“Khan Atlas” Festival at SIUT: Combining National Values and Aesthetics

The “Khan Atlas” Festival is a vibrant event that combines the display of the Uzbek national dress code, reflecting the rich history, ancient customs and traditions, aesthetic views, as well as the unique style of the Uzbek people. Thus, on September 13th, this festival was greeted at SIUT to the sounds of carnais-surnais. It was colorful with the bright colors of national costumes, songs and dances. Literally every corner of the university reflected a festive atmosphere.

The “Khan Atlas” Festival is held throughout the country as part of a nationwide cultural program, with the aim of promoting Uzbek national costumes among all generations, as well as representatives of various peoples of the world; to increase attention to national values; and to demonstrate the culture of traditional Uzbek costumes. The multinational staff of Samarkand International University of Technology, honoring the traditions of the Uzbek people, arrived at the festival in colorful examples of the Uzbek style: women in colorful satin dresses, mursaks (robes), and men in white yaltaks, chapans and various “tyubeteika” hats, combining style with modern fashion.

“To have been part of the ‘Khan Atlas’ event at SIUT was such an honour for me as a foreigner. The bright, beautiful colours, the incredibly intricate patterns of the chapans, the men proudly wearing their tyubeteika and the joy and pride everyone displayed in their national costume spoke volumes about the values of the uzbek people. May the whole world take notice of the beauty of this incredible heritage of the country which I now proudly call my own!” – shared her impressions Professor Annemarie Basson from South Africa.

Moreover, the festival featured Uzbek national songs performed live by Zulfiya Rashidova, the head of the University’s Department of Spirituality and Enlightenment.

Nasiba Sadieva, the chairwoman of the SIUT Women’s Advisory Council, says: “Today, the interest in national dress code is growing not only in Uzbekistan, but all over the world. The Uzbek national costume is not just clothing, but a living art that reflects the spirit, traditions and culture of our people. Undoubtedly, the festival will serve to strengthen the national identity in the minds of our youth”.

In conclusion, the importance of holding such festivals, designed to pass on and preserve national values from generation to generation, is one of the important factors in shaping the national spirit in the minds of the youth.