DUSHANBE, July 19, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- An international culture and tourism festival, entitled “The Roof of the World,” took place in Khorog, the capital of Gorno Badakhshan on July 16-17.

Organized by local public association, Amesha Spenta, on initiative of and with financial support from a number of international organizations and local NGOs, the event brought together representatives from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan.

The Amesha Spenta head Samandar Pulodov told Asia-Plus the festival activities included exhibitions of works by local handicraftsmen, as well as achievements of tour operators and organizations dealing with power efficient technologies problems.

According to him, such a festival is held in Gorno Badakhshan for the second time and the theme of this year’s festival is “Unity in Diversity.”

“Folk music groups “Rushan” (Gorno Badakhshan) and “Dilnavoz” (Sughd province) from Tajikistan, “Ustadshakirt” from Kyrgyzstan, folk music groups from Shugnan and Ishkashim districts in Afghan Badakhshan, as well as “Chatral” from Pakistan and folk groups from China’s Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and India participated at an official festival-opening ceremony,” Pulodov said.

A number of roundtables and master-classes conducted by specialists from the University of Central Asia (UCA) took place on sidelines of the festival.