Museum is a Journey through Time: Interview

Abstract

On May 21, 2025, the New Tretyakov Gallery held a panel discussion titled Commonwealth of Museums: How Common Values Are Refracted in the Diversity of Cultures of the CIS Countries as part of the Intermuseum Festival. In an interview with one of the participants of the event, Masud Kimovich, the director of the Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, the role of museums in culture acquisition was discussed. Samarkand has held UNESCO World Heritage Site status since 2001. The Samarkand Museum-Reserve is a large institution whose history dates back to the second half of the 19th century, and today the museum-reserve includes 11 museums, 3 historical monuments, and 2 exhibition areas. Its museum collection is one of the greatest in Central Asia and is constantly expanding. Religious books in the museum’s holdings provide valuable material for theological researchers. The treasures of Samarkand attract an increasing number of tourists, who visit the museum each year, especially during the spring and autumn high seasons. The majority of visitors are domestic tourists, many of whom come on pilgrimages to holy places and to visit significant architectural monuments of the city. Russian tourists are most numerous after local tourists, as of May 2025. Foreign tourists mostly come from neighboring countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan and predominantly travel on their own, so the museum marketing team must work in the field to attract them. In contrast, tourists from distant countries often travel in groups, with their time and itinerary strictly limited. After the reconstruction of the Imam al-Bukhari mausoleum complex near Samarkand is completed, a new influx of pilgrims from Muslim countries is expected. Moreover, in recent years, Samarkand has become an international venue for receiving foreign guests of the highest rank. This is a demanding and important task, but Samarkand possesses all the necessary infrastructure and experience. Modern times force museum employees to constantly seek to improve their knowledge and be more creative.