If you are a music aficionado, this will be of great interest to you. The largest music festival in the East, known as the “Sharq Taronalari” is being held in Samarkand August 25 – 30. The festival has a definite international flavor to it with 60 countries attending the extravaganza. Appropriately, the festival is being held at the Registan, one of my must-see places to visit in Uzbekistan. Competitions in various categories will be held, and there will be a conference, “Musical Traditions of the East in the Context of Contemporary Culture”, too.

The festival began in 1997 and has been held 9 times since then – all in Uzbekistan. If you are in Uzbekistan during these days, do all you can to get to Samarkand to see this wonderful event! Uzbeks are excellent at organizing and presenting shows like these, and the spectacle will stay with you forever. If you can’t make it this year, don’t despair! This blog will keep you posted for the next one.

Posted by Greg Stephenson