TEHRAN - Iran and Kazakhstan held a joint cultural night at Tehran’s Niavaran Palace complex on Monday to promote shared heritage and strengthen cultural diplomacy between the two Caspian Sea countries, officials said.

The event, titled “Shared Heritage, Enduring Bond,” was organised by Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in cooperation with the Kazakh embassy in Tehran.

Senior officials from both countries attended the ceremony, along with ambassadors from several nations and representatives from cultural and artistic communities.

Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Iran, Ontalap Onalbayev, and Hojjatollah Ayoubi, head of the ministry’s International Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy Centre, delivered speeches at the event, ISNA reported.

Addressing the attendees, Onalbayev said relations between Iran and Kazakhstan dated back thousands of years to exchanges along the ancient Silk Road, saying the deep and strong ties between the ancient civilizations of Iran and Kazakhstan in trade, science and literature reflect the historical role of the two countries as vital links connecting East and West.

“Along the routes of the Great Silk Road, our nations maintained uninterrupted exchanges and lived in close contact, like a single community,” the ambassador was quoted by the semi-official news agency as saying.

Moreover, Ambassador Onalbayev referred to the Iranian president’s visit to Kazakhstan in December 2025, during which the two sides signed a 2025–2028 cultural exchange program and other memoranda of understanding in areas including cinema and archives. He said Iran and Kazakhstan would host cultural days in each other’s countries and described an exhibition of historical documents on bilateral relations as a valuable resource for studying their shared past.

Salehi-Amiri said holding the event the day after the Yalda Night was symbolic, calling the tradition one of the oldest shared cultural heritages of Iran and neighboring countries.

“Yalda has for centuries brought people together around light, warmth, affection and hope,” he said.

He noted that Iran and Kazakhstan had jointly registered Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, calling it a successful model for future joint cultural projects. Salehi-Amiri also announced plans to hold a meeting of tourism ministers and a global Nowruz celebration in Tehran on March 28, 2026, and invited foreign ambassadors to encourage participation from cultural figures in their countries.

Ayoubi said shared heritage could serve as a bridge for genuine understanding among nations. “In a world crowded with information, face-to-face encounters remain the best way to truly know one another,” he said.

The artistic segment of the program featured live performances by an Iranian music group, followed by traditional performances by a Kazakh troupe from the Mangystau region, playing the dombra. The group had previously performed at the Gorgan’s International Festival of Tribal Culture, which came to an end on Friday.

The event also included a display of a traditional Kazakh yurt and an exhibition of photographs and handicrafts from Kazakhstan. It concluded with the serving of traditional foods, organizers said.

AM