Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Sept.26. / Trend News H.Hasanov /

The U.S. government has allocated a grant to Turkmenistan's National Library for the conservation and restoration of rare and valuable books. The grant will help the National Library with the conservation and restoration of nearly 50,000 rare and valuable books from the 16th-19th centuries, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Ashgabat reported.

These books represent massive portions of Turkmenistan's literary treasures, and preserving them will enable generations of Turkmens to continue enjoying the wisdom of their heritage, the same source added.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, Sylvia Curran attended the ceremony to award a grant to Turkmenistan's National Library.

Curran emphasized that "annually, this is a highly-competitive, global competition with U.S. Embassies all over the world, submitting proposals for Washington's approval.  Historically, Turkmenistan has had many successful proposals for outstanding projects, and this year's group of proposals was no exception." 

The grant is part of a global program to preserve the culture, entitled "U.S. Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation." To date, the fund has supported more than five hundred projects worldwide, totaling more than 13.4 million U.S. dollars.

The grant is part of a global program for cultural preservation called the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.  To date, the Ambassadors Fund has supported more than 500 projects worldwide, totaling more than $13.4 million.  Over the past eight years in Turkmenistan the U.S. has supported 11 projects worth more than $230,000 to preserve historically important cultural sites and objects in Turkmenistan.   

In the past, funded projects have included technical support for the restoration of historic buildings; assessment and conservation of museum collections; archaeological site preservation; and improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at trend@trend.az