On November 19–20, 2025, the 2nd International Scientific and Practical Symposium entitled “Current Issues in the Study and Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage along the Silk Road” was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The symposium was organized by the International Research Institute “Silk Road,” operating under the International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

The event discussed various aspects related to the research and preservation of tangible cultural heritage in countries located along the Silk Road, as well as issues concerning the international presentation of this heritage. The symposium was held with the participation of leading museums, research institutions, and specialists in the field of cultural heritage.

The Director of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, PhD in Art History, Associate Professor Shirin Malikova, took part in the symposium and delivered a presentation entitled “Kelaghayi as a Sustainable Form of National Artistic Tradition.”

Participating in the symposium in an online format, Shirin Malikova spoke about the role of kelaghayi as an ancient artistic tradition in Azerbaijani culture and its continuity in the contemporary period, as well as its production technologies, regional variations, and the semantics of its ornamental system.

At the end of the presentation, numerous questions from the symposium participants were answered.