UNESCO experts explore Bolgar and Sviyazhsk

Experts representing the International Council for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee’s consultant, Zsolt Visy and Gergely Nagy, are in Tatarstan. The purpose of the visit is to explore the ancient city of Bolgar and island town of Sviyazhsk within the work to promote the historical monuments onto the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Zsolt Visy and Gergely Nagy on Monday in the Kazan Kremlin met with the Tatarstan’s Revival Foundation’s board of trustees chairman and first president of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. Icomos Russia chairman Igor Makovetsky attended the meeting.

Welcoming the visitors, Mintimer Shaimiev thanked them for the trip to Tatarstan.

“You know that we are reviving sites that are very important for us and Russia in general, Bolgar and Sviyazhsk. As patriots, we believe the sites are globally important. This is why, rolling out a great work like this, we applied and expect the Unesco to review the sites for recognising them as globally important sites. It is the right each country has. How members or the committee who deal with these issues on a global scale will take it is another matter,” M. Shaimiev said.

“We were certainly inspired by the preparation of the Kazan Kremlin to being included on the UNESCO List. We felt deeply the responsibility, since our task was more than achieving the Kremlin being recognised as a world heritage site. Most importantly, it had to be conserved. We are confident we are coping with the task,” M. Shaimiev went on to comment.

Zsolt Visy, an archaeology professor, said he and his colleague were burdened with a great responsibility before the world community.

“I came here, to discuss the nomination of the Bolgar complex and main issues with all the colleagues involved in the preparation of the application. As an archaeologist, I have a lot of information about the site, the territory is related to Hungary’s history, we have a lot in common.”

Whatever assessment the experts gave to the Tatarstan’s monuments was their personal opinion, he went on to say. A final decision on including the two sites on the World Heritage List will be up to the UNESCO committee.

Gergely Hagy lauded the great work done by the Revival Foundation, proficiency of the Tatarstan researchers, as well as high level of collaboration between experts, authorities and clerics in reviving the island town that was of great historical value.

“As a member of ICOMOS, I can say the historical monuments of Sviyazhsk are of value for the whole mankind,” he stated.