At a cabinet meeting on January 7, Deputy Prime Minister for Culture and Media Myahrijemal Mammedova reported on the study of Turkmen patterns depicting Alabai, the TDH state news agency reported .
The Deputy Prime Minister said that as a result of archaeological excavations, traces of the Turkmen alabai were found, as well as its image in the ornaments of ancient Turkmen carpets, and showed slides with them to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov .
According to TDH, the ornaments date back to the 7th – 5th millennium BC. Among them is the “It ýatak” pattern, which is shaped like a row of sawtooth teeth, which symbolizes small kennels. The earliest wall depiction of an alabai was found at the Stone Age monument Pessedzhikdepe, located in the Geoktepe etrap.
Another pattern, "Güjük yzy" (drawings of alabai claws), was found in the Bakherden etrap of the Akhal velayat, on the bricks of the Shekhrislam monument dating back to the 9th-14th centuries.
On the territory of the Shakhrikhaibar monument, located in the Geoktepe etrap of the Akhal velayat, dating back to the 9th-14th centuries, a fragment of a bowl with the image of a greyhound's tail (tazy) was discovered.
The publication notes that these discoveries will complement the summary prepared for the inclusion of the nomination of the national characteristics of the upbringing and breeding of the Turkmen Alabay into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed to include the study of this area of applied art in the curriculum of universities , especially in the humanities, as well as to involve scientists and members of the Milli Gengesh in the work to preserve this heritage (the National Council is the bicameral parliament of Turkmenistan, - editor's note) .
In December, the country's Foreign Ministry announced that work is underway to prepare nominations for inclusion in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for the art of seizing Akhal-Teke horses and breeding Turkmen Alabai.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan