From Ads to Art: Uzbekistan Bans Ads That Cover Historic Mosaics

Tashkent city is renowned for its historic mosaics that decorate the facades of local multi-story buildings. Created over fifty years ago, these artworks are a vital part of Uzbek culture.

Unfortunately, many large brands have been covering these mosaics with their advertising banners. To address this, on May 13th 2023, the local payment app Payme took a proactive step by renting these advertising spaces to remove the banners that obscured the mosaics. This initiative received support from the Uzbek government, including the Tashkent Mayoral Office and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.

The local community quickly embraced the campaign, making it go viral. The initiative captured immense attention, gathering 9.93 million views, reaching nearly 3.88 million people, and generating $397,000 in earned media.

"The Tashkent Mayor’s office not only supports Payme fully, but we are also actively collaborating on new projects to preserve and promote Tashkent's mosaics," said Khen Alexey, deputy mayor of Tashkent for IT Integration.

"Payme has shown commendable responsibility toward Tashkent's culture. We have elevated the protection of the city's mosaics to a legislative level, ensuring that our cultural heritage will not be obscured by advertisements in the future," stated Abdikarimov Bakhodir, deputy chairman of the Foundation.

As a result, 157 buildings featuring mosaics have been officially declared part of Uzbekistan's Tangible Cultural Heritage. This legal recognition ensures that all advertisements are now being removed from these sites, allowing these cultural treasures to be prominently displayed and appreciated by both the local community and visitors from around the world.