Not much cultural heritage

Central Asia's economy is not mainly dependent on tourism, so it is possible that the lack of strong communication through media makes many people think that this land does not have many world cultural heritages. However, that is not true.

Kazakhstan has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including 1 natural site and 2 cultural ones. They are the Saryarka steppe – home to many rare species of birds and animals; Tamgaly – a population of more than 5000 cave paintings of prehistoric people and the Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan is home to 4 cultural heritage sites inscribed by UNESCO. Up to now, there are the Itchan Kala Museum (1990), the Historic Centre of Bukhara (1993), the Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures (2001), the Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz (2000) that make up the list. Sulaiman - Too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan is inscribed as a cultural site of UNESCO heritage in 2009. It is an Islamic and pre-Islamic sacred mountain that has been worshipped over several millennia. Other cultural sites that are now protected by UNESCO are the Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv”, Kunya-Urgench (Turkmenistan) and the Proto-urban site of Sarazm (Tajikistan). Being the routes network of the Chang'an - Tian Shan corridor, the Silk Road that crosses several parts of Central Asia is also a World Heritage Site.