DUSHANBE, September 26, 2011, Asia-Plus – On September 21, U.S. Ambassador Ken Gross attended an exhibition of Pamiri art preserved and cataloged by the Yak House through the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe reports.

This grant provided $49,000 to the Yak House to catalog handicrafts of the Eastern Pamir region of Tajikistan and train youth to carry on the tradition.  The Yak House held an exhibit and handicraft fair at the Bactria Cultural Center in Dushanbe on September 21 to display the traditional Pamiri art and introduce the newly published “Eastern Pamir Art Catalogue” which documents these designs.

For the project, the Yak House surveyed local Pamiri artisans and documented their unique crafts and traditional designs, preserving them for the future.  The project also allowed local artisans to pass on their knowledge and skill through training programs for the next generation of artisans, ensuring that this important aspect of Tajik culture continues.

Since its creation by the U.S. Congress, the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial support to more than 640 cultural preservation projects in more than 100 countries.

The Yak House was established in 2000 by the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) to improve the economic and social position of women in the Murgab area and preserve traditional handicrafts of the Pamir region of eastern Tajikistan.

Since 1991, The United States Government has worked to strengthen the relationship between the people of the United States and the people of Tajikistan.  The U.S. Embassy’s Educational and Cultural programs promote cross cultural understanding through music, art, sports, education and cultural exchange.  Since 1992 the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.