THE SILK ROAD AND RUSSIAN ETHNIC CULTURAL HERITAGE

THE RUSSIAN MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY Exhibition

ВРЕМЯ ПРОВЕДЕНИЯ

01.07 - 07.10 2016 г.

IN MODERN WORLD THIS CONCEPT GETS MORE AND MORE IMPORTANCE AND BECOMES EFFICIENT FOR MUTUALLY PROFITABLE COOPERATION OF EURASIAN COUNTRIES. SHOWING OF EXHIBITION IN CHINA IS NEW PAGE IN HISTORY OF PROJECT.

From the ancient times southern regions of European and Asian Russia were tied with the northern route of the Silk Road which was its most important direction. The role of northern route drastically increased in periods of political instability when trade contacts between West and East were on the edge of collapse. One of the most important humanitarian goals, to which the concept of exhibition serves, is to show the specifics of northern route as an international trade artery, and to stress its significance in socio-cultural development of nearby territories.

Several cultural areas were selected to portray the routes of the Silk Road. South Siberia, southern portion of Western Siberia and South Urals were territories involved in network of political and economical contacts with the regions of the Silk Road’s main route. Lower and Central Volga regions were the area of interconnection between the Silk Road and the Great Volga Road having link with Baltic region. Crimea and Caucasus were the authentic parts of ancient trade line.

Influence of the Silk Road’s traditions on these regions was manifold. The exhibition aims to characterize ethno-cultural specifics of the southern portions of European and Asian Russia. Emphasis is made on material and spiritual practices, formed under the influence of local conditions and long cultural contacts, which development was favored by the Silk Road. On the exhibition the objects characterizing the “culture of travel” occupied the place of honor, because constant functioning of the Silk Road wouldn’t had been possible without traditional transports and skills to cross the difficult parts of route.

Up to our days multi-ethnicity and multi-confessionality of cultural space c continue to be important factor of socio-cultural development of these territories, the integration process of which at every historical stage was based on mutually beneficial internal and exterior contacts. Today in situation of changing geopolitical vectors the historical experience of the Silk Road could be used in more complete degree to create and realize the concepts of the “New Silk Road” elaborated for mutually profitable cooperation in Eurasian space.