Main activities were conducted to achieve the intended results:
1. To improve the existing state regulations and other documents related to intangible cultural heritage:
On 27th of October 2015, the Government adopted the 2020 Culture Development Program aimed to develop culture related industries, in particular, identification, safeguarding, usage and promotion of cultural heritage.
On 27th of September 2017, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law was amended and supplemented with provisions of ICH safeguarding.
In 2015, the Law on Historical and Cultural Heritage Protection and Use was amended to include measures for safeguarding and use of ICH elements located on the territory of historical and cultural sites. They are even more adapted to the provisions of the 2003 Convention and are consistent with its objectives.
Governmental Resolution has adopted the National Program for Safeguarding, Research and Promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2012-2017. This program was developed by an expert group composed from the representatives of all governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including the bearers and practicioners of ICH.
ICH capacity safeguarding and its development was also enclosed to the Draft National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the KR for 2018-2040 "Taza koom – Jany door".
In 2013, the Craft Council of Kyrgyzstan was created aimed to unite craftsmen based on common interests for safeguarding and further development of the national craftsmanship in the Kyrgyz Republic, at the national and international levels. The craftsmen were also included to the Craft Council.
Development and improvement of the normative and legal acts created a solid and favorable basis for ICH safeguarding and development as a whole, and the felt carpets manufacturing tradition in particular. Implementation of the National Program for ICH safeguarding facilitated the realization of certain activities outlined in the element safeguarding plan. However, despite of measures undertaken to strengthen and improve ICH regulatory framework, the Government has not yet developed the state strategy for craftsmanship development in the Kyrgyz Republic. It should be based on the principle of traditional craftsmanship continuity, and in particular, safeguarding and development of felt carpets manufacturing traditions, increasing the number of followers of this heritage, protection of the rights of craftsmen. Creation of the national committee for the element safeguarding would also facilitate more activities in this area.
In addition, nowadays there is a need to support craftsmen at the state level in the field of taxation, lending, subsidizing and granting.
2. Creation of craftsmen associations, opening of training and practicing centers in all regions of the country:
Currently, community-based training and practicing centers are opened in each region of Kyrgyzstan. From 2012 to 2017, felt carpets craftsmen trained more than 700 pupils. About 500 women and girls were trained in traditional wool processing technologies and felt carpets art making. Also, crafts training courses were opened at schools and vocational schools. For example, in 2016 at the vocational lyceum No. 58 was opened such courses in Nookat (Osh region).
The inscription of the element on the USL makes our craft heritage significant not only among felt carpets makers, but also among all craftsmen in the country. Following element inscription, they held several meetings at the local and national levels, and decided to create a Craft Council, which was established in 2014.
Opening of the training and practicing centers allowed to increase the number of element practitioners to 2,350 people throughout the country.
At the same time, insufficient inclusion into the formal education system – schools and vocational lyceums curricula to bring-up new generation of craftsmen to be able to continue craftsmanship traditions and use knowledge and skills in modern reality is still a problem.
3. To conduct training sessions on different types of Shyrdak and Ala-kiyiz manufacturing, as well as festivals, contests, master classes and awareness raising:
In order to raise awareness and attract young people to felt carpets making art, the community jointly with the Craft Council, the Ministry of Culture and other interested organizations and individuals continuously conduct various activities.
For example, since 2013 the Felt Carpets Festival is held annually. Felt carpets fairs, best felt carpet contests among craftsmen, contest for the best carpets safekeeping as a family relic and contests among young people for the best felt technologies mastering are held during the festival. In addition, as part of this Festival, Altyn Choychok - the felt carpets manufacturers association of the At-Bashi district awards scholarships named after the professional Janyl Alibekova for the talented youth.
Training sessions on mastering skills to determine wool quality and qualitative processing of raw materials are periodically held for craftsmen in different regions of the country so that to increase the competitiveness of their production in the local and international markets.
The number of TV programs about felt carpets and their bearers and practitioners has increased on public and private channels of Kyrgyzstan to raise the awareness of the wider public. In 2015, 12 TV programs "Portrait of a Master" were aired on the "Sanat" channel.
In 2016, the Public Foundation CACSARC-kg published a colorful 360-page album "Shyrdak, Kyrgyz Traditional Felt Carpet" in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages. The book was provided to the national museums, public libraries, universities, as well as to the relevant organizations abroad: handicraft associations and museums of Central Asia and the Pacific countries and to the office of the World Craft Council.
4. To promote the carpets made of Kyrgyzstan craftsmen’s felt at the international level through participating in international exhibitions and fairs.
The craftsmanship groups made great efforts to develop the felt carpets market in the country and abroad. They supply Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets to the European countries and the USA.
Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets entered to the international market: in 2015, a store "Shyrdak Avenue" was opened in Zurich selling felt carpets and souvenirs. Shyrdak is also represented in the prestigious salon L'Aviva Home in New York.
In 2016 and 2017 Kyrgyz researches and collectors of traditional textile visited the State Carpet Museum in Baku, Azerbaijan that aimed to introduce the Art of Kyrgyz Felt carpets. To increase public awareness of the Kyrgyz felt carpets abroad, several Kyrgyz NGOs, working in cultural sphere in partnership with the Carpet Museum in Baku started to develop a joint project “International Felt Cross-roads” Festival in Baku in October of 2018.
5. Inventorization and creation of the felt carpets database
In order to identify and systematize traditional knowledge of the Kyrgyz people related to craftsmanship technologies, felt carpets and ornaments manufacturing, as well as the use of natural resources as raw material, the Ministry of Culture, the National Academy and NGOs conducted field surveys, which resulted in the creation of the craftsmen database and included additional information concerning the element to the National List of ICH. This database can be used by craftsmen, artists, ethnographers, historians, art historians, teachers, students, as well as all stakeholders.
The Public Foundation "Felt Art Studio" created a database on ancient Shyrdak patterns, which contains 55 Shyrdak patterns and uses them for training the young generation.
Field surveys were conducted to identify bearers and practitioners, who use traditional rough and fatty wool processing technology, as well as training sessions on traditional wool treatment and processing technological cycle. Preparation of a methodical manual on rough and fatty wool treatment and its processing into felt products is being completed.