SAMARKAND, June 5. /Dunyo IA/. The first stage of restoring the facade of the Sherdor Madrasah — one of Uzbekistan's outstanding architectural monuments has been successfully completed on Registan Square in Samarkand, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the ceremony was attended by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, Chairperson of the Art and Culture Development Foundation Gayane Umerova, and U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Henick.

The project, implemented with the support of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), comprises three phases and is aimed at preserving the historic façade of the Sherdor Madrasah, its mosaics, majolica, decorative elements and Kufic inscriptions, as well as enhancing the professional expertise of restoration specialists. During the ceremony, the results of the first phase of the restoration works were presented.

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan also signed a five-year roadmap for co-operation, envisaging the further development of joint initiatives in the fields of culture and cultural heritage preservation.