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The historic city of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, a town which shot into prominence when

the Taliban blew up two ancient statues of the Buddha in 2001 has been declared as the
First SAARC CULTURAL CAPITAL for 2015.
Dhaka will be the SAARC cultural capital in 2016-17.

This was decided at the SAARC Culture Ministers Conference which concluded on 25th
september.

The year 2016-17 will also be declared the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage.
The SAARC countries also agreed to formulate proposals for transnational nominations
for the World Heritage List and a regional list of heritage sites.

Indias Project Mausam got a boost as the Delhi Resolution agrees to recognise the
impact and contribution of maritime routes and the monsoon as also other inland
relations through centuries of trade, migration and colonialism.

Cultural Capitals Aim:

To promote literature produced in local languages of the region, and to make them accessible
to readers across the world through translations in not just English but SAARC languages
also.
To promote traditions uniqueness of that particular region.
Digital mapping of historic sites in member countries.
To Prepare inventories of cultural assets.
To preserve folklore and other oral traditions besides a common entrance rate to monuments
in the region for people from SAARC countries.
BAMIYAN SAARC CULTURAL CAPITAL, 2015:
About Bamiyan:

Located on the ancient silk trade route, the city of Bamiyan was part of the Buddhist
Kushan Empire in the early centuries of the Christian era.
One of the main attractions of the city was two colossal statues of the Lord Buddha that
were carved 4,000 feet apart.
One of them (locally called Salsal Buddha) was 175 feet (53 m) high, making it
theworlds tallest standing statue of the Lord Buddha.
These statues were carved during the fifth century CE but were destroyed by the Taliban
in March 2001.
In 2003, the cultural landscape of Bamiyan was inscribed in the UNESCOs List of
World Heritage Sites.

Specification about Bamiyan Cultural Event:


Apart from the Inaugural and the Closing functions, a number of events will be hosted at
Bamiyan during 2015 as part of the celebrations connected with the SAARC CULTURAL
CAPITAL.
These programmes will include:
Exhibitions, Seminars, Music/ Dance recitals, Arts and Craft Workshops, Handicrafts bazar,
Literary Festival, Food show, Display of Traditional Costumes of South Asia, Screenings of
Film and Documentaries, etc.
A series of programmes have also planned specially for the children, which will include
Painting competitions, Debates, Essay Writings, Magic Shows, Quiz programmes, etc.
In addition, a number of regular festivals and programmes held in Bamiyan, e.g. the Silk
Road Festival, Skiing Festival, Buddha Night Festival, etc. would also be integrated as part of
SAARC CULTURAL CAPITAL for 2015.
It will provide an opportunity for Bamiyan to generate considerable cultural, social and
economic benefits and it can help in fostering urban regeneration, boosting the citys image
and raising its visibility and profile on a regional and international scale.

CULTURAL CAPITALS GLOBAL SCENARIO:


The European Union has a similar scheme (initially called the European City of Culture)
European Capital of Culture, Launched in 1985, so far more than 40 cities have been
designated under this programme.
For the Arab world a similar scheme is in operation since 1996, where the Arab League
designates an Arab Capital of Culture. So far 15 cities have been so designated.
Islamic Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (or ISESCO), started a scheme
for Capital of Islamic Culture in 2005, with Makkah Al- Mukarramah (Saudi Arabia) as
the first Capital. From the next year, three cities are chosen annually for Arab, Asian and
African regions respectively. So far 27 Cities have been bestowed the status of the Capital of
Islamic Culture, while 30 other cities have been nominated till 2024. Ghazni was declared as
the Capital of Islamic Culture for Asian region in 2013.
For the Americas, the NGO, American Capital of Culture Organization, which has the backing
of the Organization of American States (OAS), selects one city in the Americas annually to
serve as the American Capital of Culture for a period of one year. This scheme was
started in 1997.

SAARC CULTURAL CENTRE SRI LANKA:


The SAARC Cultural Centre in Colombo is one of the eleven regional centres of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) an association which
wasestablished in 1986 for corporation between South Asian Countries.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the founding
members of the SAARC. Afghanistan joined the SAARC in 2007 and since then it has
been actively participating in various SAARC activities, meetings, and processes.
The SAARC Cultural Centre was established in March 2009, and is the only regional
centre of SAARC located in Sri Lanka.

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