The “Cultural Heritage of Gyumri” declaration has been registered and included in the list of non-material cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. This decision was made during the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which took place in Botswana’s Kasane city from December 4-9, 2023.

The declaration was presented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. The text of the declaration has a unique organizational structure that provides a detailed description of its value. Aghanash Tadevosyan authored this text based on his research and publications on this topic. He has also conducted ethnographic and publishing activities in the regions related to this theme and has authored other articles on the subject.

The text describes the cultural and historical context of Gyumri city and the region where it has developed and flourished. It emphasizes the unique value of the city’s urban heritage and the importance of its architectural ornamentation. Additionally, the text highlights aspects of urban development, architectural solutions, and the transmission of intangible cultural traditions related to the architectural heritage. According to Aghanash Tadevosyan, this presentation of the urban heritage’s characteristics is the result of research on urban development and the study of its characteristics and cultural traditions.

The text has also been published in the “Bulletin of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO,” and there are plans to publish the article in the Smithsonian Institution’s publications in the USA. The research work for the declaration has been carried out by Argam Yeranosyan, a PhD student at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, who has also conducted visual anthropological work related to cultural heritage research.

The preparation of the “Cultural Heritage of Gyumri” declaration and the necessary research work have been undertaken by the Institute of Architecture and “Hovhannes Shirazian National Gallery of Folk Art” under a special order and in accordance with the scientific services provided by the agreement.