Between the 12th and 20th of September 2025, Dosym Zikiriya, the deputy director of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Issyk», and Zhazira Kurbanali, the head of the department, participated in the event «The Third Joint Archaeological Expedition of Four Countries in the Fergana Valley and Exchange of Scientific Experience». This took place in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. The event has been organized by the Silk Road Archaeological Research Centre, which is affiliated with Northwest University in Xi’an. The purpose of the event is to strengthen cultural ties between the four countries of the Fergana Valley – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan – through joint archaeological research, as well as to deepen cooperation and exchange of experience between China and the countries of Central Asia in the field of archaeology and cultural heritage preservation.
More than 20 experts and scholars attended the event from Central Asia. The participants familiarised themselves with archaeological sites and research work in the cities of Urumqi, Turfan, Hami, and in the Dungan Autonomous Prefecture of Sanji, discussing issues related to archaeological research and the preservation of major monuments in the Fergana Valley. As part of the event, the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Issyk» participated in a signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement between the administration of the city of Kumul and Northwest University. The museum expressed its best wishes for the opening of the branch in Kumul.
