Significant Damage of 300 billion soms Incurred to Historical Objects in Bukhara

It has come to light that significant damage has been inflicted upon an archaeological monument that has been preserved in Bukhara for several centuries and is listed as part of the material cultural heritage.  This information was reported by the Press Service of the Prosecutor General's Office.

According to the report, a total of 291.4 billion soms worth of damage has been incurred by five archaeological monuments situated in the Romitan district of Bukhara region.  Various reasons have contributed to the serious damages suffered.

Specifically, the medieval archaeological site known as "Tepa 9" has suffered 269.6 billion soms worth of damage due to illegal excavation and demolition works. The monument named "Kalai Mullabektepa" has incurred 19.7 billion soms in damages.  Additionally, violations amounting to 1.1 billion soms have been observed at the "Amirtepa" monument, 832 million soms at the "Khoja Haqqitepa" monument, and 202 million soms at the "Tepa-5" monument.

Currently, a criminal case has been initiated, and preliminary investigations are underway to address this issue.

For reference, all of the aforementioned monuments were added to the national list of immovable cultural heritage objects on the 4th of October 2019, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.  Objects included in this list are required to receive state protection.