SHARED CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE TURKESTAN SPACE: HISTORICAL CONTINUITIES, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, AND CONTEMPORARY MEANINGS (WITH A FOCUS ON UZBEKISTAN)

Abstract

The “Turkestan space” can be understood as a historical-cultural macro-region where oasis cities and steppe societies were connected by trade routes, scholarly mobility, sacred geographies, and shared political experiences. This article examines how common cultural heritage emerged across Turkestan over long historical periods and how it is manifested today through monumental ensembles, pilgrimage landscapes, and living traditions. Using comparative-historical and heritage-studies approaches, the study highlights: (1) Silk Roads connectivity as cultural infrastructure; (2) the role of Islamic scholarship and Sufi institutions in creating translocal ties; (3) Timurid-era urban culture as a shared architectural and intellectual reference; and (4) modern reformist movements that reshaped education and public culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. UNESCO World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage documentation is used as an empirical anchor. The analysis argues that shared heritage in Turkestan is best conceptualized as a layered system of overlapping cultural infrastructures (routes, institutions, rituals, and texts) rather than a single, unified narrative. The article concludes that inclusive interpretation and cooperative heritage management can strengthen regional dialogue, while reducing the risks of competitive memory politics.