iran, Cameroun, Cambodia, and Afghanistan. In 1995 Michael Barry Lane was invited as
Chief Technical Adviser for the UNESCO/UNDP project on “Sustainable Development
and Revival of Cultural Heritage in Uzbekistan”. He prepared the detailed
proposals for the integrated
conservation of the historic centres of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Kokand, and
Shakhrisyabz, including restoration and adaptive re-use of monuments and
restructuration of the urban tissue surrounding them in order to ensure their
reintegration into the life of the community; upgrading of historic
neighborhoods including neighborhood centres, street paving, repair of
infrastructure, the reintroduction of handicrafts and other traditional
cultural and economic activities and development of small-scale local tourism
initiatives. Being UNESCO consultant, Michael Barry Lane attended the founding
meeting of the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (5th
July 1995) and accompanied the Director-General of UNESCO during the official
opening ceremony of IICAS (26 August 1995). Starting from 1996 and till 2007,
Michael Barry Lane was appointed as Head of UNESCO Tashkent Office and UNESCO
Representative in Uzbekistan and Regional Cultural Advisor for Central Asia.
From the beginning of his activities in
Central Asia, he established close collaboration contacts between UNESCO
Tashkent Office and IICAS and provided in-kind logistic assistance in
operations of the institute. It is very important to outline that as a member
of the Academic Council and General Assembly of IICAS (Head of UNESCO Tashkent
Office is member of both governing bodies of IICAS with voting rights!),
Michael Barry Lane contributed to the development of innovative research and
grass-root projects on archaeology, architecture and artisan arts of Central
Asia. After retirement from UNESCO, Michael Barry Lane is continuing to provide
consultancy on the management of World Heritage sites in Central Asia,
participating as a member of the international jury for UNESCO Awards for
Quality Crafts in West Asia (Isfahan, Iran) and Central Asia (Almaty,
Kazakhstan). It is important also to mention some of his achievements in the design of King Faisal
Memorial Museum and Islamic Art Gallery in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), National
Museum in Yaounde (Cameroun), Museum at Fayaz Tepe Buddhist Monastery near
Termez and Museum of Traditional Handicrafts in Boysun (Uzbekistan),
rehabilitation of a historic neighborhood of Kabul and creation of the
Institute for Traditional Afghan Arts and Crafts (Afghanistan), Cultural and
Ecotourism Association in Murghab (Tajikistan).
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