Kazakhstan intends to create a national strategy to promote its UNESCO World Heritage Sites as tourist destinations. The Ministry of Culture and Information stated that UNESCO is expected to add 11 more of Kazakhstan’s monuments to the World Heritage List in 2026.
New nominations include the Rocky Mosques of Mangystau and the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syr Darya Corridor. Minister of Culture and Information, Aida Balayeva, announced that applications for Salburyn and the “Alpamys Batyr” epic have been sent to UNESCO for review.
Currently, the country is home to six sites that are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List:
- The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
- The Petroglyphs of Tamgaly
- Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan
- The Western Tien-Shan
- The Cold Winter Deserts of Turan
- A portion of the Silk Roads known as the Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor, which features ancient towns like Kayalyk, Talgar, and Akyrtas.
Olzhas Bektenov on UNESCO heritage promotion: Government to provide all-round support to young people involved in popularisation of historical and cultural values of nation's peoplehttps://t.co/Bc6BXufN73
— PrimeMinister.kz Int (@PrimeMinisterEn) April 23, 2025
“These are our national treasures. We must turn all of them into centres that attract tourists. Such monuments should be introduced to the world. They need to be featured in films and programs, included in books and school textbooks. They should also be widely promoted at exhibitions and forums,” said Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
These sites according to him have a crucial role in representing Kazakhstan’s history and they are economically valuable as they attract international attention. The ministry is developin a plan for heritage protection and promotion by 1 September 2025. Additionally, a national inventory of sites is scheduled to be submitted to UNESCO by 1 August 2025. At the same time, local officials will be integrating heritage protections zones into the state land registry with a deadline 15 September 2025.
Kazakhstan recognizes over 25,000 heritage sites, including 265 of national significance and 12,000 local sites. The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has grown from 45 to 79 elements. Fourteen elements are already inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, including kui performance, Kazakh kuresi (wrestling), the orteke puppet dance, and the betashar wedding ritual, among others. Four entries, including the 18th-century “Khandar Shezhiresi” genealogy, are part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
“Written sources on the Golden Horde, the Kazakh Khanate, chronicles of the Great Silk Road, and the formation of independent Kazakhstan are part of global historical memory. Our task is not only to preserve but also to promote them as evidence of Kazakhstan’s contribution to world civilization,” said Bektenov.
According to Balayeva, the sector faces certain challenges such as incomplete implementation of UNESCO conventions, the absence of buffer zones at sites such as Talgar and Akyrtas, waste management, and unregulated construction near heritage zones such as Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausolelum.
Highlighting the shortage of trained specialists and low community engagement, Balayeva proposed solutions. They include establishing protective zones, supporting youth-focused cultural programs, and enhancing regional-national cooperation.
“Today, it is fair to say that only the Kazakh people have preserved such a vast oral tradition, fully created by their ancestors. Safeguarding this immense legacy, inscribing it on the UNESCO list, and turning it into a treasure for all humanity is our shared noble goal,” said Kenzhekhan Matyzhanov, director of the Institute of Literature and Art. He also pointed out that Kazakhstand’s future UNESCO nominations inlcude Kazakh family traditions in 2026, the “Kobylandy Batyr” epic in 2027, and the “Kozy Korpesh-Bayan Sulu” narrative in 2028.
“The Kazakh authorities and the National Commission for UNESCO are committed to continue working with this reputable intergovernmental organization towards safeguarding historical monuments, natural sites and the intangible cultural heritage of the country,” Kazakhstan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Askar Abdrakhmanov, told Travel Tomorrow. “The aim is to reflect our nation’s place in protecting global biodiversity and its worthy contribution to the progress of human civilization through engaging in meaningful multilateral cooperation in the domains of culture, science, education and communications.”
